Understanding episodic memory in schizophrenia: a functional neuroimaging meta-analysis

Background

In schizophrenia, episodic memory deficits are observed across verbal and visual memory tasks, as well as during free recall and recognition. Functional neuroimaging studies have revealed abnormalities in several brain regions, though findings have often been inconsistent. To resolve these discrepancies, we conducted a meta-analysis to provide an updated understanding of the neural mechanisms involved in episodic memory deficits in schizophrenia.

Methods

The meta-analysis included 59 functional neuroimaging studies using episodic memory tasks in schizophrenia.

Results

The analysis revealed reduced brain activity, during encoding, in the left para-hippocampal gyrus, the left inferior frontal gyrus, the left fusiform gyrus and the left striatum. During retrieval, reduced activations were observed in schizophrenia in the left dorsal anterior cingulate cortex and medial superior frontal gyrus, the right angular gyrus and the left supplementary motor are.

Conclusion

We found reduced activations in the memory-relevant para-hippocampal gyrus, as well as in brain regions involved in semantic processing, cognitive control and visual processing. This study fills critical gaps in understanding the neural correlates of episodic memory deficits in schizophrenia, offering insights into how cognitive functions are affected in this disorder.