<p>This ENIGMA study did not assess brain abnormalities at an individual level. Rather, it examined if the volumes of a range of subcortical brain structures differed between patients with schizophrenia and healthy control subjects at the group level, using a meta-analytic approach. The term "brain abnormalities" might be misleading in this context: The study was not about the type of brain abnormalities that would be detectable by a neuroradiological exam (for a study focusing on this, see Sommer et al, 2013, Schizophrenia Bulletin, doi: 10.1093.schbul.sbs037). It is therefore not possible to determine the percentage of patients who had brain abnormalities from the study.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-07-13T20:50:05.037Z
2018-07-13T20:50:05.037Z
user19735
<p>Scientists in a <a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/07/150707102051.htm" rel="nofollow noreferrer">wide study</a> of subcortical brain abnormalities from the ENIGMA Consortium, Schizophrenia Working Group, <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/mp201563#t2" rel="nofollow noreferrer">published</a> in Molecular Psychiatry, analyzed the brain scans of more than 2,000 people diagnosed with schizophrenia. </p>

<p>I doubt diagnosis is 100% accurate, so I'm thinking a percentage of those diagnosed didn't have abnormalities. What is that percentage? (There is a <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/mp201563/tables/2" rel="nofollow noreferrer">table</a> in the Molecular Psychiatry article, with information which might or might not be related to my question, but I don't know how to read it).</p>

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2017-12-01T15:27:48.080Z
The question is reasonable, but even after you get a number (which could well be 0), it might not mean all that much because detecting an abnormality (of the 9 in [their model](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4668237)) doesn't  mean you can use it for [differential] diagnostic purposes, i.e. the same abnormality can show up in dozens or even hundreds of other pshychiatric disorders. A more useful question is what is the predictive power of their model (i.e. by combining abnormalities).
got trolled too much this week
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-12-01T16:03:57.543Z
Furthermore, it's not entirely clear that all the changes are due to the illness. Apparently the medication contributes some as well https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3476840/
got trolled too much this week
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-12-01T23:52:57.267Z
@fizz I added information and a link to the study itself, plus a link to a table with, apparently, differences between medicated and not medicated patients. No idea how to read it, if you can shed some light would be good.
freethinker36
<abnormal-psychology><psychiatry><schizophrenia>
What percentage of those diagnosed with schizophrenia didn't have brain abnormalities?
freethinker36
# What percentage of those diagnosed with schizophrenia didn't have brain abnormalities?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2017-12-01)

Scientists in a [wide study](https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/07/150707102051.htm) of subcortical brain abnormalities from the ENIGMA Consortium, Schizophrenia Working Group, [published](https://www.nature.com/articles/mp201563#t2) in Molecular Psychiatry, analyzed the brain scans of more than 2,000 people diagnosed with schizophrenia.

I doubt diagnosis is 100% accurate, so I'm thinking a percentage of those diagnosed didn't have abnormalities. What is that percentage? (There is a [table](https://www.nature.com/articles/mp201563/tables/2) in the Molecular Psychiatry article, with information which might or might not be related to my question, but I don't know how to read it).

**Tags:** abnormal-psychology, psychiatry, schizophrenia

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: The question is reasonable, but even after you get a number (which could well be 0), it might not mean all that much because detecting an abnormality (of the 9 in [their model](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4668237)) doesn't  mean you can use it for [differential] diagnostic purposes, i.e. the same abnormality can show up in dozens or even hundreds of other pshychiatric disorders. A more useful question is what is the predictive power of their model (i.e. by combining abnormalities).  
> **username_1**: Furthermore, it's not entirely clear that all the changes are due to the illness. Apparently the medication contributes some as well https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3476840/  
> **username_0**: @fizz I added information and a link to the study itself, plus a link to a table with, apparently, differences between medicated and not medicated patients. No idea how to read it, if you can shed some light would be good.  

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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2018-07-13. Score: 1

This ENIGMA study did not assess brain abnormalities at an individual level. Rather, it examined if the volumes of a range of subcortical brain structures differed between patients with schizophrenia and healthy control subjects at the group level, using a meta-analytic approach. The term "brain abnormalities" might be misleading in this context: The study was not about the type of brain abnormalities that would be detectable by a neuroradiological exam (for a study focusing on this, see Sommer et al, 2013, Schizophrenia Bulletin, doi: 10.1093.schbul.sbs037). It is therefore not possible to determine the percentage of patients who had brain abnormalities from the study.


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