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Abstract #2142

Interaction of Hippocampal Volume and N-Acetylaspartate Concentration Deficits in Schizophrenia: A Combined MRI and 1H-MRS Study at 3 T

Florian Schubert1, Andreas Klaer2, Martina Ballmaier2, Karolina Leopold2, Ines Haeke2, Martin Schaefer3, Ruediger Bruehl1, Juergen Gallinat2

1Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt, Berlin, Germany; 2Charite University Medicine, Berlin, Germany; 3Kliniken Essen, Essen, Germany


We used single voxel 1H-MRS at 3 Tesla to measure absolute NAA concentrations and, as a gold standard of CNS volumetry, a validated delineation protocol for the hippocampus to study the interaction between between hippocampal NAA reduction and volume deficits in 29 schizophrenic patients and 44 controls. The hippocampus of the patients exhibited a significantly smaller volume and lower NAA concentration than that of healthy controls. For schizophrenic patients a significant negative correlation between hippocampal NAA concentration and volume was observed. The results argue for a coexistent neurochemical and structural deficit in the hippocampus of schizophrenic patients.