title: Prefrontal hyperactivation during a working memory task in early-onset schizophrenia spectrum disorders: an fMRI study.
abstract: Working memory (WM) dysfunction is increasingly recognized as a core feature of schizophrenia, but few studies have investigated prefrontal activation during WM tasks in early-onset schizophrenia spectrum disorder (EOS). Our aim was to explore prefrontal activation during a WM-task in EOS patients compared to healthy controls using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Fifteen patients with EOS and 15 matched healthy controls performed a 0-back and a 2-back task while fMRI data were acquired. Results indicated that even though performance between patients and controls was comparable on both tasks, there was a hyperactivation in patients' ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (VLPFC) during the 2-back task compared to healthy controls. This pattern of activation suggests that, in patients with EOS, the VLPFC compensated in order to match performance of the controls. The activations in the EOS group may reflect the use of a compensatory, cognitive strategy while solving WM-tasks.
authors.affiliation: Vestre Viken Hospital Trust, 1309 Rud, Oslo, Norway; Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Norway. Electronic address: rune.thormodsen@psykologi.uio.no.
authors.forename: Rune
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Thormodsen
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Oslo University Hospital, Norway; Institute of Psychiatry, University of Oslo, Norway; Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité Universitätsmedizin, Berlin, Germany. Electronic address: Jimmy.Jensen@charite.de.
authors.forename: Jimmy
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jensen
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Norway; Akershus University Hospital, Mental Health Division, Norway. Electronic address: aina.holmen@psykologi.uio.no.
authors.forename: Aina
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Holmèn
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Norway; Research unit Sogn, Oslo University Hospital, Norway. Electronic address: monica.juuhl-langseth@psykologi.uio.no.
authors.forename: Monica
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Juuhl-Langseth
authors.affiliation: The Interventional Centre, Rikshospitalet, Oslo University Hospital, Norway; Department of Medical Physics, Rikshospitalet, Oslo University Hospital, Norway. Electronic address: Kyrre.Eeg.Emblem@rikshospitalet.no.
authors.forename: Kyrre Eeg
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Emblem
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Oslo University Hospital, Norway; Institute of Psychiatry, University of Oslo, Norway. Electronic address: o.a.andreassen@medisin.uio.no.
authors.forename: Ole Andreas
authors.initials: OA
authors.lastname: Andreassen
authors.affiliation: Vestre Viken Hospital Trust, 1309 Rud, Oslo, Norway; Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Norway. Electronic address: BjornRishovd.Rund@vestreviken.no.
authors.forename: Bjørn Rishovd
authors.initials: BR
authors.lastname: Rund
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001931:Brain Mapping; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000209:etiology*; D008570:Memory, Short-Term / Q000502:physiology*; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010100:Oxygen / Q000097:blood; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000098:blood supply*; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology*
chemical_list: D010100:Oxygen