Hasan Alkomiet, Wobrock Thomas, Falkai Peter, Schneider-Axmann Thomas, Guse Birgit, Backens Martin, Ecker Ullrich K H, Heimes Janina, Galea Joseph Michael, Gruber Oliver, Scherk Harald
Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Georg August University , Göttingen , Germany.
World J Biol Psychiatry. 2014 Apr;15(3):188-99. doi: 10.3109/15622975.2011.620002. Epub 2011 Nov 2.
Impairments in memory and executive function are key components of schizophrenia. These disturbances have been linked to several subcortical and cortical networks. For example, anatomical and functional changes in the hippocampus have been linked to deficits in these cognitive domains. However, the association between hippocampal morphometry, neurochemistry and function is controversial. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the relationship between hippocampal anomalies and their functional relevance.
Fifty-seven first-episode schizophrenia patients (FE-SZ) and 61 healthy control subjects (HC) participated in this study. Hippocampal volumes were investigated using structural magnetic resonance imaging (sMRI) and hippocampal neurochemistry was determined using proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H MRS). Verbal memory was used as a hippocampus-dependent cognitive task whereas working memory and cognitive flexibility assessed frontal lobe function.
FE-SZ presented smaller volumes of the left hippocampus, with a significant correlation between left hippocampal volume and verbal memory performance (immediate recall). There was also an inverse correlation between neurochemical ratios (NAA/Cho and Cho/Cr) and verbal memory (delayed recognition). Tests of cognitive flexibility and working memory were not correlated with MRI and 1H MRS values. Compared to HC, FE-SZ demonstrated reduced performance in all of the assessed neurocognitive domains.
These results point to a relationship between verbal memory and hippocampal integrity in schizophrenia patients which might be independent from deficits in other memory domains. Disturbed verbal memory functions in FE-SZ might be linked specifically to hippocampal function.
记忆和执行功能受损是精神分裂症的关键组成部分。这些障碍与多个皮质下和皮质网络有关。例如，海马体的解剖和功能变化与这些认知领域的缺陷有关。然而，海马体形态学、神经化学与功能之间的关联存在争议。因此，我们旨在研究海马体异常与其功能相关性之间的关系。
57名首发精神分裂症患者（FE-SZ）和61名健康对照者（HC）参与了本研究。使用结构磁共振成像（sMRI）研究海马体体积，并使用质子磁共振波谱（1H MRS）测定海马体神经化学。言语记忆被用作依赖海马体的认知任务，而工作记忆和认知灵活性则评估额叶功能。
FE-SZ患者左侧海马体体积较小，左侧海马体体积与言语记忆表现（即时回忆）之间存在显著相关性。神经化学比率（NAA/Cho和Cho/Cr）与言语记忆（延迟识别）之间也存在负相关。认知灵活性和工作记忆测试与MRI和1H MRS值无关。与HC相比，FE-SZ在所有评估的神经认知领域表现均较差。
这些结果表明精神分裂症患者的言语记忆与海马体完整性之间存在关联，这可能独立于其他记忆领域的缺陷。FE-SZ患者言语记忆功能障碍可能与海马体功能特别相关。
