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Gaus R, Popal M, Heinsen H, Schmitt A, Falkai P, Hof PR, Schmitz C, Vollhardt A. Reduced cortical neuron number and neuron density in schizophrenia with focus on area 24: a post-mortem case-control study. Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci 2023; 273:1209-1223. [PMID: 36350376 PMCID: PMC10449727 DOI: 10.1007/s00406-022-01513-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2022] [Accepted: 10/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Structural and functional abnormalities of the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) have frequently been identified in schizophrenia. Alterations of von Economo neurons (VENs), a class of specialized projection neurons, have been found in different neuropsychiatric disorders and are also suspected in schizophrenia. To date, however, no definitive conclusions can be drawn about quantitative histologic changes in the ACC in schizophrenia because of a lack of rigorous, design-based stereologic studies. In the present study, the volume, total neuron number and total number of VENs in layer V of area 24 were determined in both hemispheres of postmortem brains from 12 male patients with schizophrenia and 11 age-matched male controls. To distinguish global from local effects, volume and total neuron number were also determined in the whole area 24 and whole cortical gray matter (CGM). Measurements were adjusted for hemisphere, age, postmortem interval and fixation time using an ANCOVA model. Compared to controls, patients with schizophrenia showed alterations, with lower mean total neuron number in CGM (- 14.9%, P = 0.007) and in layer V of area 24 (- 21.1%, P = 0.002), and lower mean total number of VENs (- 28.3%, P = 0.027). These data provide evidence for ACC involvement in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia, and complement neuroimaging findings of impaired ACC connectivity in schizophrenia. Furthermore, these results support the hypothesis that the clinical presentation of schizophrenia, particularly deficits in social cognition, is associated with pathology of VENs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard Gaus
- Department of Neuroanatomy, Institute of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, LMU Munich, Pettenkoferstr. 11, 80336 Munich, Germany
| | - Melanie Popal
- Department of Neuroanatomy, Institute of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, LMU Munich, Pettenkoferstr. 11, 80336 Munich, Germany
| | - Helmut Heinsen
- Morphological Brain Research Unit, Department of Psychiatry, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Andrea Schmitt
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
- Laboratory of Neuroscience (LIM27), Institute of Psychiatry, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Peter Falkai
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Patrick R. Hof
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY USA
| | - Christoph Schmitz
- Department of Neuroanatomy, Institute of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, LMU Munich, Pettenkoferstr. 11, 80336 Munich, Germany
| | - Alisa Vollhardt
- Department of Neuroanatomy, Institute of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, LMU Munich, Pettenkoferstr. 11, 80336 Munich, Germany
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Wilkinson ID, Mahmood T, Yasmin SF, Tomlinson A, Nazari J, Alhaj H, el din SN, Neill J, Pandit C, Ashraf S, Cardno AG, Clapcote SJ, Inglehearn CF, Woodruff PW. In memory of Professor Iain Wilkinson: cognitive and neuroimaging endophenotypes in a consanguineous schizophrenia multiplex family. Psychol Med 2023; 53:3178-3186. [PMID: 35125130 PMCID: PMC10235651 DOI: 10.1017/s0033291721005250] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2021] [Revised: 11/24/2021] [Accepted: 12/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Schizophrenia endophenotypes may help elucidate functional effects of genetic risk variants in multiply affected consanguineous families that segregate recessive risk alleles of large effect size. We studied the association between a schizophrenia risk locus involving a 6.1Mb homozygous region on chromosome 13q22-31 in a consanguineous multiplex family and cognitive functioning, haemodynamic response and white matter integrity using neuroimaging. METHODS We performed CANTAB neuropsychological testing on four affected family members (all homozygous for the risk locus), ten unaffected family members (seven homozygous and three heterozygous) and ten healthy volunteers, and tested neuronal responses on fMRI during an n-back working memory task, and white matter integrity on diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) on four affected and six unaffected family members (four homozygous and two heterozygous) and three healthy volunteers. For cognitive comparisons we used a linear mixed model (Kruskal-Wallis) test, followed by posthoc Dunn's pairwise tests with a Bonferroni adjustment. For fMRI analysis, we counted voxels exceeding the p < 0.05 corrected threshold. DTI analysis was observational. RESULTS Family members with schizophrenia and unaffected family members homozygous for the risk haplotype showed attention (p < 0.01) and working memory deficits (p < 0.01) compared with healthy controls; a neural activation laterality bias towards the right prefrontal cortex (voxels reaching p < 0.05, corrected) and observed lower fractional anisotropy in the anterior cingulate cortex and left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. CONCLUSIONS In this family, homozygosity at the 13q risk locus was associated with impaired cognition, white matter integrity, and altered laterality of neural activation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iain D. Wilkinson
- Academic Unit of Radiology, School of Medicine, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Tariq Mahmood
- Leeds & York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, Leeds, UK
| | - Sophia Faye Yasmin
- Academic Unit of Radiology, School of Medicine, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | | | - Jamshid Nazari
- South West Yorkshire NHS Foundation Trust, Wakefield, UK
| | - Hamid Alhaj
- University of Sharjah, UAE
- Department of Neuroscience, School of Medicine, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | | | - Joanna Neill
- Division of Pharmacy and Optometry, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Chhaya Pandit
- Leeds & York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, Leeds, UK
| | - Shahzad Ashraf
- South West Yorkshire NHS Foundation Trust, Wakefield, UK
| | - Alastair G. Cardno
- Psychological & Social Medicine, Leeds Institute of Health Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
| | | | - Chris F. Inglehearn
- Division of Molecular Medicine, Leeds Institute of Medical Research, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
| | - Peter W. Woodruff
- Department of Neuroscience, School of Medicine, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
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Seitz-Holland J, Cetin-Karayumak S, Wojcik JD, Lyall A, Levitt J, Shenton ME, Pasternak O, Westin CF, Baxi M, Kelly S, Mesholam-Gately R, Vangel M, Pearlson G, Tamminga CA, Sweeney JA, Clementz BA, Schretlen D, Viher PV, Stegmayer K, Walther S, Lee J, Crow T, James A, Voineskos A, Buchanan RW, Szeszko PR, Malhotra AK, Rathi Y, Keshavan M, Kubicki M. Elucidating the relationship between white matter structure, demographic, and clinical variables in schizophrenia-a multicenter harmonized diffusion tensor imaging study. Mol Psychiatry 2021; 26:5357-5370. [PMID: 33483689 PMCID: PMC8329919 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-021-01018-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2020] [Revised: 11/24/2020] [Accepted: 01/05/2021] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
