Visualizing fronto-striatal circuitry and neuroleptic effects in schizophrenia.
Disturbances in fronto-striatal circuitry have been postulated to be important in schizophrenia. Positron emission tomography typically shows decreased metabolic rates in these areas relative to other brain areas in schizophrenia. After treatment with typical neuroleptics, striatal metabolic rates are increased, but other brain areas tend not to show significant changes. Atypical neuroleptics less markedly affect striatal metabolic rates, but show wider cortical effects. In order to examine fronto-striatal circuitry, a technique for visualizing the correlations between metabolic rates in all brain areas was applied in 33 controls and 27 unmedicated schizophrenic patients. Correlation images revealed strong fronto-striatal connections in controls, but weak fronto-striatal links in schizophrenic patients. Changes in striatal circuits, also reflected in recent anatomical studies, may be important for understanding antipsychotic effects.
Buchsbaum
M S
MS
Department of Psychiatry, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY 10029-6574, USA.
Hazlett
E A
EA
Haznedar
M M
MM
Spiegel-Cohen
J
J
Wei
T C
TC
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D001931:Brain Mapping; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002421:Caudate Nucleus / Q000378:metabolism; D003342:Corpus Striatum / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000378:metabolism; D011336:Probability; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism; D014055:Tomography, Emission-Computed; D014706:Verbal Learning / Q000502:physiology
D014150:Antipsychotic Agents