Prefrontal hyperactivation during a working memory task in early-onset schizophrenia spectrum disorders: an fMRI...

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Psychiatry
• Cognitive Psychology

Background:

• Working memory (WM) dysfunction is a recognized feature of schizophrenia.
• Limited research exists on prefrontal activation during WM tasks in early-onset schizophrenia spectrum disorder (EOS).

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate prefrontal cortex activation during a WM task in EOS patients compared to healthy controls.
• To explore potential compensatory mechanisms in EOS during cognitive tasks.

Main Methods:

• Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to acquire brain activity data.
• Fifteen patients with EOS and 15 healthy controls performed 0-back and 2-back tasks.
• Prefrontal activation patterns were compared between the two groups.

Main Results:

• Performance on WM tasks was comparable between EOS patients and healthy controls.
• EOS patients exhibited hyperactivation in the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (VLPFC) during the 2-back task compared to controls.
• This hyperactivation suggests a compensatory cognitive strategy in EOS.

Conclusions:

• The VLPFC may compensate to maintain WM task performance in EOS.
• Findings suggest EOS involves altered cognitive strategies for working memory.
• Further research is needed to understand the neural underpinnings of WM deficits in EOS.