White matter (WM) abnormalities are repeatedly demonstrated across the schizophrenia time-course. However, our understanding of how demographic and clinical variables interact, influence, or are dependent on WM pathologies is limited. The most well-known barriers to progress are heterogeneous findings due to small sample sizes and the confounding influence of age on WM. The present study leverages access to the harmonized diffusion magnetic-resonance-imaging data and standardized clinical data from 13 international sites (597 schizophrenia patients (SCZ)). Fractional anisotropy (FA) values for all major WM structures in patients were predicted based on FA models estimated from a healthy population (n = 492). We utilized the deviations between predicted and real FA values to answer three essential questions. (1) "Which clinical variables explain WM abnormalities?". (2) "Does the degree of WM abnormalities predict symptom severity?". (3) "Does sex influence any of those relationships?". Regression and mediator analyses revealed that a longer duration-of-illness is associated with more severe WM abnormalities in several tracts. In addition, they demonstrated that a higher antipsychotic medication dose is related to more severe corpus callosum abnormalities. A structural equation model revealed that patients with more WM abnormalities display higher symptom severity. Last, the results exhibited sex-specificity. Males showed a stronger association between duration-of-illness and WM abnormalities. Females presented a stronger association between WM abnormalities and symptom severity, with IQ impacting this relationship. Our findings provide clear evidence for the interaction of demographic, clinical, and behavioral variables with WM pathology in SCZ. Our results also point to the need for longitudinal studies, directly investigating the casualty and sex-specificity of these relationships, as well as the impact of cognitive resiliency on structure-function relationships.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johanna Seitz-Holland
- Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Suheyla Cetin-Karayumak
- Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Joanne D Wojcik
- Department of Psychiatry, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Centre, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Amanda Lyall
- Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - James Levitt
- Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- VA Boston Healthcare System, Brockton, MA, USA
| | - Martha E Shenton
- Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- VA Boston Healthcare System, Brockton, MA, USA
- Department of Radiology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Ofer Pasternak
- Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Carl-Fredrik Westin
- Department of Radiology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Madhura Baxi
- Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Graduate Program of Neuroscience, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Sinead Kelly
- Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Centre, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Raquelle Mesholam-Gately
- Department of Psychiatry, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Centre, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Mark Vangel
- Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | - Carol A Tamminga
- Department of Psychiatry, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - John A Sweeney
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Brett A Clementz
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Bio-Imaging Research Center, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
| | - David Schretlen
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Petra Verena Viher
- University Hospital of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Katharina Stegmayer
- University Hospital of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Sebastian Walther
- University Hospital of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Jungsun Lee
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Asan Medical Center, Seoul, Korea
| | - Tim Crow
- Department of Psychiatry, SANE POWIC, Warneford Hospital, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Anthony James
- Department of Psychiatry, SANE POWIC, Warneford Hospital, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Aristotle Voineskos
- Center for Addiction and Mental Health, Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Robert W Buchanan
- Maryland Psychiatric Research Center, Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Philip R Szeszko
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center, James J. Peters VA Medical Center, Bronx, New York, NY, USA
| | - Anil K Malhotra
- The Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, Hempstead, NY, USA
| | - Yogesh Rathi
- Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Radiology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Matcheri Keshavan
- Department of Psychiatry, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Centre, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Marek Kubicki
- Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Radiology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
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Liu T, Yan Y, Ai J, Chen D, Wu J, Fang B, Yan T. Disrupted rich-club organization of brain structural networks in Parkinson's disease. Brain Struct Funct 2021; 226:2205-2217. [PMID: 34173868 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-021-02319-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2020] [Accepted: 06/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Parkinson's disease (PD) can be considered as the dysfunction in segregation and integration of large-scale structural networks in the late stage of disease progression. However, the altered patterns in the early stage have not been extensively investigated, especially the altered structural rich-club patterns, which is proved powerful to detect the altered patterns of structural networks in Alzheimer's disease and schizophrenia. To this end, we investigated the rich-club organization of the structural networks derived from diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) data in the early stage of PD, and further investigated the relationship between rich-club organization and clinicopathological measures, including motor and non-motor scales and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers. Two datasets were included for validation in this study. The first one included 41 healthy controls (HC) and 64 PD patients from Parkinson's Disease Progression Marker Initiative (PPMI) dataset, and the second one included 24 HC and 26 PD patients. Results revealed that PD patients in early stage had disrupted rich-club organization, with abnormal connectivity strength between peripheral regions (two-sample t-test between PD and HC: p < 0.001), whereas connectivity strength between rich-club regions remained relatively stable (two-sample t-test between PD and HC: p = 0.108). The classification accuracies on three types of connections were 59.93%, 73.96% and 77.44% for rich-club, feeder and local connections. Furthermore, abnormal local and feeder connections showed significant correlation with poor clinical scales and CSF biomarkers. In summary, a selective disruption of non-rich-club connections here could be regarded as a potential marker in the early diagnosis of PD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiantian Liu
- School of Life Science, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, China
| | - Yan Yan
- School of Life Science, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, China
| | - Jing Ai
- School of Life Science, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, China
| | - Duanduan Chen
- School of Life Science, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, China
| | - Jinglong Wu
- Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University, Okayama, Japan.,Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Intelligent Robots and Systems, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, China
| | - Boyan Fang
- Beijing Rehabilitation Hospital Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
| | - Tianyi Yan
- School of Life Science, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, China.
