Granata F, Pandolfo G, Vinci S, Alafaci C, Settineri N, Morabito R, Pitrone A, Longo M
Department of Radiological Sciences, University of Messina, Messina, Italy.
Neuroradiol J. 2013 Jun;26(3):277-83. doi: 10.1177/197140091302600304. Epub 2013 Jul 16.
The cognitive dysmetria theory suggests a disconnectivity between the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, thalami and vermis to explain the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. This study investigated the metabolic integrity of this neurologic circuit in patients with schizophrenia using proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (H-MRS). Twenty-two patients with schizophrenia and twelve control subjects were studied. Metabolites concentrations were evaluated by a single-voxel technique in the prefrontal cortex, thalami and vermis. To our knowledge, this is the first H-MRS experience with concomitant evaluation of these regions in schizophrenic patients. We found no significant statistical difference in N-AA, Cho and Cr absolute concentrations and N-AA/Cho, N-AA/Cr and Cho/Cr ratios between the schizophrenic patients and control group. At the vermis, we found a constant spectrum with low levels of N-AA and higher levels of Cho and Cr. Our experience does not clearly support or refute the cognitive dysmetria theory. The consistency of metabolic findings in the cerebellar vermis could represent an important datum, highlighting the specificity of metabolic and functional activity in this region.
认知失调理论认为背外侧前额叶皮质、丘脑和小脑蚓部之间的联系中断可解释精神分裂症的病理生理学机制。本研究采用质子磁共振波谱（H-MRS）研究了精神分裂症患者该神经回路的代谢完整性。对22例精神分裂症患者和12名对照者进行了研究。采用单体素技术评估前额叶皮质、丘脑和小脑蚓部的代谢物浓度。据我们所知，这是首次对精神分裂症患者这些区域进行同步评估的H-MRS研究。我们发现，精神分裂症患者与对照组之间的N-乙酰天门冬氨酸（N-AA）、胆碱（Cho）和肌酸（Cr）绝对浓度以及N-AA/Cho、N-AA/Cr和Cho/Cr比值均无显著统计学差异。在小脑蚓部，我们发现其频谱恒定，N-AA水平较低，Cho和Cr水平较高。我们的研究结果并未明确支持或反驳认知失调理论。小脑蚓部代谢结果的一致性可能代表一个重要数据，突出了该区域代谢和功能活动的特异性。
