Table 2

Structural, functional, and metabolic changes in the occipital lobe summary of the study by Steen et al.70

Changes in the occipital lobeEvidence for occipital alterations in schizophrenia
Structural changesReduction in the white matter integrity of the occipital cortex and fusiform gyrus in schizophrenia as compared to controls
A higher frequency of reverse asymmetry in the occipital lobe in schizophrenics
No significant change in occipital lobe volume over time in schizophrenia compared to controls
Functional changesModerate evidence suggests people with schizophrenia demonstrate reduced activity in the middle occipital gyrus during executive function tasks
Moderate quality evidence shows decreased functional activity in the fusiform gyrus and right lingual gyrus during memory encoding, and memory retrieval in schizophrenic patients compared to controls
Moderate quality evidence shows that schizophrenic patients show decreased activation during emotion processing tasks in the fusiform, lentiform and middle occipital gyri
Metabolic changesMetabolic changes considering N-Acetyl Aspartate were found in the occipital lobe in schizophrenic patients