DIFFERENTIAL AMYGDALA ACTIVATION IN SCHIZOPHRENIA DURING SADNESS

Several studies have reported impaired emotion processing in schizophr enic patients. However, the corresponding functional cerebral correlat es of such impairment have not been fully understood, leaving the neur obiological basis of their affective symptoms unknown. Functional magn etic resonance imaging (fMRI) was utilized to examine brain activity i n subcortical and cortical regions of 13 medicated male schizophrenic patients and 13 matched healthy controls during happy and sad mood ind uction. Results show brain activity in the amygdala of normal controls during negative affect, which is in line with previous neuroimaging f indings. Unlike controls, schizophrenic patients have not demonstrated amygdala activation during sadness despite matched ratings to normal controls indicating a similar negative affect. Recognizing that struct ural abnormalities exist in the amygdala of schizophrenic patients, ou r results provide new evidence of functional abnormalities in the limb ic system. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. AU rights reserved.