Magnetic Resonance Imaging

At my request, my doctor set me up for an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging). I wanted to know more about the course of my illness and the prognosis. So he set me up for the MRI to determine a baseline point and then monitor how it changes down the line.

My doctor said the above image shows a schizophrenic brain on the right as compared to a normal brain on the left. The gray matter (neuronal cells) and the white matter (fibrous connections) are shown. Volume is a major difference. With schizophrenia there are enlarged ventricles and reduced gray matter. There is also reduced volume in the temporal lobes and hippocampus which affect auditory processing, language and memory. I’m glad we chose to do the MRI because I want to know the structural and functional findings so it helps them consider what the possible outcome might be.