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5
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Kim NS, Lee TY, Hwang WJ, Kwak YB, Kim S, Moon SY, Lho SK, Oh S, Kwon JS. White Matter Correlates of Theory of Mind in Patients With First-Episode Psychosis. Front Psychiatry 2021; 12:617683. [PMID: 33746794 PMCID: PMC7973210 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2021.617683] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2020] [Accepted: 02/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Deficits in theory of mind (ToM) are considered as a distinctive feature of schizophrenia. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies have suggested that aberrant activity among the regions comprising the mentalizing network is related to observed ToM deficits. However, the white matter structures underlying the ToM functional network in schizophrenia remain unclear. To investigate the relationship between white matter integrity and ToM impairment, 35 patients with first-episode psychosis (FEP) and 29 matched healthy controls (HCs) underwent diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). Using tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS), fractional anisotropy (FA) values of the two regions of interest (ROI)-the cingulum and superior longitudinal fasciculus (SLF)-were acquired, and correlational analysis with ToM task scores was performed. Among the patients with FEP, ToM strange story scores were positively correlated with the FA values of the left cingulum and left SLF. There was no significant correlation between FA and ToM task scores in HCs. These results suggest that the left cingulum and SLF constitute a possible neural basis for ToM deficits in schizophrenia. Our study is the first to demonstrate the white matter connectivity underlying the mentalizing network, as well as its relation to ToM ability in patients with FEP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nahrie Suk Kim
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Seoul National University College of Natural Science, Seoul, South Korea
- Biomedical Research Institute, Pusan National University Yangsan Hospital, Yangsan, South Korea
| | - Tae Young Lee
- Department of Psychiatry, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
- Department of Psychiatry, Pusan National University Yangsan Hospital, Yangsan, South Korea
| | - Wu Jeong Hwang
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Seoul National University College of Natural Science, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Yoo Bin Kwak
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Seoul National University College of Natural Science, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Seowoo Kim
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Seoul National University College of Natural Science, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Sun-Young Moon
- Department of Psychiatry, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Silvia Kyungjin Lho
- Department of Psychiatry, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Sanghoon Oh
- Department of Psychiatry, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Jun Soo Kwon
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Seoul National University College of Natural Science, Seoul, South Korea
- Department of Psychiatry, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
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6
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Jung S, Kim JH, Kang NO, Sung G, Ko YG, Bang M, Park CI, Lee SH. Fusiform gyrus volume reduction associated with impaired facial expressed emotion recognition and emotional intensity recognition in patients with schizophrenia spectrum psychosis. Psychiatry Res Neuroimaging 2021; 307:111226. [PMID: 33249305 DOI: 10.1016/j.pscychresns.2020.111226] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2020] [Revised: 10/16/2020] [Accepted: 10/24/2020] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Impaired social cue perception such as emotional recognition is a prominent feature in patients with schizophrenia, adversely affecting psychosocial outcomes and worsening clinical manifestations of the disease. However, few structural neuroimaging studies have investigated both facial emotion recognition and emotion intensity recognition in schizophrenia. Ninety patients with schizophrenia spectrum psychosis and fifty healthy controls underwent structural magnetic resonance imaging. The gray matter volumes of emotion recognition areas such as the bilateral caudal anterior cingulate cortex, rostral anterior cingulate cortex, fusiform gyrus, insula, amygdala, and hippocampus, were compared between patients and controls. Emotional recognition levels and symptom severities were examined. Group analysis showed that the gray matter volumes of the patients were significantly smaller in left hippocampus and fusiform gyrus compared with healthy controls. A correlation analysis revealed that larger left fusiform gyrus volume was associated with better facial emotion recognition and emotional intensity recognition in patients with schizophrenia spectrum psychosis. Additionally, left fusiform gyrus volumes showed a significant negative correlation with the negative symptom scores at baseline. These findings suggest that gray matter abnormalities in the left fusiform gyrus are associated with impaired social emotion recognition and severity of negative symptoms at baseline in patients with schizophrenia spectrum psychosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sra Jung
- Department of Psychiatry, CHA Bundang Medical Center, CHA University, Seongnam, Republic of Korea
| | - Ji-Hye Kim
- CHA University School of Medicine, Seongnam, Republic of Korea
| | - Na-Ok Kang
- Department of Psychiatry, CHA Bundang Medical Center, CHA University, Seongnam, Republic of Korea
| | - Gihye Sung
- Department of Psychiatry, CHA Bundang Medical Center, CHA University, Seongnam, Republic of Korea; Department of Psychology, Korea University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Young-Gun Ko
- Department of Psychology, Korea University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Minji Bang
- Department of Psychiatry, CHA Bundang Medical Center, CHA University, Seongnam, Republic of Korea
| | - Chun Il Park
- Department of Psychiatry, CHA Bundang Medical Center, CHA University, Seongnam, Republic of Korea.
| | - Sang-Hyuk Lee
- Department of Psychiatry, CHA Bundang Medical Center, CHA University, Seongnam, Republic of Korea.
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Disruption of Conscious Access in Psychosis Is Associated with Altered Structural Brain Connectivity. J Neurosci 2020; 41:513-523. [PMID: 33229501 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0945-20.2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2020] [Revised: 08/10/2020] [Accepted: 09/20/2020] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
According to global neuronal workspace (GNW) theory, conscious access relies on long-distance cerebral connectivity to allow a global neuronal ignition coding for conscious content. In patients with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, both alterations in cerebral connectivity and an increased threshold for conscious perception have been reported. The implications of abnormal structural connectivity for disrupted conscious access and the relationship between these two deficits and psychopathology remain unclear. The aim of this study was to determine the extent to which structural connectivity is correlated with consciousness threshold, particularly in psychosis. We used a visual masking paradigm to measure consciousness threshold, and diffusion MRI tractography to assess structural connectivity in 97 humans of either sex with varying degrees of psychosis: healthy control subjects (n = 46), schizophrenia patients (n = 25), and bipolar disorder patients with (n = 17) and without (n = 9) a history of psychosis. Patients with psychosis (schizophrenia and bipolar disorder with psychotic features) had an elevated masking threshold compared with control subjects and bipolar disorder patients without psychotic features. Masking threshold correlated negatively with the mean general fractional anisotropy of white matter tracts exclusively within the GNW network (inferior frontal-occipital fasciculus, cingulum, and corpus callosum). Mediation analysis demonstrated that alterations in long-distance connectivity were associated with an increased masking threshold, which in turn was linked to psychotic symptoms. Our findings support the hypothesis that long-distance structural connectivity within the GNW plays a crucial role in conscious access, and that conscious access may mediate the association between impaired structural connectivity and psychosis.
