
Am J Psychiatry 157:641-643, April 2000
© 2000 American Psychiatric Association
Proton Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy of the Medial Prefrontal Cortex in Patients With Deficit Schizophrenia: Preliminary Report
Pascal Delamillieure, M.D.,
Jésus Fernandez, M.D.,
Jean-Marc Constans, M.D.,
Perrine Brazo, M.D.,
Karim Benali, M.D.,
Pascale Abadie, M.D., Ph.D.,
Thierry Vasse, M.D.,
Florence Thibaut, M.D., Ph.D.,
Patrick Courthéoux, M.D.,
Michel Petit, M.D., and
Sonia Dollfus, M.D., Ph.D.
OBJECTIVE: Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) was used to study medial prefrontal metabolic impairments in schizophrenic patients with the deficit syndrome. METHOD: The subjects were 22 schizophrenic patients categorized as deficit (N=5) or nondeficit (N=17) and 21 healthy subjects. 1H-MRS was performed for the right and the left medial prefrontal cortex. RESULTS: The patients with the deficit syndrome had significantly lower ratios of N-acetylaspartate to creatine plus phosphocreatine than did the healthy subjects or nondeficit patients. CONCLUSIONS: As N-acetylaspartate levels could reflect neuronal density and/or viability, this finding suggests a neuronal loss in the medial prefrontal cortex of deficit patients.
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