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Smoking status as a potential confound in the BOLD response of patients with schizophrenia
Leonard Leyba1, Andrew R Mayer, Randy L Gollub
1The Mind Research Network, Pete & Nancy Domenici Hall, 1101 Yale Blvd. NE, Albuquerque, NM 87131, United States. lleyba@salud.unm.edu
Background:
Functional magnetic resonance imaging (FMRI) studies comparing schizophrenia patients and controls may have been confounded by the vascular effects of heavier long-term cigarette use in patients.
Methods:
The blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) response to a simple sensorimotor task was compared between schizophrenia patient with a smoking history (mean 17 pack years) and carefully matched patient non-smokers and control non-smokers.
Results:
Group differences in activation magnitude and spatial extent were non-significant.
Conclusions:
Typical smoking histories in schizophrenia patients do not significantly confound FMRI results in simple sensorimotor tasks when patient demographics are carefully controlled.
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