TY - JOUR
T1 - An fMRI study of visual attention and sensorimotor function before and after antipsychotic treatment in first-episode schizophrenia
AU - Keedy, Sarah K.
AU - Rosen, Cherise
AU - Khine, Tin
AU - Rajarethinam, Rajaprabhakaran
AU - Janicak, Philip G.
AU - Sweeney, John A.
N1 - Funding Information:
This research was supported by NIH grant MH62134 (PI — Sweeney).
PY - 2009/4/30
Y1 - 2009/4/30
N2 - While much is known about receptor affinity profiles of antipsychotic medications, less is known about their impact on functional brain systems in patients with schizophrenia. We conducted functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies with first-episode schizophrenia patients as they made saccades to unpredictable visual targets before and after 4-6 weeks of antipsychotic treatment. Matched healthy individuals were scanned at similar time intervals. Pretreatment, patients had less activation in frontal and parietal eye fields and cerebellum. After treatment these disturbances were not present, suggesting improved function in attentional and sensorimotor systems. Other pretreatment abnormalities were noted in sensory and ventromedial prefrontal cortex, but after treatment these abnormalities were absent or less prominent, in line with improved function in attentional systems. In addition, although not abnormal at baseline, there was reduced activity after treatment in dorsal prefrontal cortex, dorsal striatum, and dorsomedial thalamus, suggesting a potential adverse effect of treatment on frontostriatal systems, perhaps related to dopamine blockade in the caudate. These findings provide evidence for a complex impact of antipsychotic medication on functional brain systems in schizophrenia and illustrate the potential of neuroimaging biomarkers for both adverse and beneficial drug effects on functional brain systems.
AB - While much is known about receptor affinity profiles of antipsychotic medications, less is known about their impact on functional brain systems in patients with schizophrenia. We conducted functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies with first-episode schizophrenia patients as they made saccades to unpredictable visual targets before and after 4-6 weeks of antipsychotic treatment. Matched healthy individuals were scanned at similar time intervals. Pretreatment, patients had less activation in frontal and parietal eye fields and cerebellum. After treatment these disturbances were not present, suggesting improved function in attentional and sensorimotor systems. Other pretreatment abnormalities were noted in sensory and ventromedial prefrontal cortex, but after treatment these abnormalities were absent or less prominent, in line with improved function in attentional systems. In addition, although not abnormal at baseline, there was reduced activity after treatment in dorsal prefrontal cortex, dorsal striatum, and dorsomedial thalamus, suggesting a potential adverse effect of treatment on frontostriatal systems, perhaps related to dopamine blockade in the caudate. These findings provide evidence for a complex impact of antipsychotic medication on functional brain systems in schizophrenia and illustrate the potential of neuroimaging biomarkers for both adverse and beneficial drug effects on functional brain systems.
KW - Antipsychotic
KW - Cognition
KW - Frontal eye field
KW - Parietal eye field
KW - Saccadic eye movement
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U2 - 10.1016/j.pscychresns.2008.06.003
DO - 10.1016/j.pscychresns.2008.06.003
M3 - Article
C2 - 19243925
AN - SCOPUS:62149122593
SN - 0925-4927
VL - 172
SP - 16
EP - 23
JO - Psychiatry Research - Neuroimaging
JF - Psychiatry Research - Neuroimaging
IS - 1
ER -