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Prefrontal dysfunction in schizophrenia controlling for COMT Val158Met genotype and working memory performance.
Alessandro Bertolino1, Grazia Caforio, Vittoria Petruzzella
1Psychiatric Neuroscience Group, Section on Mental Disorders, Department of Psychiatric and Neurological Sciences, University of Bari, Bari, Italy. bertolia@psichiat.uniba.it
Psychiatry Research
|September 6, 2006
Summary
Schizophrenia patients show increased prefrontal cortex activity during working memory tasks. This heightened neuronal resource recruitment, even when controlling for performance and COMT genotype, appears to be a core trait of the disease.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychiatry
- Cognitive Psychology
Background:
- Schizophrenia is associated with dorsolateral prefrontal cortex dysfunction during working memory.
- Previous research utilized functional imaging to identify these deficits.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate neuronal resource recruitment in the prefrontal cortex during working memory in schizophrenia patients.
- To examine the influence of behavioral performance and COMT Val158Met genotype on this recruitment.
Main Methods:
- Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) paradigm.
- Working memory task.
- Control for behavioral performance and COMT Val158Met genotype.
Main Results:
- Schizophrenia patients recruited greater neuronal resources in the prefrontal cortex during working memory.
- The Val allele of the COMT polymorphism was associated with increased prefrontal cortex engagement.
Conclusions:
- Increased prefrontal cortex recruitment during working memory is a core functional trait in schizophrenia.
- COMT genotype influences prefrontal cortex engagement in this cognitive task.
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