title: An fMRI study of visual attention and sensorimotor function before and after antipsychotic treatment in first-episode schizophrenia.
abstract: While much is known about receptor affinity profiles of antipsychotic medications, less is known about their impact on functional brain systems in patients with schizophrenia. We conducted functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies with first-episode schizophrenia patients as they made saccades to unpredictable visual targets before and after 4-6 weeks of antipsychotic treatment. Matched healthy individuals were scanned at similar time intervals. Pretreatment, patients had less activation in frontal and parietal eye fields and cerebellum. After treatment these disturbances were not present, suggesting improved function in attentional and sensorimotor systems. Other pretreatment abnormalities were noted in sensory and ventromedial prefrontal cortex, but after treatment these abnormalities were absent or less prominent, in line with improved function in attentional systems. In addition, although not abnormal at baseline, there was reduced activity after treatment in dorsal prefrontal cortex, dorsal striatum, and dorsomedial thalamus, suggesting a potential adverse effect of treatment on frontostriatal systems, perhaps related to dopamine blockade in the caudate. These findings provide evidence for a complex impact of antipsychotic medication on functional brain systems in schizophrenia and illustrate the potential of neuroimaging biomarkers for both adverse and beneficial drug effects on functional brain systems.
authors.affiliation: Center for Cognitive Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60612, United States. skeedy@psych.uic.edu
authors.forename: Sarah K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Keedy
authors.forename: Cherise
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rosen
authors.forename: Tin
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Khine
authors.forename: Rajaprabhakaran
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rajarethinam
authors.forename: Philip G
authors.initials: PG
authors.lastname: Janicak
authors.forename: John A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Sweeney
mesh_terms: D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001288:Attention / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects / Q000503:physiopathology*; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D012438:Saccades / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D014794:Visual Fields / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D014796:Visual Perception / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D014150:Antipsychotic Agents