Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (H-1-MRS) of the cerebellum in men with schizophrenia

Objective: To investigate whether there are cerebellar vermis abnormalities in schizophrenia. Design: Prospective imaging study with proton magnetic r esonance spectroscopy (H-1-MRS). Setting: Schizophrenia clinic at a large u rban hospital. Patients and controls: Twelve right-handed male patients wit h schizophrenia, and 12 control subjects with no psychiatric history. inter ventions: MRS data were acquired from a 2.0 x 2.0 x 2.0 cm volume of intere st that included the entire cerebellar vermis. Outcome measures: Spectral p eak arising from N-acetylaspartate (NAA), phosphocreatine/creatine (Cr) and choline (Cho). Results: There were no significant differences between the patients with schizophrenia and the controls in cerebellar vermis ratios of NAA to Cr (p = 0.71) or Cho to Cr (p = 0.50). Conclusions: This study does not support earlier structural studies that found abnormalities of the cer ebellar vermis in schizophrenia, although it does support reported neuroche mical studies. It does not rule out cerebellar involvement in schizophrenia through mechanisms such as aberrant circuitry. Larger in vivo structural/n eurochemical and functional imaging studies in other parts of the cerebellu m are needed.