Abnormal glucose metabolism in the mediodorsal nucleus of the thalamus in schizophrenia.
OBJECTIVE
Three thalamic nuclei--the mediodorsal nucleus, pulvinar, and centromedian nucleus--each have unique reciprocal circuitry with cortical and subcortical areas known to be affected in schizophrenia. To determine if the disorder is also associated with dysfunction in the mediodorsal nucleus, pulvinar, and centromedian nucleus, relative glucose metabolism in these regions was measured in a large group of unmedicated patients with schizophrenia.


METHODS
[18F]-deoxyglucose positron emission tomography (PET) and matching T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans were obtained for 41 unmedicated patients with schizophrenia and 60 age- and sex-matched healthy subjects. The PET and MRI images for each subject were coregistered, and the whole thalamus, mediodorsal nucleus, pulvinar, and centromedian nucleus were traced on the MRI image. Relative glucose metabolism in these regions was assessed.


RESULTS
Patients with schizophrenia showed significantly lower relative glucose metabolism in the mediodorsal nucleus and the centromedian nucleus and significantly higher relative glucose metabolism in the pulvinar, compared with the healthy subjects. Lower relative glucose metabolism in the total thalamus, mediodorsal nucleus, and pulvinar was associated with greater overall clinical symptoms as measured by the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale. Lower relative glucose metabolism in the pulvinar was associated with more hallucinations and more positive symptoms, while lower relative glucose metabolism in the mediodorsal nucleus was associated with more negative symptoms.


CONCLUSIONS
The findings suggest that patients with schizophrenia exhibit dysfunction in thalamic subdivisions with distinct cortical connections and that these thalamic subdivisions have specific associations with clinical symptoms.
Hazlett
Erin A
EA
Department of Psychiatry, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY 10029, USA. erin.hazlett@mssm.edu
Buchsbaum
Monte S
MS
Kemether
Eileen
E
Bloom
Rachel
R
Platholi
Jimcy
J
Brickman
Adam M
AM
Shihabuddin
Lina
L
Tang
Cheuk
C
Byne
William
W
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D010054:Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale; D003342:Corpus Striatum / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18 / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology; D005947:Glucose / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D020645:Mediodorsal Thalamic Nucleus / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000503:physiopathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D014055:Tomography, Emission-Computed
D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D005947:Glucose