Neural Dysfunction Underlying Working Memory Processing at Different Stages of the Illness Course in Schizophrenia:A Comparative Meta-analysis

Abstract: Schizophrenia (SCZ), as a chronic and persistent disorder, exhibits working memory deficits across various stages of the disorder, yet the neural mechanisms underlying these deficits remain elusive with inconsistent neuroimaging findings. We aimed to compare the brain functional changes of working memory in patients at different stages: clinical high risk (CHR), first-episode psychosis (FEP), and long-term SCZ, using meta-analyses of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies. Following a systematic literature search, fifty-six whole-brain task-based fMRI studies (15 for CHR, 16 for FEP, 25 for long-term SCZ) were included. The separate and pooled neurofunctional mechanisms among CHR, FEP and long-term SCZ were generated by Seed-based d Mapping toolbox. The CHR and FEP groups exhibited overlapping hypoactivation in the right inferior parietal lobule, right middle frontal gyrus, and left superior parietal lobule, indicating key lesion sites in the early phase of SCZ. Individuals with FEP showed lower activation in left inferior parietal lobule than those with long-term SCZ, reflecting a possible recovery process or more neural inefficiency. We concluded that SCZ represent as a continuum in the early stage of illness progression, while the neural bases are inversely changed with the development of illness course to long-term course.