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Abdolalizadeh A, Ostadrahimi H, Mohajer B, Darvishi A, Sattarian M, Bayani Ershadi AS, Abbasi N. White Matter Microstructural Properties Associated with Impaired Attention in Chronic Schizophrenia: A Multi-Center Study. Psychiatry Res Neuroimaging 2020; 302:111105. [PMID: 32498000 DOI: 10.1016/j.pscychresns.2020.111105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2019] [Revised: 04/24/2020] [Accepted: 05/01/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Attention as a key cognitive function is impaired in schizophrenia, interfering with the normal daily life of the patients. Previous studies on the microstructural correlates of attention in schizophrenia were limited to single fibers, did not include a control group, or did not adjust for drug dosage. In the current study, we investigated the association between microstructural properties of the white matter fibers and attention tests in 81 patients and 79 healthy controls from the Mind Clinical Imaging Consortium database. Integrity measures of superior longitudinal fasciculus, cingulum, genu, and splenium were extracted after tractography. Using an interaction model between diagnosis and microstructural properties, and adjusting for age, gender, acquisition site, education, and cumulative drug usage dose, and after correcting for family-wise error, we showed decreased integrity in the patients and a significant negative association between fractional anisotropy of the tracts and trail making test part A with a greater expected decrease in the attention per unit of decrease of integrity in the patients compared to the healthy controls. Our findings suggest that decreased integrity of the bilateral cingulum, and splenium, are independent of the cumulative drug dosage, age, gender, and site, and may underlie the impaired attention in the schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Hamidreza Ostadrahimi
- Students' Scientific Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Bahram Mohajer
- Non-Communicable Diseases Research Center, Endocrinology and Metabolism Population Sciences Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Asma Darvishi
- Students' Scientific Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mahta Sattarian
- Students' Scientific Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | | | - Nooshin Abbasi
- McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
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9
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The relationship between cingulum bundle integrity and different aspects of executive functions in chronic schizophrenia. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2020; 102:109955. [PMID: 32360815 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2020.109955] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2019] [Revised: 03/19/2020] [Accepted: 04/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Evidence suggests that disruption in the cingulum bundle (CB) may influence executive dysfunctions in schizophrenia, but findings are still inconsistent. Using diffusion tensor imaging tractography, we investigated the differences in fiber integrity between schizophrenia patients and healthy controls together with the association between fiber integrity and executive functions. METHODS Thirty-two patients with chronic schizophrenia and 24 healthy controls took part in the study. Both groups were matched for age, sex, and years of education. Assessment of cognitive functions was performed using the Berg Card Sorting Test (BCST), the Color Trail Test (CTT), and the Stroop Color-Word Test (SCWT). RESULTS Results showed group differences, bilaterally (left and right) in fractional anisotropy (FA) of the CB, where patients showed less anisotropy than controls. Moreover, normal asymmetry (left FA > right FA) in the CB in schizophrenia was found. There were no group differences in mean diffusivity (MD). Patients had a similar but reduced profile of executive functions compared to healthy controls. However, when premorbid IQ was controlled for, the differences were no longer statistically significant. In schizophrenia patients, a negative correlation was found between FA of the left CB and perseverative errors in the BCST. CONCLUSIONS These findings provide evidence that CB disruption appears in schizophrenia patients and might account for impairments of executive processes, including concept formation.
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10
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Kyriakopoulos M, Bargiotas T, Barker GJ, Frangou S. Diffusion tensor imaging in schizophrenia. Eur Psychiatry 2020; 23:255-73. [DOI: 10.1016/j.eurpsy.2007.12.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 103] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2007] [Revised: 11/19/2007] [Accepted: 12/03/2007] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
AbstractDiffusion tensor imaging (DTI) is a magnetic resonance imaging technique that is increasingly being used for the non-invasive evaluation of brain white matter abnormalities. In this review, we discuss the basic principles of DTI, its roots and the contribution of European centres in its development, and we review the findings from DTI studies in schizophrenia. We searched EMBASE, PubMed, PsychInfo, and Medline from February 1998 to December 2006 using as keywords ‘schizophrenia’, ‘diffusion’, ‘tensor’, and ‘DTI’. Forty studies fulfilling the inclusion criteria of this review were included and systematically reviewed. White matter abnormalities in many diverse brain regions were identified in schizophrenia. Although the findings are not completely consistent, frontal and temporal white matter seems to be more commonly affected. Limitations and future directions of this method are discussed.
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11
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Jo YT, Lee J, Joo SW, Kim H, Shon SH, Yoon W, Hong Y. Additive Burden of Abnormal Diffusivity in the Brain with Schizophrenia: A Diffusion Tensor Imaging Study with Public Neuroimaging Data. Psychiatry Investig 2020; 17:341-349. [PMID: 32252513 PMCID: PMC7176571 DOI: 10.30773/pi.2019.0200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2019] [Accepted: 01/20/2020] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Diffusion tensor imaging has been extensively applied to schizophrenia research. In this study, we counted the number of abnormal brain regions with altered diffusion measures in patients with schizophrenia to enumerate the burden of abnormal diffusivity in the brain. METHODS The public neuroimaging data of the COBRE project from SchizConnect were used for the study. The studied dataset consisted of data from 57 patients with schizophrenia and 71 healthy participants. FreeSurfer and FSL were applied for image processing and analysis. After verifying 161 regions of interest (ROIs), mean diffusion measures in every single ROI in all study participants were measured and normalized into Z-scores. Each ROI was then defined as normal or abnormal on the basis of a cutoff absolute Z-score of 1.96. The number of abnormal ROIs was obtained by each diffusion measure. RESULTS The numbers of ROIs with increased radial diffusivity and increased trace were significantly larger in the patient group than in healthy participants. CONCLUSION Thus, the patient group showed a significant increase in abnormal ROIs, strongly indicating that schizophrenia is not caused by the pathology of a single brain region, but is instead attributable to the additive burden of structural alterations within multiple brain regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Young Tak Jo
- Department of Psychiatry, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Jungsun Lee
- Department of Psychiatry, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Sung Woo Joo
- Republic of Korea Navy, Donghae, Republic of Korea
| | - Harin Kim
- Department of Psychiatry, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Seung-Hyun Shon
- Department of Psychiatry, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Woon Yoon
- Department of Psychiatry, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Youjin Hong
- Department of Psychiatry, Gangneung Asan Hospital, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Gangneung, Republic of Korea
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12
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Fitzsimmons J, Rosa P, Sydnor VJ, Reid BE, Makris N, Goldstein JM, Mesholam-Gately RI, Woodberry K, Wojcik J, McCarley RW, Seidman LJ, Shenton ME, Kubicki M. Cingulum bundle abnormalities and risk for schizophrenia. Schizophr Res 2020; 215:385-391. [PMID: 31477373 DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2019.08.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2018] [Revised: 07/22/2019] [Accepted: 08/15/2019] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The cingulum bundle (CB) is a major white matter fiber tract of the limbic system that underlies cingulate cortex, passing longitudinally over the corpus callosum. The connectivity of this white matter fiber tract plays a major role in emotional expression, attention, motivation, and working memory, all of which are affected in schizophrenia. Myelin related CB abnormalities have also been implicated in schizophrenia. The purpose of this study is to determine whether or not CB abnormalities are evident in individuals at clinical high risk (CHR) for psychosis, and whether or not cognitive deficits in the domains subserved by CB are related to its structural abnormalities. METHODS Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) was performed on a 3 T magnet. DT tractography was used to evaluate CB in 20 individuals meeting CHR criteria (13 males/7 females) and 23 healthy controls (12 males/11 females) group matched on age, gender, parental socioeconomic status, education, and handedness. Fractional anisotropy (FA), a measure of white matter coherence and integrity, radial diffusivity (RD), thought to reflect myelin integrity, trace, a possible marker of atrophy, and axial diffusivity (AD), thought to reflect axonal integrity, were averaged over the entire tract and used to investigate CB abnormalities in individuals at CHR for psychosis compared with healthy controls. RESULTS Significant group differences were found between individuals at CHR for psychosis and controls for FA (p = 0.028), RD (p = 0.03) and trace (p = 0.031), but not for AD (p = 0.09). We did not find any significant correlations between DTI measures and clinical symptoms. CONCLUSION These findings suggest abnormalities (possibly myelin related) in the CB in individuals at CHR for psychosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer Fitzsimmons
- Psychiatry Neuroimaging Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States of America; Psychiatry Neuroimaging Laboratory, Department of Radiology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States of America.
