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Attentional networks and cingulum bundle in chronic schizophrenia.
Paul G Nestor1, Marek Kubicki, Kevin M Spencer
1Department of Psychology, University of Massachusetts, Boston, MA 02125-3393, USA. paul.nestor@umb.edu
Schizophrenia Research
|December 8, 2006
Summary
Patients with chronic schizophrenia exhibit impaired attention networks, particularly in alertness. Brain imaging revealed that cingulum bundle integrity is linked to attention deficits in schizophrenia.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychiatry
Background:
- Schizophrenia is a chronic mental disorder affecting cognition.
- Attention deficits are a core symptom of schizophrenia.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate attention network functioning in chronic schizophrenia patients.
- To explore the relationship between cingulum bundle integrity and attention in schizophrenia.
Main Methods:
- Thirty chronic schizophrenia patients and 30 controls completed the Attention Network Test (ANT).
- Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) measured cingulum bundle (CB) fractional anisotropy and volume in 18 patients.
Main Results:
- Schizophrenia patients showed significantly reduced alerting efficiency on the ANT.
- Left CB fractional anisotropy correlated with orienting of attention.
- Smaller right CB volume correlated with reduced alertness, independent of medication and illness duration.
Conclusions:
- Chronic schizophrenia is associated with specific deficits in attention networks, especially alertness.
- Cingulum bundle structure is implicated in the attentional impairments observed in schizophrenia.
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