Glucose metabolism in various brain regions in first episode drug-naive patients with schizophrenia

HU Wen-sheng; XIAO Di; LI Juan-hua; LI Shu-yun; Shi Xin-chong; YUE Dian-chao

Abstract：Objective To investigate the basic mechanisms of the pathophysiology of schizophrenia by observing local glucose metabolism in various brain regions in first-episode patients with schizophrenia. Methods Relative regional cerebral glucose metabolism was measured with fluorine-18 deoxyglucose (18F-FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) scan in 18 patients with first-episode untreated schizophrenia who met the diagnostic criteria in the 10th edition of the international classification of diseases (ICD-10) and in 18 healthy individuals. PET data were analyzed using Statis-tical Parametric Mapping ( SPM) and paired t-tests. Regional cerebral glucose metabolism was compared between the two groups. Results Compared with the normal control group, patients with schizophrenia exhibited significant regional cere-bral glucose metabolic abnormalities including increases of glucose metabolism in the left inferotemporal gyrus and left tem-poral fusiform gyrus, decreases of glucose metabolism in the right inferoparietal lobule, right supramarginal gyrus, left in-feroparietal lobule, right postcentral gyrus and right supplementary motor area (P<0. 05). Conclusion A reciprocal glu-cose metabolism pattern is revealed untreated patients with schizophrenia, with enhanced glucose metabolism in the tempo-ral lobe and reduced glucose metabolism in the parietal lobe and the frontal lobe.