Medial frontal gyrus alterations in schizophrenia: Relationship with duration of illness and executive dysfunction

TY - JOUR

T1 - Medial frontal gyrus alterations in schizophrenia

T2 - Relationship with duration of illness and executive dysfunction

AU - Frascarelli, Marianna

AU - Tognin, Stefania

AU - Mirigliani, Alessia

AU - Parente, Fabrizio

AU - Buzzanca, Antonino

AU - Torti, Maria Chiara

AU - Tinelli, Emanuele

AU - Caramia, Francesca

AU - Di Fabio, Fabio

AU - Biondi, Massimo

AU - Fusar-Poli, Paolo

PY - 2015/2/28

Y1 - 2015/2/28

N2 - Executive functioning is consistently impaired in schizophrenia, and it has been associated with reduced gray matter volume in prefrontal areas. Abnormalities in prefrontal brain regions have also been related to the illness duration. The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of executive functioning decline and chronicity in prefrontal regions of patients with schizophrenia. Participants comprised 33 schizophrenic patients, 18 with duration of illness (Dol) shorter than 10 years and 15 with duration of illness longer than 10 years. In addition, 24 healthy controls served as a comparison group. Participants performed the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) and underwent structural magnetic resonance imaging. Patients with longer Dol showed significant reduction of gray matter volume in the left medial frontal gyms compared with healthy controls. Moreover, there was a trend for greater gray matter volume decrease in patients with a longer illness duration compared with patients with shorter illness duration. There was no interaction between the volume of the left medial frontal gyms performance on the WCST. The present study supports the hypothesis that medial frontal gyrus alterations in schizophrenia are sensitive to duration of illness. These alterations were not associated with executive functioning.

AB - Executive functioning is consistently impaired in schizophrenia, and it has been associated with reduced gray matter volume in prefrontal areas. Abnormalities in prefrontal brain regions have also been related to the illness duration. The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of executive functioning decline and chronicity in prefrontal regions of patients with schizophrenia. Participants comprised 33 schizophrenic patients, 18 with duration of illness (Dol) shorter than 10 years and 15 with duration of illness longer than 10 years. In addition, 24 healthy controls served as a comparison group. Participants performed the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) and underwent structural magnetic resonance imaging. Patients with longer Dol showed significant reduction of gray matter volume in the left medial frontal gyms compared with healthy controls. Moreover, there was a trend for greater gray matter volume decrease in patients with a longer illness duration compared with patients with shorter illness duration. There was no interaction between the volume of the left medial frontal gyms performance on the WCST. The present study supports the hypothesis that medial frontal gyrus alterations in schizophrenia are sensitive to duration of illness. These alterations were not associated with executive functioning.

KW - Voxel-based morphometry

KW - Wisconsin Card Sorting Test

KW - Schizophrenia

KW - Gray matter

KW - VOXEL-BASED MORPHOMETRY

KW - REGIONAL BRAIN MORPHOLOGY

KW - NEGATIVE SYNDROME SCALE

KW - CARD SORTING TEST

KW - COGNITIVE DEFICITS

KW - 1ST-EPISODE SCHIZOPHRENIA

KW - ANTIPSYCHOTIC TREATMENT

KW - 5-FACTOR MODEL

KW - TEMPORAL-LOBE

KW - MATTER VOLUME

U2 - 10.1016/j.pscychresns.2014.10.017

DO - 10.1016/j.pscychresns.2014.10.017

M3 - Article

SN - 0925-4927

VL - 231

SP - 103

EP - 110

JO - Psychiatry Research. Neuroimaging

JF - Psychiatry Research. Neuroimaging

IS - 2

ER -