[Brainmap] Zora Kikinis, PhD; Title: Title: 22q11 Deletion Syndrome: a disease model for understanding schizophrenia

Zora Kikinis, Ph.D. 
Instructor, Psychiatry Neuroimaging Laboratory, 
Department of Psychiatry,
Brigham and Women's Hospital, 
Harvard Medical School  

Title: 22q11 Deletion Syndrome:  a disease model for understanding schizophrenia

 
Abstract:
 
Schizophrenia is a spectrum disease that is not fully understood. 22q11Deletion Syndrome (22q11DS) is a neurodevelopmental disorder and is believed to be caused by a deletion of 30 to 40 genes on one of the chromosome 22. Individuals with 22q11DS are at high risk to develop schizophrenia (30% incidence in adulthood). Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging (dMRI) provides novel and non-invasive tools for mapping the white matter of the brain. Using this methodology in adolescents with 22q11DS demonstrate that changes in the white matter precede the clinical symptoms associated with schizophrenia. Findings in individuals with 22q11DS could potentially be used to develop screening strategies for subjects at increasd risk for schizophrenia.
 
Bio:

Zora is an Instructor in the Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School. She completed her PhD in Cell Biology at the University of Basel, Switzerland, and cross-trained later in Medical Image Computing with Dr. Martha Shenton at BWH, Boston. Her curiosity guided her to apply a multi-disciplinary approach, such as genetics and imaging, to investigate the etiology of psychiatric diseases.