Neuropsychological Correlates of Hippocampal Volumes in Patients Experiencing a First Episode of Schizophrenia

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Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Despite evidence for hippocampal structural abnormalities in patients with schizophrenia, their functional correlates remain largely unknown. This study investigated the neuropsychological correlates of hippocampal volume in 43 men and 32 women experiencing a first episode of schizophrenia. METHOD: Posterior and anterior hippocampal volumes were computed from contiguous 3.1-mm magnetic resonance images and examined in relationship to six domains of neuropsychological functioning. Significant structure-function associations were investigated by examining the correlations between functioning and individual hippocampal slice volumes across the long axis of the hippocampus after interpolation to 10 equally spaced slice positions. RESULTS: Among men, worse executive and motor functioning correlated significantly with smaller anterior, but not posterior, hippocampal volume. The relationship between executive and motor functioning and hippocampal volume was not linear, however, when examined across th...