Spectroscopic metabolomic abnormalities in the thalamus related to auditory hallucinations in patients with schizophrenia

Abstract Objective Previous studies have found neurochemical abnormalities in thalamic nuclei in patients with schizophrenia. These abnormalities have been associated with information processing deficiencies and symptom formation. There are no metabolic spectroscopy studies in patients with schizophrenia attending to auditory hallucinations. The aim of the present study is to explore metabolic Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (MRS) ratio differences in the thalamus between schizophrenic patients with and without auditory hallucinations and control subjects. Methods MRS studies (MRI 1.5 T unit) were performed in 49 patients with schizophrenia (30 with auditory hallucinations and 19 without au…