title: Striatal function in relation to negative symptoms in schizophrenia.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Previous studies have suggested that motivational aspects of executive functioning, which may be disrupted in schizophrenia patients with negative symptoms, are mediated in part by the striatum. Negative symptoms have been linked to impaired recruitment of both the striatum and the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). Here we tested the hypothesis that negative symptoms are associated primarily with striatal dysfunction, using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).
  
  
  METHODS
  Working-memory load-dependent activation and gray matter volumes of the striatum and DLPFC were measured using a region-of-interest (ROI) approach, in 147 schizophrenia patients and 160 healthy controls. In addition to testing for a linear relationships between striatal function and negative symptoms, we chose a second, categorical analytic strategy in which we compared three demographically and behaviorally matched subgroups: patients with a high burden of negative symptoms, patients with minimal negative symptoms, and healthy subjects.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were no differences in striatal response magnitudes between schizophrenia patients and healthy controls, but right DLPFC activity was higher in patients than in controls. Negative symptoms were inversely associated with striatal, but not DLPFC, activity. In addition, patients with a high burden of negative symptoms exhibited significantly lower bilateral striatal, but not DLPFC, activation than schizophrenia patients with minimal negative symptoms. Working memory performance, antipsychotic exposure and changes in gray matter volumes did not account for these differences.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These data provide further evidence for a robust association between negative symptoms and diminished striatal activity. Future work will determine whether low striatal activity in schizophrenia patients could serve as a reliable biomarker for negative symptoms.
authors: MGH/MIT/HMS Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA.
authors: S
authors: S
authors: Ehrlich
authors: MGH/MIT/HMS Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA.
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Yendiki
authors: MGH/MIT/HMS Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA.
authors: D N
authors: DN
authors: Greve
authors: MGH/MIT/HMS Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA.
authors: D S
authors: DS
authors: Manoach
authors: Department of Psychiatry, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA.
authors: B-C
authors: BC
authors: Ho
authors: Department of Psychiatry and the Center for Magnetic Resonance Research, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA.
authors: T
authors: T
authors: White
authors: Department of Psychiatry and the Center for Magnetic Resonance Research, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA.
authors: S C
authors: SC
authors: Schulz
authors: Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
authors: D C
authors: DC
authors: Goff
authors: MGH/MIT/HMS Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA.
authors: R L
authors: RL
authors: Gollub
authors: MGH/MIT/HMS Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA.
authors: D J
authors: DJ
authors: Holt
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D059907:Functional Neuroimaging; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008570:Memory, Short-Term / Q000502:physiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D017072:Neostriatum / Q000503:physiopathology*; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000503:physiopathology*