Structural evaluation of the prefrontal cortex in schizophrenia
Structural evaluation of the prefrontal cortex in schizophrenia
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DOI：
10.1176/ajp.155.8.1049
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发表时间：
1998-08-01
影响因子：
17.7
通讯作者：
Pearlson, GD
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Buchanan, RW;Vladar, K;Pearlson, GD
目的：前额皮质功能的改变与精神分裂症的病理生理学有反复的联系。试图确定这种改变的功能是否与前额皮质的结构变化有关，由于未能检查更多解剖学和功能上相同的区域而受到阻碍。作者开发了一套可靠的解剖学标志，将前额皮质细分为上、中、下和眶区，以确定精神分裂症患者是否表现出选择性的前额皮质形态异常。方法：对24名正常对照者（男14名，女10名）和18名精神分裂症患者（男12名，女6名）进行磁共振成像（MRI）研究，采用稳态方案的高分辨率薄破坏梯度回忆获取。MRI图像用于确定四个前额叶区域的前额叶灰质体积和前额叶总灰质和白质体积。结果：精神分裂症患者表现出右侧和左侧下前额叶皮层的选择性灰质体积减少。在其他前额叶区域没有明显的组间差异。精神分裂症患者也表现出前额叶总白质和总体积的减少；两组前额叶总灰质体积差异无统计学意义。结论：精神分裂症患者的特点是相对选择性的前额皮质下灰质体积减少。
Objective: Altered prefrontal cortical function has been repeatedly implicated in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. Attempts to determine whether this altered function is associated with structural changes in the prefrontal cortex have been hampered by the failure to examine more anatomically and functionally homogeneous regions. The authors have developed a reliable set of anatomical landmarks for subdividing the prefrontal cortex into superior, middle, inferior, and orbital regions, in order to determine whether patients with schizophrenia exhibit selective morphological abnormalities of the prefrontal cortex. Method: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies were obtained in 24 normal control subjects (14 men and 10 women) and 18 patients with schizophrenia (12 men and six women) by using a high-resolution thin spoiled-gradient recall acquisition in the steady-state protocol. The MRI images were used to determine prefrontal gray matter volumes for the four prefrontal regions and prefrontal total gray and white volumes. Results: Patients with schizophrenia exhibited selective gray matter volume reductions in the right and left inferior prefrontal cortex. There were no significant group differences in the other prefrontal regions. Patients with schizophrenia also exhibited decreased prefrontal total white matter and total volumes; there was no significant difference in prefrontal total gray matter volume. Conclusions: Patients with schizophrenia are characterized by relatively selective reductions in inferior prefrontal cortex gray matter volumes.