Task Performance Modulates Functional Connectivity Involving the Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex in Patients with...

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Cognitive Psychology
• Psychiatry

Background:

• Schizophrenia patients and healthy controls show differing dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) activity during working memory tasks.
• Working memory performance may modulate DLPFC functional interactions between patients and controls.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how working memory performance affects functional interactions of the DLPFC in schizophrenia patients and healthy controls.
• To explore the modulatory effect of performance on DLPFC functional interactions using psychophysiological interaction (PPI) analyses.

Main Methods:

• 45 schizophrenia patients and 45 healthy controls performed a 2-back task during functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).
• Groups were divided into subgroups based on task performance.
• Psychophysiological interaction (PPI) analyses were used to measure functional interactions.

Main Results:

• Schizophrenia patients with impaired working memory showed decreased functional interactions between the DLPFC and angular cortex compared to controls.
• An interaction effect between working memory performance and diagnosis was found on DLPFC functional connectivity with posterior regions.
• Correlation patterns between functional connectivity and performance differed: negative in controls, positive in patients.

Conclusions:

• Inter-individual differences in working memory performance impact DLPFC functional interactions with posterior regions in both schizophrenia patients and healthy controls.
• These findings offer new insights into the neural basis of working memory in schizophrenia.