FUNCTIONAL MAGNETIC-RESONANCE-IMAGING IN SCHIZOPHRENIA - INITIAL METHODOLOGY AND EVALUATION OF THE MOTOR CORTEX

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the differential acti vation of the motor cortex during finger tapping in patients with schi zophrenia using the newly available imaging method of functional magne tic resonance imaging (fMRI). Nine patients with DSMIII-R schizophreni a and 9 well-matched healthy volunteer subjects underwent fMRI examina tion on a conventional MR unit; activation of the primary motor cortex was evaluated during performance of a finger motion task. Localized a ctivation of the motor cortex was observed in 17 of 18 subjects during fMRI. Patients and controls were, however, indistinguishable with res pect to signal intensity or area thereof within the motor cortex. fMRI did not reveal motor cortical dysfunction in schizophrenia. Despite i ts infancy, fMRI holds considerable promise to advance understanding o f the neurodynamics of psychiatric disorders, particularly schizophren ia. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd.