Reduced fronto-striatal white matter integrity in schizophrenia patients and unaffected siblings: a DTI study.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Schizophrenia is characterized by impairments in the fronto-striatal network. Underlying these impairments may be disruptions in anatomical pathways connecting frontal and striatal regions. However, the specifics of these disruptions remain unclear and whether these impairments are related to the genetic vulnerability of schizophrenia is not known.

Methods

Here, we investigated fronto-striatal tract connections in 24 schizophrenia patients, 30 unaffected siblings, and 58 healthy controls using diffusion tensor imaging. Mean fractional anisotropy (FA) was calculated for tracts connecting the striatum with frontal cortex regions including the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), medial orbital frontal cortex, and inferior frontal gyrus. Specifically, the striatum

SUBMITTER: de Leeuw M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4849442 | biostudies-literature | 2015

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature