Christine Rodriguez-Rgent1, Sabine
Mouchet-Mages2, Sebastian Rodrigo, Marie-Odile Krebs2,
Catherine Oppenheim, Jean-Franois Meder
1Department of Morphologic and
Functional Imaging, University
Schizophrenic
patients often present with neurological soft signs (NSS) but the cerebral
changes underlying these signs are poorly understood. This study examines the
microstructural changes associated with NSS using Diffusion Tensor Imaging.
Forty-five patients with first-episode schizophrenia underwent DTI and a
neurological examination. Fractional anisotropy (FA), calculated using a
voxel based analysis, was analyzed with NSS scores. FA was negatively correlated with NSS
scores in the white matter of the right prefrontal, left occipital and right
parietal areas. Thus, this is the first study which confirms that
microstructural changes of white matter are associated with NSS in
schizophrenia.
Keywords