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Motor function deficits in schizophrenia: an fMRI and VBM study
Sadhana Singh1, Satnam Goyal, Shilpi Modi
1NMR Research Center, Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences (INMAS), DRDO, Lucknow Road, Timarpur, Pin Code: 110054, Delhi, India.
Introduction:
To investigate whether the motor functional alterations in schizophrenia (SZ) are also associated with structural changes in the related brain areas using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and voxel-based morphometry (VBM).
Methods:
A sample of 14 right-handed SZ patients and 14 right-handed healthy control subjects matched for age, sex, and education were examined with structural high-resolution T1-weighted MRI; fMRI images were obtained during right index finger-tapping task in the same session.
Results:
fMRI results showed reduced functional activation in the motor areas (contralateral precentral and postcentral gyrus) and ipsilateral cerebellum in SZ subjects as compared to healthy controls (n = 14). VBM analysis also revealed reduced grey matter in motor areas and white matter reduction in cerebellum of SZ subjects as compared to controls.
Conclusion:
The present study provides an evidence for a possible association between structural alterations in the motor cortex and disturbed functional activation in the motor areas in persons affected with SZ during a simple finger-tapping task.
