Prefrontal cortical volumes and neuropsychological deficits in schizophrenia

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unipolar disorder) have also been evaluated for comparison. MRI: We find no evidence for ventricular enlargement in the schizophrenics, but we do find statistically significant reductions in brain volume in this group when compared to controls. Patients with schizophrenia have a statistically significant reduction in the ratio of left to right hippocampal volume when compared to controls. Interestingly, there is a statistical trend (p = 0.0506) for adolescent patients with affective disorders to exhibit increased sulcal fluid spaces when compared to controls. NEUROPSYCHOLOGY: Both patient groups had reduced performance on one or more measures of attention, when compared to controls. In addition, the patients with schizophrenia had significant reductions in measures of short-term memory and recent long-term memory. Thus, our findings in adolescent patients parallel to some extent, similar findings in adult patients. But the parallel is not complete.

XI.E.5 IMPROVEMENT OF MEMORY IN PATIENTS FOLLOWING FRONTAL LOBE DAMAGE: A LONGITUDINAL FOLLOW-UP USING 3D MR-IMAGING

STUDY

H.E. H u l s h o f f P o l , R. Hijman, P. Meyer, C.A.F. Tulleken, L.M.P. R a m o s , M.A. Viergever, R.S. K a h n , a n d J.M. v a n Ree

Department of Psychiatry, UniversityHospital and Rudolf Magnus Institutefor Neurosciences, AO1.126, PO 85500, 3508GA Utrecht, The Netherlands To investigate the influence of time after frontal lobe damage on verbal and visual memory processing in humans, 11 patients with right-medial/dorsolateral, right medial, or left medial frontal lobe damage due to a tumor were assessed 3-5 weeks and 2-4 years post-neurosurgery, and compared to 11 age, and education matched controls also assessed at both time points. The damaged brain region was evaluated by 0.5T, T2-weighted MRI, or by CT. In addition, 3-dimensional computerreconstructions of 0.5T, Tl-weighted 3D-FFE MRI following Gadolinium-DTPA were acquired 2-4 years postsurgery. While initially verbal or visual memory deficits depended on the localization of the damage, with time, verbal and visual memory had improved to normal. Thus, shortly after damage there was a relation between site of the damage and memory deficits, while this was not present some years later, despite the persistence of the damage.

XI.E.6 A COMPARISON OF THE COGNITIVE CORRELATES OF BRAIN STRUCTURE VOLUMES IN PATIENTS WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA AND NORMAL CONTROLS T.M. Rushe, P.W.R. Woodruff, R.M. M u r r a y a n d R.G. Morris

Department of Psychology and Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, De Crespigny Park, London SE5 8AF, U.K. Previous studies have reported significant correlations between brain structure volume and measures of cognitive function in patients with schizophrenia. However in the absence of normal control data, interpretation of the pathological significance of these relationships is limited. Magnetic Resonance Imaging was used to assess brain structural volumes and measures of memory and executive function were derived from a comprehensive battery in 34 patients with schizophrenia and 42 matched normal controls. In the control sample, verbal memory was significantly correlated with volume of both the left and right hippocampus (r=.34,=.03, and r=.41, p