Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy of the basal ganglia in patients with schizophrenia: a preliminary report

Abstract

To examine metabolic changes in the left basal ganglia in chronic schizophrenia, we performed proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy ( 1H-MRS) in 21 medicated schizophrenic patients and 21 gender- and age-matched normal controls. Compared to the normal subjects, the schizophrenic patients showed a significantly increased level of choline-containing compounds (Cho) ( t=2.60, p ⩽ 0.05) and ratio of Cho to N-acetylaspartate (NAA) ( t=2.46, p ⩽ 0.05) in the left basal ganglia. No significant correlation was observed between the 1H-MRS measurements in the left basal ganglia and clinical symptom scores as evaluated using the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS). The chlorpromazine-equivalent neuroleptic dosage was positively correlated with the level of NAA ( r=0.38, p ⩽ 0.05) and negatively correlated with the Cho/NAA ratio ( r = −0.34, p ⩽ 0.05). These findinds suggest that these changes in metabolites in the left basal ganglia may reflect some of the functional and morphological abnormalities reported previously for the brain in schizophrenia.