Subcortical overactivation in untreated schizophrenic patients: A functional magnetic resonance image finger‐tapping study

Abstract

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is a well established, non-invasive technique for mapping the working brain. Yet imaging of subcortical regions has proven to be difficult. We studied 40 subjects performing an unilateral self-paced finger-tapping task. Patients with schizophrenia according to DSM-IV treated with olanzapine (n = 10) or haloperidol (n = 10) were compared to healthy controls (n = 10) and untreated patients (n = 10). Brainvoyager software was used for data-analyzing. All subjects showed highly significant activation in the contralateral sensorimotor area, the supplementary motor area and the ipsilateral cerebellum. In every investigated subject contralateral subcortical regions were also significantly activated (P < 0.001). Activation in ipsilateral pallidum was significantly higher in untreated patients compared with the other groups indicating an increase in subcortical coactivation. In addition, significant correlations were revealed within groups. This study emphasizes the possibility of investigating subcortical brain activation in patients with schizophrenia. The results of the present study outline the importance of further fMRI studies to investigate interindividual activation differences under different conditions especially focusing on basal ganglia.

Gait disturbances in patients with schizophrenia and adaptation to treadmill walking

“…16 FMRI studies on motor activation in patients with schizophrenia also revealed decreased activation of the SMA. [17][18][19] Thus, reduction in SMA activity during motor tasks seems to be a common characteristic in PD and schizophrenia. Reduced SMA activity could be caused by a disturbed functioning either of the corticocortical circuit via the basal ganglia and the thalamus or of the cortico-cerebellar-thalamic-cortical circuit (CCTCC).…”

“…In the group treated with conventional antipsychotics, 10 patients received haloperidol (mean dose, 6.7 ± 3.5 mg/day standard deviation; range, 2-15) and four received fluphenazine (mean dose, 13.0 ± 6.78 mg/day; range, [5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20]. The mean olanzapine dose was 17.7 ± 5.7 mg/day and the range was 10-30.…”

The Role of the Cerebellum in Schizophrenia

“…For example Muller et al used a finger tapping task for an fMR study in which subjects had to tap in time to a specific pace (66). Volkow et al used PET to examine cerebellar metabolism in schizophrenia and observed reductions in both relative and absolute metabolic rates (67).…”

Spontaneous dyskinesia and familial liability to schizophrenia

“…For example, lesions involving the caudate nucleus, putamen, globus pallidus, subthalamic nucleus, thalamus, and cerebellum have been associated with particular spontaneous dyskinesias in several studies using a variety of methodological techniques (e.g., Antonini et al, 1998;Dooling & Adams, 1975;Kim et al, 2002;Krystkowiak et al, 2000;Krystkowiak et al, 1998;LeDoux & Brady, 2003;Lehericy et al, 1996;Lenz et al, 2002;Lozza et al, 2002;Naumann et al, 1996;Perlmutter et al, 1997). Moreover, an array of structural and functional abnormalities have been observed in several of these regions in individuals with schizophrenia, although substantial variation in findings exists (e.g., Danos et al, 2002;Gunduz et al, 2002;Jernigan et al, 1991;Keshavan et al, 1998;Lang et al, 2001;Marcelis et al, 2003;McCreadie et al, 2002;Menon et al, 2001;Muller et al, 2002;Sigmundsson et al, 2001;Staal et al, 2000;Staal et al, 2001;Young et al, 2000). Thus, to the extent that it has been demonstrated in individuals with spontaneous dyskinesia and in individuals with schizophrenia, the presence of pathology in brain regions integral to normal movement control is consistent with a connection between movement abnormalities and schizophrenia.…”