Lack of Gender Influence on Cortical and Subcortical Gray Matter Development in Childhood-Onset Schizophrenia

abnormalities are an established feature of schizophrenia and are more pronounced in rare, severe, and treatment refractory childhood-onset schizophrenia (COS) cases. The effect of sex on brain development in schizophrenia is poorly understood and studies to date have produced inconsistent results. Methods: Using the largest to date longitudinal sample of COS cases (n 5 104, scans 5 249, Male/Female [M/F] 5 57/47), we compared COS sex differences with sex differences in a sample of matched typically developing children (n 5 104, scans 5 244, M/F 5 57/47), to determine whether or not sex had differential effects on cortical and subcortical brain devel-opment in COS. Results: Our results showed no signifi-cant differential sex effects in COS for either GM cortical thickness or subcortical volume development (sex 3 diagnosis 3 age interaction; false discovery rate q 5 0.05). Conclusion: Sex appears to play a similar role in cortical and subcortical GM development in COS as it does in normally developing children. Key words: schizophrenia/adolescent/sex differences/ cortical/subcortical/gray matter/gender/childhood-onse