The severity of behavioral abnormalities in schizophrenia has led many investigators to persist in search of neural dysfunction. Neuroimaging has provided unprecedented opportunities for a systematic examination of neural substrates for behavior and can be used as a powerful aid in understanding the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. The overall goal of this proposal is to relate neuroanatomic measures in schizophrenia to phenomenology and clinical course and to neurobehavioral functioning. We plan to obtain reliable measures of brain anatomy using MRI and perform volumetric analysis of regional brain structure and CSF. While neuroanatomic studies are important for improved understanding of normal and pathological brain function, their integration with clinical, neurobehavioral and physiologic data is essential for the study of regional brain function in schizophrenia. The proposed research will provide neuroanatomic measurements to which clinical data can be related. The neuroanatomic measures will be related to phenomenology and clinical course and to neurobehavioral deficits. It has been recognized that neuroanatomic abnormalities are unlikely to be the sole cause of brain dysfunction in schizophrenia, and physiologic abnormalities have been suggested. Magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) can provide analytical qualitative and quantitative data on cellular metabolism and molecular structure. We will valuate the potential of MRS for measuring local metabolic parameters in schizophrenics and controls.
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