PET and MRI of the thalamus in never-medicated patients with schizophrenia (original) (raw)
Publication: American Journal of Psychiatry
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: This study reports the first paired measurements of glucose metabolism and size of thalamic regions in never-medicated schizophrenic patients using coregistered magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) templates. METHOD: Positron emission tomography with [18F]fluorodeoxyglucose and matching MRI scans were obtained in 20 never-medicated patients with schizophrenia and 15 normal volunteers. Methods for thalamic edge finding, statistical testing of shape differences with chi-square maps, and MRI localization of major thalamic subregions were developed. RESULTS: Patients with schizophrenia showed a diminished metabolic rate in the right thalamus, with a loss of the normal pattern of right greater than left asymmetry. Division into anterior/posterior segments revealed that the left anterior and right posterior showed the decrease. Differences were greater for metabolism in the weighted thalamic area (ratexarea) than for rate per unit area, a finding consistent with reported greater decreases in total neuron number than of neuron density in the thalami of schizophrenic patients. The area of the thalamus was smaller in the patients than in the volunteers, and this difference was greatest in the left anterior region. CONCLUSIONS: The reduced thalamic activity observed in this study lends further support to the concept of deficits in sensory filtering in schizophrenia.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
American Journal of Psychiatry
History
Published in print: February 1996
Published online: 1 April 2006
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Export Citations
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.
For more information or tips please see 'Downloading to a citation manager' in the Help menu.
View Options
Get Access
Not a subscriber?
PsychiatryOnline subscription options offer access to the DSM-5-TRĀ® library, books, journals, CME, and patient resources. This all-in-one virtual library provides psychiatrists and mental health professionals with key resources for diagnosis, treatment, research, and professional development.
Need more help? PsychiatryOnline Customer Service may be reached by emailing [email protected] or by calling 800-368-5777 (in the U.S.) or 703-907-7322 (outside the U.S.).
View options
PDF/EPUB
Media
Figures
Other
Tables
Go to
Go to
Show all references
Request permissionsExpand All
Collapse
Expand Table