Auditory verbal working memory load and thalamic activation in nonpsychotic relatives of persons with schizophrenia: An fMRI replication

First-degree relatives of persons with schizophrenia are at genetic risk for the illness and show deficits on high-load information-processing tasks. In a prior study of auditory working memory (WM) using functional MR1 (fMRI), the authors demonstrated that adult relatives had significantly increased activation in the dorsomedial (DM) thalamus, anterior cingulate, and prefrontal cortex (H, W. Thermenos et al., 2004). In this study, the authors extended this work using a parametric WM task designed for fMRI in an independent, unmedicated sample. Twelve norpsychotic relatives of persons with schizophrenia and 13 healthy controls were administered multiple versions of an auditory continuous performance test during fMRI. Data were analyzed using Statistical Parametric Mapping software. Compared with controls, relatives showed significantly greater task-elicited activation in the DM thalamus. When fMRI