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Updated: Aug 22, 2026

Standardized Data Acquisition for Neuromelanin-Sensitive Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Substantia Nigra
Published on: September 8, 2021
Neuronal dysfunction of the frontal lobe in schizophrenia
Chi-Un Pae1, Bo-Young Choe, Ra-Hyeong Joo
1Department of Psychiatry, Kangnam St. Mary's Hospital, Seoul, Korea.
Abstract:
Localized in vivo proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) was performed to evaluate metabolic alterations in the right and left frontal lobe before and after antipsychotic treatment of schizophrenic patients (n=24) and a group of healthy normal subjects (n=20). Proton metabolic ratios obtained from the 8 cm3 voxels in the right and left frontal lobes were compared with the clinical assessment for each subject. There was no significant difference in the metabolic ratios between the right and the left frontal lobes in either the schizophrenic group or the control group, indicating no laterality. Compared with those of the normal control group, NAA/Cr ratio of the schizophrenic patients showed significantly lower value. The NAA/Cr ratio of the schizophrenic patients was not changed after antipsychotic treatment. The present study supports the 'hypofrontality' hypothesis of schizophrenia.
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