| | - Pedro Rosa
- Psychiatry Neuroimaging Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States of America; Laboratory of Psychiatric Neuroimaging (LIM-21), Department & Institute of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Center of Interdisciplinary Research on Applied Neurosciences (NAPNA), University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil; Psychiatry Neuroimaging Laboratory, Department of Radiology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States of America
| | - Valerie J Sydnor
- Psychiatry Neuroimaging Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States of America; Psychiatry Neuroimaging Laboratory, Department of Radiology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States of America
| | - Benjamin E Reid
- Psychiatry Neuroimaging Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States of America; Psychiatry Neuroimaging Laboratory, Department of Radiology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States of America
| | - Nikos Makris
- Psychiatry Neuroimaging Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States of America; Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, United States of America; Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, United States of America; Psychiatry Neuroimaging Laboratory, Department of Radiology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States of America
| | - Jill M Goldstein
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, United States of America
| | - Raquelle I Mesholam-Gately
- Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center-Massachusetts Mental Health Center, Public Psychiatry Division, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States of America
| | - Kristen Woodberry
- Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center-Massachusetts Mental Health Center, Public Psychiatry Division, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States of America
| | - Joanne Wojcik
- Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center-Massachusetts Mental Health Center, Public Psychiatry Division, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States of America
| | - Robert W McCarley
- Department of Psychiatry, VA Boston Healthcare System, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States of America
| | - Larry J Seidman
- Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center-Massachusetts Mental Health Center, Public Psychiatry Division, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States of America; Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States of America
| | - Martha E Shenton
- Psychiatry Neuroimaging Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States of America; Department of Radiology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States of America; Research and Development, VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, United States of America; Psychiatry Neuroimaging Laboratory, Department of Radiology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States of America
| | - Marek Kubicki
- Psychiatry Neuroimaging Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States of America; Department of Radiology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States of America; Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States of America; Psychiatry Neuroimaging Laboratory, Department of Radiology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States of America
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13
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Palaniyappan L, Al-Radaideh A, Mougin O, Das T, Gowland P, Liddle PF. Aberrant myelination of the cingulum and Schneiderian delusions in schizophrenia: a 7T magnetization transfer study. Psychol Med 2019; 49:1890-1896. [PMID: 30229713 DOI: 10.1017/s0033291718002647] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The structural integrity of the anterior cingulum has been repeatedly observed to be abnormal in patients with schizophrenia. More recently, aberrant myelination of frontal fasciculi, especially, cingulum has been proposed to underlie delayed corollary discharges that can affect sense of agency and contribute to delusions of control (Schneiderian delusions). Using the magnetization transfer phenomenon at an ultra-high field 7T MRI, we investigated the putative myelin content of cingulum bundle in patients with schizophrenia. METHODS Seventeen clinically stable patients with schizophrenia and 20 controls were recruited for this 7T MRI study. We used a region-of-interest method and extracted magnetization transfer ratio (MTR) from left and right dorsal cingulum bundles and estimated patients v. controls differences. We also related the cingulum MTR values to the severity of Schneiderian delusions. RESULTS Patients had a significant reduction in the MTR, indicating reduced myelin content, in the cingulum bundle (right cingulum Hedges' g = 0.91; left cingulum g = 0.03). The reduced MTR of left cingulum was associated with higher severity of Schneiderian delusions (τ = -0.45, p = 0.026) but no such relationship was seen for the right cingulum MTR (τ = -0.136, p = 0.50) among patients. The association between the left cingulum MTR and Schneiderian delusions was not explained by the presence of other delusions, hallucinations, disorganization or negative symptoms. CONCLUSIONS Dysmyelination of the cingulum bundle is seen in a subgroup of patients with schizophrenia and may be involved in the mechanism of Schneiderian delusions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lena Palaniyappan
- Robarts Research Institute, University of Western Ontario,London, Ontario,Canada
| | - Ali Al-Radaideh
- Department of Medical Imaging, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences,The Hashemite University,Zarqa,Jordan
| | - Olivier Mougin
- Sir Peter Mansfield Imaging Centre (SPMIC), School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Nottingham,Nottingham,UK
| | - Tushar Das
- Robarts Research Institute, University of Western Ontario,London, Ontario,Canada
| | - Penny Gowland
- Sir Peter Mansfield Imaging Centre (SPMIC), School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Nottingham,Nottingham,UK
| | - Peter F Liddle
- Translational Neuroimaging for Mental Health, Division of Psychiatry and Applied Psychology,University of Nottingham,Nottingham,UK
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14
