title: Motor function deficits in schizophrenia: an fMRI and VBM study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To investigate whether the motor functional alterations in schizophrenia (SZ) are also associated with structural changes in the related brain areas using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and voxel-based morphometry (VBM).
  
  
  METHODS
  A sample of 14 right-handed SZ patients and 14 right-handed healthy control subjects matched for age, sex, and education were examined with structural high-resolution T1-weighted MRI; fMRI images were obtained during right index finger-tapping task in the same session.
  
  
  RESULTS
  fMRI results showed reduced functional activation in the motor areas (contralateral precentral and postcentral gyrus) and ipsilateral cerebellum in SZ subjects as compared to healthy controls (n = 14). VBM analysis also revealed reduced grey matter in motor areas and white matter reduction in cerebellum of SZ subjects as compared to controls.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The present study provides an evidence for a possible association between structural alterations in the motor cortex and disturbed functional activation in the motor areas in persons affected with SZ during a simple finger-tapping task.
authors.affiliation: NMR Research Center, Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences (INMAS), DRDO, Lucknow Road, Timarpur, Pin Code: 110054, Delhi, India.
authors.forename: Sadhana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Singh
authors.forename: Satnam
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Goyal
authors.forename: Shilpi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Modi
authors.forename: Pawan
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kumar
authors.forename: Namita
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Singh
authors.forename: Triptish
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Bhatia
authors.forename: Smita N
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Deshpande
authors.forename: Subash
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Khushu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009044:Motor Cortex / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000503:physiopathology*