Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy of the medial prefrontal cortex in patients with deficit schizophrenia: Preliminary report

Objective: Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (H-1-MRS) was used to stu dy medial prefrontal metabolic impairments in schizophrenic patients with t he deficit syndrome. Method: The subjects were 22 schizophrenic patients ca tegorized as deficit (N=5) or non-deficit (N=17) and 21 healthy subjects. H -1-MRS was performed for the right and the left medial prefrontal cortex. R esults: The patients with the deficit syndrome had significantly lower rati os of N-acetylaspartate to creatine plus phosphocreatine than did the healt hy subjects or nondeficit patients. Conclusions: As N-acetylaspartate level s could reflect neuronal density and/or viability, this finding suggests a neuronal loss in the medial prefrontal cortex of deficit patients.