title: Impaired cognitive control mediates the relationship between cortical thickness of the superior frontal gyrus and role functioning in schizophrenia.
abstract: Structural abnormalities in the lateral prefrontal cortex (LPFC) are well-documented in schizophrenia and recent evidence suggests that these abnormalities relate to functional outcome. Cognitive control mechanisms, reliant on the LPFC, are impaired in schizophrenia and predict functional outcome, thus impaired cognitive control could mediate the relationship between neuroanatomical abnormalities in the LPFC and functional outcome. We used surface-based morphometry to investigate relationships between cortical surface characteristics, cognitive control, and measures of social and role functioning in 26 individuals with schizophrenia and 29 healthy controls. Results demonstrate that schizophrenia participants had thinner cortex in a region of the superior frontal gyrus (BA10). Across all participants, decreased cortical thickness in this region related to decreased cognitive control and decreased role functioning. Moreover, cognitive control fully mediated the relationship between cortical thickness in the superior frontal gyrus and role functioning, indicating that neuroanatomical abnormalities in the LPFC adversely impact role functioning via impaired cognitive control processes.
authors.affiliation: Harvard University, Department of Psychology, 33 Kirkland St., Cambridge, MA 02138, USA. Electronic address: ltully@fas.harvard.edu.
authors.forename: Laura M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Tully
authors.affiliation: Harvard University, Department of Psychology, 33 Kirkland St., Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
authors.forename: Sarah Hope
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Lincoln
authors.affiliation: Harvard University, Department of Psychology, 33 Kirkland St., Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
authors.forename: Nadia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Liyanage-Don
authors.affiliation: Harvard University, Department of Psychology, 33 Kirkland St., Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
authors.forename: Christine I
authors.initials: CI
authors.lastname: Hooker
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000473:pathology*; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology*; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D012660:Semantics; D012919:Social Behavior; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Inhibitory control; Lateral prefrontal cortex; Psychosis; Surface based morphometry