The purpose of this project is to use cognitive neuroscience techniques to explore schizophrenia as a connective disorder. A verbal memory task will be used to investigate semantic and phonological representations of information in working memory, and the extent to which maintenance of this information may differ in schizophrenia. The task will then be used to probe functional connectivity in patients and controls. The first phase will be a behavioral study in which a set of target words will be encoded, followed by a recognition period when the subject will see phonetic foils, semantic foils, unrelated foils, and target matches, and decide whether the items were part of the initial list. The goal of the behavioral component is to ensure the behavioral profile is well characterized in patients before moving the task to a functional imaging environment. The second phase will be a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study of the same task. In this study, functional activation associated with responses to phonological probes is expected to include frontal and parietal regions while that associated with responses to semantic probes is expected to include frontal and temporal regions. Since this task has been shown to activate multiple regions, fMRI data will be analyzed to assess functional connectivity (correlation of activity) between these regions. Since schizophrenic patients are impaired on verbal working memory tasks, and previous studies have demonstrated disruptions in the coordination of neural activity in other domains, it is hypothesized that cerebral connectivity during this task will be disturbed in patients.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Type
Predoctoral Individual National Research Service Award (F31)
Project #
1F31MH068111-01A2
Application #
6936813
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZRG1-F01 (20))
Program Officer
Wynne, Debra K
Project Start
2005-06-01
Project End
2007-05-31
Budget Start
2005-06-01
Budget End
2006-05-31
Support Year
1
Fiscal Year
2005
Total Cost
$29,203
Indirect Cost
Name
University of California Los Angeles
Department
Neurology
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
092530369
City
Los Angeles
State
CA
Country
United States
Zip Code
90095
Karlsgodt, Katherine H; Sanz, Jacqueline; van Erp, Theo G M et al. (2009) Re-evaluating dorsolateral prefrontal cortex activation during working memory in schizophrenia. Schizophr Res 108:143-50
Sanz, Jacqueline H; Karlsgodt, Katherine H; Bearden, Carrie E et al. (2009) Symptomatic and functional correlates of regional brain physiology during working memory processing in patients with recent onset schizophrenia. Psychiatry Res 173:177-82
Karlsgodt, Katherine H; Niendam, Tara A; Bearden, Carrie E et al. (2009) White matter integrity and prediction of social and role functioning in subjects at ultra-high risk for psychosis. Biol Psychiatry 66:562-9
Karlsgodt, Katherine H; van Erp, Theo G M; Poldrack, Russell A et al. (2008) Diffusion tensor imaging of the superior longitudinal fasciculus and working memory in recent-onset schizophrenia. Biol Psychiatry 63:512-8
Karlsgodt, Katherine H; Glahn, David C; van Erp, Theo G M et al. (2007) The relationship between performance and fMRI signal during working memory in patients with schizophrenia, unaffected co-twins, and control subjects. Schizophr Res 89:191-7