Neuropsychological correlates of diffusion tensor imaging in schizophrenia

Neuropsychology. 2004 Oct;18(4):629-637. doi: 10.1037/0894-4105.18.4.629.

Abstract

Patients with schizophrenia (n = 41) and healthy comparison participants (n = 46) completed neuropsychological measures of intelligence, memory, and executive function. A subset of each group also completed magnetic resonance diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) studies (fractional anisotropy and cross-sectional area) of the uncinate fasciculus (UF) and cingulate bundle (CB). Patients with schizophrenia showed reduced levels of functioning across all neuropsychological measures. In addition, selective neuropsychological-DTI relationships emerged. Among patients but not controls, lower levels of declarative-episodic verbal memory correlated with reduced left UF, whereas executive function errors related to performance monitoring correlated with reduced left CB. The data suggested abnormal DTI patterns linking declarative-episodic verbal memory deficits to the left UF and executive function deficits to the left CB among patients with schizophrenia.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Brain Mapping
  • Case-Control Studies
  • Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging / methods*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Intelligence / physiology*
  • Male
  • Memory / physiology*
  • Middle Aged
  • Neuropsychological Tests*
  • Problem Solving / physiology*
  • Schizophrenia / pathology
  • Schizophrenia / physiopathology*
  • Statistics as Topic / methods