1995 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary
Disturbed brain areas in schizophrenia and their relationship to psychiatric symptoms.
Project/Area Number |
05670819
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Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for General Scientific Research (C)
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Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
Research Field |
Psychiatric science
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Research Institution | Yokohama City University |
Principal Investigator |
KISHIMOTO Hideji Associate Professor Department of Psychiatry, Yokohama City University, 医学部・精神医学講座, 助教授 (60161444)
|
Project Period (FY) |
1993 – 1995
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Keywords | MRS / NAA / Cho (choline) / schizophrenia / psychiatric symptoms / blunted affect / delusion / hallucinations |
Research Abstract |
Using PET tracer, the authors measured cerebral blood flow (CBF), cerebral metabolic rate of oxygen (CMRO2) and glutamic acid pools in drug-naive chronic schizophrenic patients, and found decreased brain activity in the association areas of cortex. The CBF and CMRO2 were increased in the thalamus and the cingulate in drug-naive acute schizo-phrenic patients. Concerning psychiatric symptoms in chronic schizophrenia, the hypoactivity in the frontal area was found in patients with symptoms of blunted affect and social withdrawal, whereas that in the parietal or temporal repion correlated with symptoms of delusion. However, hyperactivity was found in the thalamus and cingulate cortex in drug-naive acute schizophrenic patients with auditory hallucinations and excitability. NAA (N-acetyl aspartic acid) and choline (Cho) were measured using proton MRS (magnetic resonance spectroscopy) in the frontal white matter region in drug-naive schizophrenic patients. NAA and Cho intensities were significantly decreased (p<0.001) in the frontal white matter region in drug-naive schizophrenic patients. NAA and Cho also showed positive correlations (p<0.025) in drug-naive schizophrenic patients whereas there was no correlation in normal controls. Reductions of the NAA and Cho concentrations in the frontal white matter in schizophrenic patients indicates a decrease in the neuronal network or the membrane alterations in schizophrenics.
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Research Products
(12 results)