Frontotemporal cerebral blood flow change during executive and declarative memory tasks in schizophrenia: a positron emission tomography study

Neuropsychology. 1998 Jul;12(3):399-413. doi: 10.1037//0894-4105.12.3.399.

Abstract

Schizophrenia affects prefrontal and temporal-limbic networks. These regions were examined by contrasting regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) during executive (Wisconsin Card Sorting Test [WCST]), and declarative memory tasks (Paired Associate Recognition Test [PART]). The tasks, and a resting baseline, were administered to 15 patients with schizophrenia and 15 healthy controls during 10 min positron emission tomography 15O-water measures of rCBF. Patients were worse on both tasks. Controls activated inferior frontal, occipitotemporal, and temporal pole regions for both tasks. Similar results were obtained for controls matched to level of patient performance. Patients showed no activation of hypothesized regions during the WCST and activated the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex during the PART. On the PART, occipitotemporal activation correlated with better performance for controls only. Better WCST performance correlated with CBF increase in prefrontal regions for controls and in the parahippocampal gyrus for patients. Results suggest that schizophrenia may involve a breakdown in the integration of a frontotemporal network that is responsive to executive and declarative memory demands in healthy individuals.

Publication types

  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Analysis of Variance
  • Attention / physiology
  • Brain Mapping
  • Case-Control Studies
  • Cerebrovascular Circulation / physiology*
  • Cognition Disorders / diagnostic imaging
  • Cognition Disorders / physiopathology*
  • Concept Formation / physiology
  • Female
  • Frontal Lobe / blood supply
  • Frontal Lobe / diagnostic imaging
  • Frontal Lobe / physiopathology*
  • Humans
  • Inhibition, Psychological
  • Limbic System / blood supply
  • Limbic System / diagnostic imaging
  • Limbic System / physiopathology
  • Linear Models
  • Male
  • Memory / physiology
  • Memory Disorders / diagnostic imaging
  • Memory Disorders / physiopathology*
  • Memory, Short-Term / physiology
  • Neuropsychological Tests
  • Schizophrenia / diagnostic imaging
  • Schizophrenia / physiopathology*
  • Schizophrenic Psychology
  • Temporal Lobe / blood supply
  • Temporal Lobe / diagnostic imaging
  • Temporal Lobe / physiopathology*
  • Tomography, Emission-Computed
  • Verbal Learning / physiology
  • Volition / physiology