Abstract
Functional imaging methods offer relatively noninvasive qualitative and quantitative information about brain function. In this group the positron emission tomography (PET), single proton emission tomography (SPECT) and functional magnetic resonance (fMR) are involved.
The results of resting brain metabolism studies are inconsistent with increase or decrease of metabolism in prefrontal cortex. The activation with cognitive (attention, memory, executive functions), motor or sensory task offers more consistent findings with decreased metabolism (photic stimulation is the exception) in schizophrenia.
Different symptomatic clusters are connected with altered metabolism in frontal cortex (negative symptoms), temporal cortex (reality distortion) and anterior cingulate (disorganization). Antipsychotics modulate both resting metabolism and response to activation and together with the studies of metabolic changes in pharmacological models of schizophrenia support the explanation of mechanism of antipsychotic treatment.