Structural and functional reorganization of working memory system during the first decade in schizophrenia. A cross-sectional study

Abstract Introduction Progressive atrophy occurs in brain regions involved in the working memory network along the schizophrenia's course, but without parallel evolution of working memory impairment. We investigated the functional organization inside this network at different stages of the disease. Methods Twenty-eight patients with schizophrenia (16 with long disease duration (> 60 months) and 12 with short disease duration (< 60 months)) and eleven healthy controls underwent structural and functional MRI during an n -back task to determine atrophy and activation patterns. Results At similar n -back performances and relative to short disease duration patients, long disease duration patients activated more frontal temporal parietal and frontal network during 0-back and 1-back tasks respectively. n -back scores were correlated to atrophy in the frontal–temporal areas. Discussion Functional reorganization in the working memory network may play a compensatory role during the first ten years of schizophrenia.