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Ahn SJ, Cornea E, Murphy V, Styner M, Jarskog LF, Gilmore JH. White matter development in infants at risk for schizophrenia. Schizophr Res 2019; 210:107-114. [PMID: 31182322 PMCID: PMC6689450 DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2019.05.039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2019] [Revised: 05/23/2019] [Accepted: 05/26/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Schizophrenia is considered a neurodevelopmental disorder with a pathophysiology that likely begins long before the onset of clinical symptoms. White matter abnormalities have been observed in schizophrenia and we hypothesized that the first 2 years of life is a period in which white matter abnormalities associated with schizophrenia risk may emerge. METHODS 38 infants at high risk for schizophrenia and 202 healthy controls underwent diffusion tensor MRIs after birth and at 1 and 2 years of age. Quantitative tractography was used to determine diffusion properties (fractional anisotropy (FA), axial diffusivity (AD), and radial diffusivity (RD)) of 18 white matter tracts and a general linear model was used to analyze group differences at each age. RESULTS Adjusting gestational age at birth, postnatal age at MRI, gender, MRI scanner type, and maternal education, neonates at high risk had significantly lower FA (p = 0.02) and AD (p = 0.03) in the superior segment of the left cingulate, and higher RD in the hippocampal segment of the left cingulate (p = 0.04). High risk one year olds had significantly lower FA (p < 0.01) and AD (p = 0.02) in the hippocampal segment of the left cingulate. High risk two year olds had significantly lower FA in the left prefrontal cortico-thalamic tract (p = 0.04) and higher RD in the right uncinate fasciculus (p = 0.04). None of the tract differences remained significant after correction for multiple comparisons. CONCLUSIONS There is evidence of abnormal white matter development in young children at risk for schizophrenia, especially in the hippocampal segment of left cingulum. These results support the neurodevelopmental theory of schizophrenia and indicate that impaired white matter may be present in early childhood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sung Jun Ahn
- Department of Radiology, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul 06273, Korea
| | - Emil Cornea
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, 27599-7160, USA
| | - Veronica Murphy
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, 27599-7160, USA
| | - Martin Styner
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, 27599-7160, USA,Department of Computer Science, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - L. Fredrik Jarskog
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, 27599-7160, USA
| | - John H. Gilmore
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, 27599-7160, USA
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15
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de Salles Andrade JB, Ferreira FM, Suo C, Yücel M, Frydman I, Monteiro M, Vigne P, Fontenelle LF, Tovar-Moll F. An MRI Study of the Metabolic and Structural Abnormalities in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. Front Hum Neurosci 2019; 13:186. [PMID: 31333428 PMCID: PMC6620433 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2019.00186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2019] [Accepted: 05/21/2019] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a neuropsychiatric illness characterized by obsessions and/or compulsions. Its pathophysiology is still not well understood but it is known that the cortico-striatal-thalamic-cortical (CSTC) circuitry plays an important role. Here, we used a multi-method MRI approach combining proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (H1-MRS) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) techniques to investigate both the metabolic and the microstructural white matter (WM) changes of the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) in OCD patients as compared to healthy controls. Twenty-three OCD patients and 21 age-, sex-, and education-matched healthy volunteers participated in the study. Our 1H-MRS findings show increased levels of Glx in ACC in OCD. Further, significantly lower fractional anisotropy (FA) values were observed in OCD patients’ left cingulate bundle (CB) as compared to healthy controls. Finally, there was a negative correlation between FA in the left CB and level of obsessions, as well as the duration of the illness. Our findings reinforce the involvement of CSTC bundles in pathophysiology of OCD, pointing to a specific role of glutamate (glutamine) and WM integrity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juliana B de Salles Andrade
- D'Or Institute for Research and Education (IDOR), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.,Institute of Biomedical Sciences (ICB), Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | | | - Chao Suo
- Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health and School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia
| | - Murat Yücel
- Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health and School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia
| | - Ilana Frydman
- D'Or Institute for Research and Education (IDOR), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.,Obsessive, Compulsive, and Anxiety Spectrum Research Program, Institute of Psychiatry, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Marina Monteiro
- D'Or Institute for Research and Education (IDOR), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Paula Vigne
- D'Or Institute for Research and Education (IDOR), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.,Obsessive, Compulsive, and Anxiety Spectrum Research Program, Institute of Psychiatry, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Leonardo F Fontenelle
- D'Or Institute for Research and Education (IDOR), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.,Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health and School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia.,Obsessive, Compulsive, and Anxiety Spectrum Research Program, Institute of Psychiatry, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Fernanda Tovar-Moll
- D'Or Institute for Research and Education (IDOR), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.,Institute of Biomedical Sciences (ICB), Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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16
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Kirino E, Hayakawa Y, Inami R, Inoue R, Aoki S. Simultaneous fMRI-EEG-DTI recording of MMN in patients with schizophrenia. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0215023. [PMID: 31071097 PMCID: PMC6508624 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0215023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2018] [Accepted: 03/25/2019] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), electroencephalogram (EEG), and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) recording have complementary spatiotemporal resolution limitations but can be powerful methods when used together to enable both functional and anatomical modeling, with each neuroimaging procedure used to maximum advantage. We recorded EEGs during event-related fMRI followed by DTI in 15 healthy volunteers and 12 patients with schizophrenia using an omission mismatch negativity (MMN) paradigm. Blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) signal changes were calculated in a region of interest (ROI) analysis, and fractional anisotropy (FA) in the white matter fibers related to each area was compared between groups using tract-specific analysis. Patients with schizophrenia had reduced BOLD activity in the left middle temporal gyrus, and BOLD activity in the right insula and right parahippocampal gyrus significantly correlated with positive symptoms on the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) and hostility subscores. BOLD activation of Heschl’s gyri also correlated with the limbic system, including the insula. FA values in the left anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) significantly correlated with changes in the BOLD signal in the right superior temporal gyrus (STG), and FA values in the right ACC significantly correlated with PANSS scores. This is the first study to examine MMN using simultaneous fMRI, EEG, and DTI recording in patients with schizophrenia to investigate the potential implications of abnormalities in the ACC and limbic system, including the insula and parahippocampal gyrus, as well as the STG. Structural changes in the ACC during schizophrenia may represent part of the neural basis for the observed MMN deficits. The deficits seen in the feedback/feedforward connections between the prefrontal cortex and STG modulated by the ACC and insula may specifically contribute to impaired MMN generation and clinical manifestations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eiji Kirino
