title: Anterior cingulate abnormality as a neural correlate of mismatch negativity in schizophrenia.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Limbic circuitry, especially the anterior cingulate gyrus, has been implicated in the pathophysiology and cognitive changes of schizophrenia. Previous diffusion tensor imaging studies have demonstrated that the integrity of the anterior cingulum (AC) is abnormal in schizophrenia. However, the relationship between the abnormal AC tract integrity and the pathophysiology of schizophrenia has not been fully studied.
  
  
  METHODS
  We performed a voxelwise group comparison of white matter fractional anisotropy (FA) by using tract-based spatial statistics in 9 patients with schizophrenia and 9 matched controls. We then measured FA specifically in the AC by using a tract-specific measurement. The latency and amplitude of the mismatch negativity (MMN) were also evaluated in all subjects.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In patients with schizophrenia, tract-based spatial statistics showed a reduction in FA in broad white matter areas, including the bilateral AC, compared with controls. Tract-specific measurements confirmed the specific reduction of FA in the region of the bilateral AC. The decreased FA in the AC was correlated with prolonged MMN latency in the patient group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our study of AC structure and electrophysiological changes in schizophrenia suggest that the disruption of limbic-cortical structural networks may be part of the neural basis underlying the changes in MMN in schizophrenia.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Graduate School of Medicine, University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Japan.
authors.forename: Yayoi K
authors.initials: YK
authors.lastname: Hayakawa
authors.forename: Eiji
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kirino
authors.forename: Keigo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Shimoji
authors.forename: Koji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kamagata
authors.forename: Masaaki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hori
authors.forename: Kenji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ito
authors.forename: Akira
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kunimatsu
authors.forename: Osamu
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Abe
authors.forename: Kuni
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ohtomo
authors.forename: Shigeki
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Aoki
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016880:Anisotropy; D001284:Atrophy / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D056324:Diffusion Tensor Imaging; D005071:Evoked Potentials / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006179:Gyrus Cinguli / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009413:Nerve Fibers, Myelinated / Q000473:pathology / Q000502:physiology; D059906:Neuroimaging; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D055815:Young Adult