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There are many reports of clinical and biological gender differences in schizophrenia. Gender differences in structural brain abnormalities in schizophrenia have been reported on both computed tomographic (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans. We present here a new MRI study of cerebral structures in schizophrenia. On the basis of previous findings, we hypothesized that schizophrenic males are more likely than females to show smaller brains and larger ventricles compared to their control counterparts. Our results indicated that the opposite was true: schizophrenic females, but not schizophrenic males, had smaller craniums and brains and larger lateral and third ventricles on MRI scans. The possible significance and implications of these data are discussed.

The present study was an attempt to cross-validate discrimination rules derived from a previous study on the Luria-Nebraska Neuropsychological Battery for use in predicting ventricular enlargement and to replicate the correlations found between the Luria-Nebraska scales and ventricular brain ratio. Forty-three chronic schizophrenic patients between the ages of 20 and 39 were given a computed tomography (CT) scan and the Luria-Nebraska Battery. Ventricular brain ratio was calculated, and the Luria-Nebraska rules previously suggested were applied to predict the absence or presence of ventricular enlargement. All 15 of the patients with ventricular enlargement were correctly classified by the Luria-Nebraska. Of 28 patients with normal ventricles, the Luria-Nebraska classified 18 as normal and 10 as brain damaged, for a combined hit rate of 33 out of 43, or 77%. The multiple correlation between the Luria-Nebraska scales and ventricular brain ratio was .76, comparable to the results of the previous study. Differences between the studies and the implications of objective CT scan measurement for detecting cerebral atrophy are discussed..