Psychiatr. Pol. 2015; 49(2): 349–361 PL ISSN 0033-2674 (PRINT), ISSN 2391-5854 (ONLINE) www.psychiatriapolska.pl DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.12740/PP/25161 The study was funded with a grant by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education (grant: N N401 284234). Internal capsule integrity and its sex-related structural differences in early-onset schizophrenia – diffusion tensor imaging study Marta Gawłowska-Sawosz 1,2 , Jolanta Rabe-Jabłońska 2 , Piotr Gębski 3 , Piotr Chomczyński 4 1 II Department of Psychiatry, Medical University of Lodz Head: prof. dr hab. n. med. J. Rabe-Jabłońska 2 Clinical Department of Youth Psychiatry, Independent Public Children’s Clinical Hospital in Warsaw Head: prof. dr hab. n. med. T. Wolańczyk 3 Księży Młyn Medical Center of Diagnostic Radiology Head: dr n. med. A. Rotkiewicz 4 Sociology of Organization and Managment Deparment, University of Lodz Head: prof. dr hab. K. Konecki Summary Objectives: In schizophrenia, the most repeatable DTI indings concern reduced FA in temporal and frontal lobes with associated abnormalities in connecting neural ibers. The goal of study was to evaluate the differences in FA of the internal capsule in EOS-patients and healthy controls and to place emphasis on the sex as a potential factor determining a predominant pathological pattern of described changes. Methods: 30 EOS patients and 30 healthy controls were studied using DTI. FA measures within internal capsules were performed in selected ROIs. For statistical analyses the one-way ANOVA test was used (p < 0.05). Results: Signiicant differences of FA between EOS-patients and controls in the right ALIC with lower values of FA in EOS were observed. Within the women sub-groups, statistical dif- ferences of FA were observed only for the right ALIC. There were no statistically signiicant differences within men sub-groups. Conclusions: 1. Statistically signiicant differences were found between EOS – subjects (subgroups of woman only) and the control group within the WM diffusivity of the brain in