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Correlated structural and functional brain abnormalities in the default mode network in schizophrenia patients
P Salgado-Pineda1, E Fakra, P Delaveau
1Benito Menni Complex Assistencial en Salut Mental, Barcelona, Spain. psalgado@hospitalbenitomenni.org
Schizophrenia patients exhibit default mode network (DMN) dysfunction, failing to deactivate brain regions during facial emotion tasks. This functional deficit correlates with structural grey matter reductions in medial cortical areas.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychiatry
- Brain Imaging
Background:
- Growing evidence points to default mode network (DMN) dysfunction in schizophrenia.
- Brain structural changes in schizophrenia may be most pronounced in medial frontal regions overlapping with the DMN's anterior midline node.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate DMN functional and structural abnormalities in schizophrenia during facial emotion processing.
- To compare DMN dysfunction in schizophrenia during emotion tasks versus working memory tasks.
Main Methods:
- Examined brain deactivations in 14 schizophrenia patients and 14 controls during facial emotion identification and labeling tasks.
- Utilized voxel-based morphometry to compare grey and white matter volumes between groups.
Main Results:
- Schizophrenia patients showed impaired deactivation in DMN midline nodes and other DMN areas compared to controls.
- Grey matter reductions were observed in medial cortical regions of patients, overlapping with DMN areas.
- Significant correlations were found between functional and structural changes in several medial cortical regions.
Conclusions:
- Schizophrenia is associated with impaired DMN deactivation during facial emotion tasks, exceeding deficits seen in working memory tasks.
- Findings support the hypothesis of brain structural alterations within the DMN territory in schizophrenia.
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