A ~1H-MRS study of the prefrontal lobe in male schizophrenics / 中国神经精神疾病杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To identify the metabolic alterations in the prefrontal lobe in male patients with schizophrenia by proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (~1H-MRS), and to study the relationship between metabolic alterations and executive function. Methods The study was conducted in 26 male schizophrenics with medicine-free for at least 7 days and 28 normal controls. A multi-voxel ~1H-MRS on the prefrontal lobe was performed in all the subjects within 24 hours of admission. Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) was used to evaluate executive function. The NAA, Cho and Cr were measured and the ratios of NAA/Cr, Cho/Cr and NAA/(Cho+Cr) were calculated. Results Compared with normal controls, the patients demonstrated significantly lower NAA/Cr ratio (t=2.93, P<0.01) in the left prefrontal lobe and poorer performance in WCST (P<0.05). The NAA/Cr ratio in the left prefrontal lobe was positively associated with the responses errors and the perseverative errors of WCST(r=0.45, P＜0.05; r=0.47, P＜0.05)and negatively associated with the categories completed and conceptual level responses(r=-0.54, P＜0.01; r=-0.56, P＜0.01). Conclusions Abnormalities in neuronal function and/or integrity are present in the left prefrontal lobe of male schizophrenics. The neuron damage in the left prefrontal lobe of male schizophrenic may be the primary cause of cognition dysfunction.