Hippocampal and orbital inferior frontal gray matter volume abnormalities and cognitive deficit in treatment-naive, first-episode patients with schizophrenia.
BACKGROUND
Cognitive impairment is a core feature of schizophrenia. Some evidence suggests an association between cognition deficits and gray matter reductions. In this study, we investigated the relationship between cognitive performance and gray matter volumes in patients with treatment-naïve, first-episode schizophrenia.


METHODS
First-episode patients with treatment-naïve schizophrenia and healthy controls went through brain imaging scan using high resolution magnetic resonance imaging. A neuropsychological battery including 8 neurocognitive tests was used to assess cognitive function. Voxel-based methods were used for volumetric measure in the brain.


RESULTS
Fifty-one patients and 41 healthy controls were included in the analysis. Patients exhibited a poorer performance on all 7 cognitive function tests compared with healthy controls (ps<0.006). There were significant gray matter volume differences between the two groups in bilateral hippocampus gyri, right superior temporal gyrus, left fusiform gyrus and orbital inferior frontal gyri (FDR, ps<0.05). Within the schizophrenia group, multiple regression analysis demonstrated that poorer performance on the working memory, verbal learning and visual learning was associated with smaller hippocampal gray matter volume, and poorer executive function was associated with smaller left orbital inferior frontal gray matter volume after controlling for potential confounding variables (β ≥ 0.420, ps ≤ 0.010).


CONCLUSIONS
Our findings suggest that cognitive deficits are associated with hippocampal and orbital inferior frontal gray matter volume abnormalities in treatment-naïve, first-episode patients with schizophrenia.
Institute of Mental Health, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China.
Xiaofeng
X
Guo
Key Laboratory for Neuroinformation of the Ministry of Education, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China.
Jun
J
Li
Institute of Mental Health, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China.
Juan
J
Wang
UMass Memorial Medical Center, University of Massachusetts Medical School, USA.
Xiaoduo
X
Fan
Mental Health Center of Jiangxi Province, Nanchang, China.
Maorong
M
Hu
Institute of Mental Health, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China.
Yidong
Y
Shen
Key Laboratory for Neuroinformation of the Ministry of Education, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China. Electronic address: Chenhf@uestc.edu.cn.
Huafu
H
Chen
Institute of Mental Health, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China. Electronic address: zhaojingpingcsu@163.com.
Jingping
J
Zhao
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000209:etiology*; D056344:Executive Function; D005260:Female; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D016014:Linear Models; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000473:pathology*; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology*; D014706:Verbal Learning; D055815:Young Adult
Cognitive function; First episode; Gray matter volume; Schizophrenia