Changes in Gray Matter Volume in Rostral Middle Frontal Gyrus of Chronic Schizophrenia Subjects
Z. Kikinis, J. Fallon, M. Niznikiewicz, M. Kubicki, P. Nestor, C. Wible, C. Davidson, L. Bobrow, P. Pelavin, M. Chiu, B. Fischl, R. McCarley, R. Kikinis, M. E. ShentonInternational Congress of Schizophrenia Research
2009
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In this study we used structural MRI to determine volume differences in the mid-rostral middle frontal gyrus (MR-MFG) among chronic schizophrenia subjects and normal control subjects. MR-MFG is thought to be an anatomical component of the dorsolateral-prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), a functional site of working memory. fMRI studies have shown reduced activation in this brain region in schizophrenia subjects performing working memory tasks, but the exact neuroanatomical localization remains to be defined. 20 patients with chronic schizophrenia and 20 healthy controls, matched on age, handedness, and parental socioeconomic status, participated in this study. The structural MR images were acquired on a 3-Tesla whole body MRI Echospeed system GE scanner. The images were processed using FreeSurfer (http://surfer.nmr.mgh.harvard.edu), a software for automated parcellation of brain regions. MR-MFG was then delineated within the rostral MFG using anterior and posterior neuroanatomical landmarks. Those landmarks were based on cytoarchitectonic definition of the Broadman area 46 by Rajkowska et al. (1995). Gray matter volumes of MR-MFG were then compared between the groups. We found significant reduction in gray matter volumes in the MR-MFG between schizophrenia subjects and normal controls (p<0.004). Our findings match reports in the literature about group differences in fMRI for memory tasks in DLPFC. It is likely that both of these findings reflect pathologic changes in the anatomy and function of the DLPFC in schizophrenic subjects.