Journal of International Psychiatry

Objective To investigate the characteristics of neurobiochemical metabolites in the forebrain of patients with first-episode drug-naive schizophrenia and their correlation with neurological soft syndrome (NSS). Methods The study group included 33 patients (19 males and 14 females) of the first-episode drug-naive schizophrenic patients. The control group was 33 healthy adults (14 males and 19 females) who met the inclusion criteria. The partial volume and temporal lobe function test scale were used to evaluate the neurological soft signs. The levels of N-acetyl aspartate (NAA), choline complex (Cho), creatine (Cr) in the left prefrontal and thalamus were measured by hydrogen-proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) The level of complex (Cr) and phosphorylated creatine complex (Cr2), and calculate the NAA / Cr value, Cho / Cr value, Cr2 / Cr value, NAA / Cho value.Results The Cr2 / Cr value (1.15 ± 0.87) in the left frontal lobe of the study group was higher than that in the control group (0.72 ± 0.46), the difference was statistically significant(P＜0.05).There were no significant differences in NAA / Cr value, Cho / Cr value, NAA / Cho value, and NAA / Cho value, Cho / Cr value, Cr2 / Cr value, NAA / Cho value(P＞0.05). The NSS scale group(10.33 ± 5.07) was higher than that in the control group (4.18 ± 2.15), the difference was statistically significant(P＜0.05). Pearson correlation analysis showed that the total NSS score was positively correlated with the left frontal lobe Cr2 / Cr value（P＜0.05） and negatively correlated with the left prefrontal NAA / Cho value（P＜0.05）.Conclusions The neurological softness of the patients with schizophrenia was higher than that of the normal control group, suggesting that there were central nervous system integration defects in the first-episode drug-naive schizophrenia.There was a correlation between neurobiochemical metabolites and the neurological soft signs in patients with first-episode drug-naïve schizophrenia.

Neurological Soft Syndrome；first-episode drug-naïve schizophrenia；1H-MRS；neurobiochemical metabolites