ABSTRACT
ObjectiveTo examine biochemical characteristics of the frontal lobe and hippocampus in unaffected parentsof schizophreniaprohandsusingprotonmagneticresonancespectroscopy(1H-MRS).Method 19 unaffected fathers of schizophrenia probands with matched 19 male healthy control subjects and 24 unaffected mothers of schizophrenia probands with matched 24 female healthy control subjects were included in the study.1 H-MRS was performed in two sides of the hippocampus and frontal lobes regions.The ratios of N-Acetylaspartate ( NAA ),choline (Cho) to creatine (Cr) were measured.One-sample T test and paired-samples t test were used for statistic process.ResultsUnaffected mothers of schizophrenia probands had a higher Cho/Cr ratio ( left ( 1.10 ± 0.13,right ( 1.08 ± 0.12 ) ) in the frontal white matter compared with matched female health control subjects(left( 1.03 ± 0.10),right( 1.02 ± 0.09 )).The NAA/Cr ratio was significantly reduced in the left frontal white matter of female health control subjects compared to right( 1.64 ± 0.12 vs 1.74 ± 0.13 ),but this difference was not observed in unaffected mothers of schizophrenia probands.There were no significant differences in metabolites for frontal lobe and hippocampus regions between unaffected fathers of schizophrenia probands and male healthy control subjects groups( all P＞0.05 ).ConclusionThe results implicate that the metabolic abnormalities and disappeared asymmetry of NAA/Cr might exist in the frontal white matter among unaffected mothers of schizophrenia probands.