A team of researchers have found characteristics in the brains of individuals with psychotic disorders, such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, that are specific to their conditions. These findings will help researchers better understand the mysterious pathology of psychotic disorders, The Medical Daily reported.  

The Harvard Medical School researchers conducted a neuroimaging study on healthy volunteers and patients with schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, and psychotic bipolar disorder.  A total of 549 patients with psychotic disorders and 336 healthy patients were involved.

All of the patients with psychotic conditions were found to have a reduction in the size of the hippocampus region of the brain that was specific to their condition. The researchers also found that the reductions in hippocampal volume were associated with the severity of psychosis, declarative memory, and overall cognitive performance. 

Psychotic disorders are severe mental disorders that cause abnormal thinking and perceptions. Often these patients lose touch with reality. Patients suffering from psychotic disorders are also prone to delusions and hallucinations.

These findings would explain why those who suffer from psychotic disorders have an inability to discriminate between past and present memory experiences.