- Department of Psychiatry, Juntendo University Shizuoka Hospital, Izunokuni City, Shizuoka, Japan
- Department of Psychiatry, Juntendo University School of Medicine, Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan
- Juntendo Institute of Mental Health, Fukuroyama, Koshigaya City, Saitama, Japan
- * E-mail:
| | - Yayoi Hayakawa
- Department of Radiology, Graduate School of Medicine, University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Rie Inami
- Department of Psychiatry, Juntendo University School of Medicine, Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Reiichi Inoue
- Juntendo Institute of Mental Health, Fukuroyama, Koshigaya City, Saitama, Japan
| | - Shigeki Aoki
- Department of Radiology, Juntendo University School of Medicine, Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan
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17
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Hall JM, O’Callaghan C, Muller AJ, Ehgoetz Martens KA, Phillips JR, Moustafa AA, Lewis SJG, Shine JM. Changes in structural network topology correlate with severity of hallucinatory behavior in Parkinson's disease. Netw Neurosci 2019; 3:521-538. [PMID: 30984905 PMCID: PMC6444885 DOI: 10.1162/netn_a_00078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2018] [Accepted: 12/21/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Inefficient integration between bottom-up visual input and higher order visual processing regions is implicated in visual hallucinations in Parkinson's disease (PD). Here, we investigated white matter contributions to this perceptual imbalance hypothesis. Twenty-nine PD patients were assessed for hallucinatory behavior. Hallucination severity was correlated to connectivity strength of the network using the network-based statistic approach. The results showed that hallucination severity was associated with reduced connectivity within a subnetwork that included the majority of the diverse club. This network showed overall greater between-module scores compared with nodes not associated with hallucination severity. Reduced between-module connectivity in the lateral occipital cortex, insula, and pars orbitalis and decreased within-module connectivity in the prefrontal, somatosensory, and primary visual cortices were associated with hallucination severity. Conversely, hallucination severity was associated with increased between- and within-module connectivity in the orbitofrontal and temporal cortex, as well as regions comprising the dorsal attentional and default mode network. These results suggest that hallucination severity is associated with marked alterations in structural network topology with changes in participation along the perceptual hierarchy. This may result in the inefficient transfer of information that gives rise to hallucinations in PD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie M. Hall
- School of Social Sciences and Psychology, Western Sydney University, Milperra, NSW, Australia
- Brain and Mind Centre, University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, Australia
| | - Claire O’Callaghan
- Brain and Mind Centre, University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, Australia
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Alana J. Muller
- Brain and Mind Centre, University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, Australia
| | | | - Joseph R. Phillips
- School of Social Sciences and Psychology, Western Sydney University, Milperra, NSW, Australia
- Brain and Mind Centre, University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, Australia
| | - Ahmed A. Moustafa
- School of Social Sciences and Psychology, Western Sydney University, Milperra, NSW, Australia
- MARCS Institute, Western Sydney University, Milperra, NSW, Australia
| | - Simon J. G. Lewis
- Brain and Mind Centre, University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, Australia
| | - James M. Shine
- Brain and Mind Centre, University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, Australia
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18
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Bubb EJ, Metzler-Baddeley C, Aggleton JP. The cingulum bundle: Anatomy, function, and dysfunction. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2018; 92:104-127. [PMID: 29753752 PMCID: PMC6090091 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2018.05.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 401] [Impact Index Per Article: 66.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2018] [Revised: 05/01/2018] [Accepted: 05/04/2018] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
The cingulum bundle is a prominent white matter tract that interconnects frontal, parietal, and medial temporal sites, while also linking subcortical nuclei to the cingulate gyrus. Despite its apparent continuity, the cingulum's composition continually changes as fibres join and leave the bundle. To help understand its complex structure, this review begins with detailed, comparative descriptions of the multiple connections comprising the cingulum bundle. Next, the impact of cingulum bundle damage in rats, monkeys, and humans is analysed. Despite causing extensive anatomical disconnections, cingulum bundle lesions typically produce only mild deficits, highlighting the importance of parallel pathways and the distributed nature of its various functions. Meanwhile, non-invasive imaging implicates the cingulum bundle in executive control, emotion, pain (dorsal cingulum), and episodic memory (parahippocampal cingulum), while clinical studies reveal cingulum abnormalities in numerous conditions, including schizophrenia, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, autism spectrum disorder, Mild Cognitive Impairment, and Alzheimer's disease. Understanding the seemingly diverse contributions of the cingulum will require better ways of isolating pathways within this highly complex tract.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma J Bubb
- School of Psychology, Cardiff University, 70 Park Place, Cardiff, CF10 3AT, Wales, UK
| | | | - John P Aggleton
- School of Psychology, Cardiff University, 70 Park Place, Cardiff, CF10 3AT, Wales, UK.
