Thalamic abnormalities in patients with schizophrenia revealed by proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy.
Recent investigations suggest that thalamic abnormalities may underlie symptom formation in schizophrenia. We previously demonstrated reduced concentrations of N-acetylaspartate (NAA) in tissue from the thalamus of schizophrenic patients using in vitro proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS). In the present study, in vivo 1H-MR spectra of the left thalamus and frontal lobe were investigated in 20 patients with schizophrenia and 16 age-matched control subjects to replicate our previous postmortem findings and support the hypothesis of thalamic abnormality in schizophrenia. Schizophrenic patients showed significantly lower NAA/total creatine (Cr) and choline-containing compounds (Cho)/Cr ratios in the thalamus than control subjects, while no significant difference was found in the frontal lobe. There was no significant correlation in the schizophrenic patients between the NAA/Cr or Cho/Cr ratio and other clinical data including clinical symptoms or neuroleptic dosage. These findings may further support other studies suggesting decreased thalamic volume or neuronal number and/or thalamic dysfunction, and reduction in size of white matter tracts adjacent to the thalamus in schizophrenia, as well as our previous postmortem MRS study.
Omori
M
M
Department of Neuropsychiatry, Fukui Medical University, Matsuoka, 910-1193, Fukui, Japan. oasam@fmsrsa.fukui-med.ac.jp
Murata
T
T
Kimura
H
H
Koshimoto
Y
Y
Kado
H
H
Ishimori
Y
Y
Ito
H
H
Wada
Y
Y
D000328:Adult; D001224:Aspartic Acid / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000378:metabolism; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002794:Choline / Q000378:metabolism; D003401:Creatine / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D008297:Male; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000503:physiopathology; D013788:Thalamus / Q000378:metabolism*
D001224:Aspartic Acid; C000179:N-acetylaspartate; D003401:Creatine; D002794:Choline