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The effect of working memory performance on functional MRI in schizophrenia
Heidi W Thermenos1, Jill M Goldstein, Stephen L Buka
1Harvard Medical School, Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts Mental Health Center, Boston, MA 02115, USA. heidi_wencel@hms.harvard.edu
Schizophrenia Research
|February 22, 2005
Summary
Schizophrenia patients show increased brain activation in prefrontal cortex and parietal regions during working memory tasks, even when accounting for performance differences. This finding helps clarify brain function in schizophrenia.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychiatry
- Cognitive Science
Background:
- Prefrontal cortex (PFC) function studies in schizophrenia yield inconsistent results.
- Discrepancies may stem from task performance variations or demographic differences.
- This study investigates PFC function using fMRI during a working memory task.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare prefrontal cortex activation between schizophrenia patients and healthy controls.
- To examine the impact of task performance on brain activation patterns.
- To clarify the neural basis of working memory deficits in schizophrenia.
Main Methods:
- Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used.
- Participants included 22 healthy controls and 14 individuals with schizophrenia.
- A visual letter 2-back working memory task and a control task were performed.
Main Results:
- Schizophrenia patients exhibited greater activation in the right medial frontal gyrus and left inferior parietal lobule.
- A trend towards greater activation was observed in the left ventrolateral PFC in patients.
- These patterns persisted in demographically matched subgroups after adjusting for performance.
Conclusions:
- Findings support increased PFC and parietal activation in schizophrenia when performance is considered.
- Further research is needed to understand the pathophysiology of working memory load sensitivity.
- The relationship between these brain activation patterns and genetic factors requires further investigation.