Episodic memory-related activation in schizophrenia: meta-analysis

Abstract

Background: Numerous studies have examined the neural correlates of episodic memory deficits in schizophrenia, yielding both consistencies and discrepancies in the reported patterns of results.

Aims: To identify in schizophrenia the brain regions in which activity is consistently abnormal across imaging studies of memory.

Method: Data from 18 studies meeting the inclusion criteria were combined using a recently developed quantitative meta-analytic approach.

Results: Regions of consistent differential activation between groups were observed in the left inferior prefrontal cortex, medial temporal cortex bilaterally, left cerebellum, and in other prefrontal and temporal lobe regions. Subsequent analyses explored memory encoding and retrieval separately and identified between-group differences in specific prefrontal and medial temporal lobe regions.

Conclusions: Beneath the apparent heterogeneity of published findings on schizophrenia and memory, a consistent and robust pattern of group differences is observed as a function of memory processes.