Aberrant brain activation following motor skill learning in schizophrenic patients as shown by functional magnetic resonance imaging

Background. Motor skill learning may be impaired in schizophrenia. While fu nctional brain imaging studies have shown reduced activation during motor t ask performance in schizophrenic patients, brain activity changes with moto r skill learning in these patients have not been studied by functional imag ing. Methods. A sequential complex motor task involving the right hand was perfo rmed by nine medicated schizophrenic patients and 10 age-matched healthy co ntrols. Functional magnetic resonance images were obtained using a gradient echo, echoplanar imaging (EPI) pulse sequence before and after I week of t raining in performing the task. Results. Bilaterally, patients showed significantly less blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) signal response in the premotor area (PMA) before be ginning motor training than controls. BOLD signal response increased in the left PMA of schizophrenic patients after 1 week of motor training; in cont rast, the signal decreased in the left PMA of control subjects. Training ef fects concerning the number of finger movement sequences achieved did not d iffer between groups. Daily neuroleptic dose did not significantly affect c hanges with training in BOLD signal response in the PMA. Conclusions. These preliminary results suggest that schizophrenic patients have dysfunction of neural networks in areas including the PMA that are inv olved in executing a complex motor task. In terms of brain activity, motor learning may be less efficient or slower in the patients than in healthy su bjects.