Abstract

The purpose of the research is to examine the relationship between psychopathology and regional brain function.
The specific aims are to determine the pattern of regional brain dysfunction manifested in measures of physiologic activity, obtain measures of brain anatomy, and integrate these data with clinical and neuropsychological assessment. Two major forms of severe psychopathology were selected: schizophrenia and depression. The physiologic measures will be regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF), obtained with the Xenon Xe 133 inhalation technique, local cerebral glucose metabolism (1CMRgl), local cerebral oxygen metabolism (1CMR02) and local cerebral blood flow (1CBF) determined by positron emission tomography (PET). Additional physiological measures to be phased into the research are phosphorus nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (31-P NMR), single photon emission computerized tomography (SPECT) and brain electric activity mapping (BEAM). Neuropsychological functioning will be assessed with a standardized battery which measures receptive and expressive aspects of cognition and affect and provides computerized topographic images. Patients will be studied in the acute state and after treatment to enable the establishment of the relationship between clinical status and regional brain function. Brain anatomy will be imaged with computerized tomography (CT) and proton magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

  Funding Agency

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Type
Research Scientist Development Award - Research (K02)
Project #
5K02MH000586-03
Application #
3069976
Study Section
Research Scientist Development Review Committee (MHK)
Project Start
1985-09-01
Project End
1990-08-31
Budget Start
1987-09-01
Budget End
1988-08-31
Support Year
3
Fiscal Year
1987
Total Cost
Indirect Cost

  Institution

Name
University of Pennsylvania
Department
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
042250712
City
Philadelphia
State
PA
Country
United States
Zip Code
19104

  Publications

Dickinson, Dwight; Ragland, J Daniel; Gold, James M et al. (2008) General and specific cognitive deficits in schizophrenia: Goliath defeats David? Biol Psychiatry 64:823-7
Dickinson, Dwight; Ragland, J Daniel; Calkins, Monica E et al. (2006) A comparison of cognitive structure in schizophrenia patients and healthy controls using confirmatory factor analysis. Schizophr Res 85:20-9
Ragland, J Daniel (2003) Profiles of neuropsychologic function in schizophrenia. Curr Psychiatry Rep 5:299-302
Ragland, J Daniel; Turetsky, Bruce I; Gur, Ruben C et al. (2002) Working memory for complex figures: an fMRI comparison of letter and fractal n-back tasks. Neuropsychology 16:370-9
Ragland, J D; Gur, R C; Raz, J et al. (2001) Effect of schizophrenia on frontotemporal activity during word encoding and recognition: a PET cerebral blood flow study. Am J Psychiatry 158:1114-25
Ragland, J D; Gur, R C; Lazarev, M G et al. (2000) Hemispheric activation of anterior and inferior prefrontal cortex during verbal encoding and recognition: a PET study of healthy volunteers. Neuroimage 11:624-33
Ragland, J D; Coleman, A R; Gur, R C et al. (2000) Sex differences in brain-behavior relationships between verbal episodic memory and resting regional cerebral blood flow. Neuropsychologia 38:451-61
Censits, D M; Ragland, J D; Gur, R C et al. (1997) Neuropsychological evidence supporting a neurodevelopmental model of schizophrenia: a longitudinal study. Schizophr Res 24:289-98
Ragland, J D; Glahn, D C; Gur, R C et al. (1997) PET regional cerebral blood flow change during working and declarative memory: relationship with task performance. Neuropsychology 11:222-31
Szymanski, S; Gur, R C; Gallacher, F et al. (1996) Vulnerability to tardive dyskinesia development in schizophrenia: an FDG-PET study of cerebral metabolism. Neuropsychopharmacology 15:567-75

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