Apathy in schizophrenia: reduced frontal lobe volume and neuropsychological deficits.
OBJECTIVE
Apathy is a common negative symptom in schizophrenia. The authors investigated neuropsychological performance and regional brain volumes in schizophrenia patients with high versus low levels of apathy.


METHODS
Schizophrenia patients with low apathy levels (N=18) and high apathy levels (N=20) and 12 healthy comparison subjects completed neuropsychological testing as well as magnetic resonance imaging scanning to obtain lobar volumes after total intracranial volume was controlled.


RESULTS
The high apathy group scored lower than comparison subjects on rapid visuomotor sequencing and verbal learning/recall. The high apathy group had lower performance IQ scores than the low apathy and comparison groups. Only the high apathy group showed significantly reduced bilateral frontal lobe volumes relative to comparison subjects; both schizophrenia patient groups showed bilateral temporal lobe volume reductions.


CONCLUSIONS
The present findings are consistent with studies in other disorders showing frontal lobe involvement in apathy.
Roth
Robert M
RM
Department of Psychiatry, Dartmouth Medical School and New Hampshire Hospital, Lebanon 03756-0001, USA. Robert.M.Roth@Dartmouth.edu
Flashman
Laura A
LA
Saykin
Andrew J
AJ
McAllister
Thomas W
TW
Vidaver
Robert
R
D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect; D010054:Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology*; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D005260:Female; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000002:abnormalities*; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D012720:Severity of Illness Index