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Longitudinal grey-matter and glutamatergic losses in first-episode schizophrenia
Jean Théberge1, Kate E Williamson, Naoko Aoyama
1St Joseph's Health Care, Nuclear Medicine and MR, Room B5-233, 268 Grosvenor Street, London, Ontario N6A 4V2, Canada. jtheberge@lawsonimaging.ca
Background:
Progressive volumetric changes in the brains of people with schizophrenia have been attributed to a number of factors.
Aims:
To determine whether glutamatergic changes in patients with schizophrenia correlated with grey-matter losses during the first years of illness.
Method:
Left anterior cingulate and thalamic glutamatergic metabolite levels and grey-matter volumes were examined in 16 patients with first-episode schizophrenia before and after 10 months and 30 months of antipsychotic treatment and in 16 healthy participants on two occasions 30 months apart.
Results:
Higher than normal glutamine levels were found in the anterior cingulate and thalamus of never-treated patients. Thalamic levels of glutamine were significantly reduced after 30 months. Limited grey-matter reductions were seen in patients at 10 months followed by widespread grey-matter loss at 30 months. Parietal and temporal lobe grey-matter loss was correlated with thalamic glutamine loss.
Conclusions:
Elevated glutamine levels in never-treated patients followed by decreased thalamic glutamine and grey-matter loss in connected regions could indicate either neurodegeneration or a plastic response to reduced subcortical activity.
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