School of Medicine Publications and Presentations

Perfusion shift from white to gray matter may account for processing speed deficits in schizophrenia

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

10-1-2015

Abstract

Reduced speed of cerebral information processing is a cognitive deficit associated with schizophrenia. Normal information processing speed (PS) requires intact white matter (WM) physiology to support information transfer. In a cohort of 107 subjects (47/60 patients/controls), we demonstrate that PS deficits in schizophrenia patients are explained by reduced WM integrity, which is measured using diffusion tensor imaging, mediated by the mismatch in WM/gray matter blood perfusion, and measured using arterial spin labeling. Our findings are specific to PS, and testing this hypothesis for patient-control differences in working memory produces no explanation. We demonstrate that PS deficits in schizophrenia can be explained by neurophysiological alterations in cerebral WM. Whether the disproportionately low WM integrity in schizophrenia is due to illness or secondary due to this disorder deserves further examination.

Comments

Copyright © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

First Page

3793

Last Page

804

Publication Title

Human brain mapping

DOI

10.1002/hbm.22878

Academic Level

faculty

Mentor/PI Department

Office of Human Genetics

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