A H-1-decoupled P-31 chemical shift imaging study of medicated schizophrenic patients and healthy controls

Background: Current P-31 spectroscopy research in schizophrenia has examine d phospholipid metabolism by measuring the sum of phosphomonoesters and the sum of phosphodiester-containing molecules. Proton decoupling was implemen ted to measure the individual phosphomonoester and phosphodiester component s. This is the first study employing this technique to examine schizophreni c patients. Methods: Multivoxel two-dimensional chemical shift in vivo phosphorous-31 m agnetic resonance spectroscopy with proton decoupling was used to examine a 50-cm(3) volume in prefrontal, motor, and parieto-occipital regions in the brain. Eleven chronic medicated schizophrenic patients were compared to 11 healthy controls of comparable gender, education, parental education, and handedness. Results: A significant increase in the mobile phospholipid peak area and it s full width at half maximum was observed in the medicated schizophrenic pa tients compared to the healthy controls in the prefrontal region. Inorganic orthophosphate and phosphocholine were lower in the schizophrenic group in the prefrontal region. Conclusions: The increased sum of phosphodiester [mobile phospholipid + gly cerol-3-phosphoethanolamine (GPEth) + glycerol-3-phosphocholine (GPCh)] in schizo phrenic patients, measured in earlier studies, arises from the phosp holipid peak (MP) and not the more mobile phosphodiesters (GPEth, GPCh) as was originally suspected, A decrease in the phosphocholine component of the phosphomonoesters was also observed in the schizophrenic patients. These f indings are consistent with an abnormality in membrane metabolism in the pr efrontal region in schizophrenics. (C) 1999 Society of Biological Psychiatr y.