LAUSR

Key Points Question Are there differences in cortical thickness (CTh) alterations between clinical high-risk (CHR), first episode of psychosis (FEP), and long-term illness stages of schizophrenia (SCZ)? Findings In meta-analyses comprising 2109 individuals across different illness stages of SCZ (10 studies of CHR, 12 studies of FEP, and 10 studies of long-term SCZ), CTh did not differ significantly between individuals with CHR and FEP, but those with long-term illness showed more pronounced CTh reductions than individuals with FEP. Accelerated age-related CTh reductions were found in frontotemporal cortex when combining all studies. Meaning The findings of this systematic review and meta-analysis do not indicate an emergence of CTh alterations with illness onset but suggest a progressively increasing thinning of CTh after illness onset.