Study Reveals Connection Between Thyroid Hormones and Brain Changes in Violent Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia (SCZ), affecting about 1% of the population, is linked to a higher prevalence of violence, with studies reporting up to 33.3% of individuals exhibiting violent behavior. Research indicates that thyroid dysfunction, which is common in SCZ due to genetic variations and antipsychotic treatments, may contribute to neuropsychiatric symptoms such as delusions and cognitive changes, increasing the risk of violence. The frontal lobe, critical for emotional regulation and cognition, often shows reduced gray matter volume (GMV) in violent SCZ patients. Thyroid hormones, essential for brain development and function, may influence these GMV alterations, suggesting a potential mechanism for violence in SCZ.

Against the above background, Tao Yu, Anhui Mental Health Center; Affiliated Psychological Hospital of Anhui Medical University; Hefei Fourth People’s Hospital, People’s Republic of China, and colleagues aimed to assess whether thyroid hormone levels are linked to frontal lobe gray matter volume (GMV) in male schizophrenia patients with violent behavior.

For this purpose, the researchers conducted thyroid function tests, including triiodothyronine (T3), thyroxine (T4), thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), free triiodothyronine (fT3), and free thyroxine (fT4), on 55 male patients with schizophrenia. Structural magnetic resonance imaging (sMRI) scans were performed, and the data were processed using FreeSurfer version 5.0.

The researchers applied multiple linear stepwise regression analysis to explore the relationship between frontal lobe gray matter volume and thyroid hormone levels.

Key findings:

• Patients with schizophrenia and violent behavior had reduced gray matter volume (GMV) in the left frontal pole and higher TSH levels compared to those without violent behavior.
• After controlling for potential covariates, a negative association was found between frontal pole GMV and TSH levels in all participants.

"Our results showed that schizophrenia patients with violent behavior had reduced gray matter volume in the frontal pole and elevated TSH levels compared to those without violence. Additionally, we found a negative association between frontal pole GMV and TSH levels. These findings highlight the potential role of decreased frontal GMV in violence among SCZ patients," the researchers wrote.

"The results suggest that factors contributing to increased TSH levels should be considered to reduce the risk of violence in schizophrenia. Therefore, monitoring and addressing thyroid hormone alterations in SCZ patients is crucial," they concluded.

Reference:

Yu T, Pei W, Zhang X, Deng C. Associations Between Thyroid Hormones Levels and Gray Matter Volume of Frontal Lobe Involved into Violence in Male Schizophrenia Patients. Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat. 2024;20:2169-2175

https://doi.org/10.2147/NDT.S481875