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19
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Zhang Z, Huang J, Shen Y, Li R. BACE1-Dependent Neuregulin-1 Signaling: An Implication for Schizophrenia. Front Mol Neurosci 2017; 10:302. [PMID: 28993723 PMCID: PMC5622153 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2017.00302] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2017] [Accepted: 09/07/2017] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Schizophrenia is a chronic psychiatric disorder with a lifetime prevalence of about 1% in the general population. Recent studies have shown that Neuregulin-1 (Nrg1) is a candidate gene for schizophrenia. At least 15 alternative splicing of NRG1 isoforms all contain an extracellular epidermal growth factor (EGF)-like domain, which is sufficient for Nrg1 biological activity including the formation of myelin sheaths and the regulation of synaptic plasticity. It is known that Nrg1 can be cleaved by β-secretase (BACE1) and the resulting N-terminal fragment (Nrg1-ntf) binds to receptor tyrosine kinase ErbB4, which activates Nrg1/ErbB4 signaling. While changes in Nrg1 expression levels in schizophrenia still remain controversial, understanding the BACE1-cleaved Nrg1-ntf and Nrg1/ErbB4 signaling in schizophrenia neuropathogenesis is essential and important. In this review paper, we included three major parts: (1) Nrg1 structure and cleavage pattern by BACE1; (2) BACE1-dependent Nrg1 cleavage associated with schizophrenia in human studies; and (3) Animal studies of Nrg1 and BACE1 mutations with behavioral observations. Our review will provide a better understanding of Nrg1 in schizophrenia and a potential strategy for using BACE1 cleavage of Nrg1 as a unique biomarker for diagnosis, as well as a new therapeutic target, of schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhengrong Zhang
- National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders, Beijing Key Laboratory of Mental Disorders, Beijing Anding Hospital, Capital Medical UniversityBeijing, China
| | - Jing Huang
- National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders, Beijing Key Laboratory of Mental Disorders, Beijing Anding Hospital, Capital Medical UniversityBeijing, China
| | - Yong Shen
- Neurodegenerative Disorder Research Center, School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of ChinaHefei, China.,Center for Therapeutic Strategies for Brain Disorders, Roskamp Institute, SarasotaFL, United States.,Center for Hormone Advanced Science and Education, Roskamp Institute, SarasotaFL, United States
| | - Rena Li
- National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders, Beijing Key Laboratory of Mental Disorders, Beijing Anding Hospital, Capital Medical UniversityBeijing, China.,Center for Therapeutic Strategies for Brain Disorders, Roskamp Institute, SarasotaFL, United States.,Center for Hormone Advanced Science and Education, Roskamp Institute, SarasotaFL, United States.,Beijing Institute for Brain Disorders, Capital Medical UniversityBeijing, China
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20
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White Matter Integrity in Genetic High-Risk Individuals and First-Episode Schizophrenia Patients: Similarities and Disassociations. BIOMED RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2017; 2017:3107845. [PMID: 28401151 PMCID: PMC5376415 DOI: 10.1155/2017/3107845] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2016] [Accepted: 02/16/2017] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
White matter (WM) neuroimaging studies have shown varied findings at different stages of schizophrenia (SZ). Understanding these variations may elucidate distinct markers of genetic vulnerability and conversion to psychosis. To examine the similarities and differences in WM connectivity between those at-risk for and in early stages of SZ, a cross-sectional diffusion tensor imaging study of 48 individuals diagnosed with first-episode SZ (FE-SZ), 37 nonpsychotic individuals at a high genetic risk of SZ (GHR-SZ), and 67 healthy controls (HC) was conducted. Decreased fractional anisotropy (FA) in the corpus callosum (CC), anterior cingulum (AC), and uncinate fasciculus (UF) was observed in both the GHR-SZ and FE-SZ groups, while decreased FAs in the superior longitudinal fasciculus (SLF) and the fornix were only seen in the FE-SZ participants. Additionally, both GHR-SZ and FE-SZ showed worse executive performance than HC. The left SLF III FA was significantly positively correlated with hallucinations, and right SLF II was positively correlated with thought disorder. The presence of shared WM deficits in both FE-SZ and GHR-SZ individuals may reflect the genetic liability to SZ, while the disparate FA changes in the FE-SZ group may represent symptom-generating circuitry that mediates perceptual and cognitive disturbances of SZ and ultimately culminates in the onset of psychotic episodes.
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Diffusion Tensor MR Imaging Evaluation of Callosal Abnormalities in Schizophrenia: A Meta-Analysis. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0161406. [PMID: 27536773 PMCID: PMC4990171 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0161406] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2016] [Accepted: 08/04/2016] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Widespread white matter (WM) abnormalities have been found in patients with schizophrenia. Corpus callosum (CC) is the key area that connects the left and right brain hemispheres. However, the results of studies considering different subregions of the CC as regions of interest in patients with schizophrenia have been inconsistent. To obtain a more consistent evaluation of the diffusion characteristics change of the corpus callosum (CC) related to schizophrenia. A meta-analysis involving fractional anisotropy (FA) values in the CC of 729 schizophrenic subjects and 682 healthy controls from 22 studies was conducted. Overall FA values in the CC of the schizophrenic group were less than that of the healthy control group [weighted mean difference (WMD) = -0.021,P< 0.001]. So were the FA values in the genus region (WMD = -0.019, P< 0.001) and the splenium region (WMD = -0.020, P< 0.001) of the CC respectively. The FA reduction was also significant in subjects with chronic schizophrenia (WMD = -0.032, P< 0.001) and first-episode schizophrenia (WMD = -0.014, P = 0.001). In present study, we demonstrated an overall FA decrease in the CC of schizophrenic patients. In the two subgroup analyses of the genu vs splenium region and chronic vs first-episode schizophrenia, the decrease of all groups was significant. Further studies with more homogenous populations and standardized DTI protocols are needed to confirm and extend these findings.
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Budisavljevic S, Kawadler JM, Dell'Acqua F, Rijsdijk FV, Kane F, Picchioni M, McGuire P, Toulopoulou T, Georgiades A, Kalidindi S, Kravariti E, Murray RM, Murphy DG, Craig MC, Catani M. Heritability of the limbic networks. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2015; 11:746-57. [PMID: 26714573 PMCID: PMC4847695 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsv156] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2015] [Accepted: 12/16/2015] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Individual differences in cognitive ability and social behaviour are influenced by the variability in the structure and function of the limbic system. A strong heritability of the limbic cortex has been previously reported, but little is known about how genetic factors influence specific limbic networks. We used diffusion tensor imaging tractography to investigate heritability of different limbic tracts in 52 monozygotic and 34 dizygotic healthy adult twins. We explored the connections that contribute to the activity of three distinct functional limbic networks, namely the dorsal cingulum (‘medial default-mode network’), the ventral cingulum and the fornix (‘hippocampal-diencephalic-retrosplenial network’) and the uncinate fasciculus (‘temporo-amygdala-orbitofrontal network’). Genetic and environmental variances were mapped for multiple tract-specific measures that reflect different aspects of the underlying anatomy. We report the highest heritability for the uncinate fasciculus, a tract that underpins emotion processing, semantic cognition, and social behaviour. High to moderate genetic and shared environmental effects were found for pathways important for social behaviour and memory, for example, fornix, dorsal and ventral cingulum. These findings indicate that within the limbic system inheritance of specific traits may rely on the anatomy of distinct networks and is higher for fronto-temporal pathways dedicated to complex social behaviour and emotional processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sanja Budisavljevic
- Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Sciences, and Natbrainlab, Centre for Neuroimaging Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London SE5 8AF, UK, NEMo Laboratory, Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, 35131 Padova, Italy,
| | - Jamie M Kawadler
- Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Sciences, and Natbrainlab, Centre for Neuroimaging Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London SE5 8AF, UK
| | - Flavio Dell'Acqua
- Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Sciences, and Natbrainlab, Centre for Neuroimaging Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London SE5 8AF, UK
| | | | | | | | | | - Timothea Toulopoulou
- Department of Psychological Medicine, and Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London SE5 8AF, UK, Department of Psychology, and State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong, and
| | - Anna Georgiades
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London SE5 8AF, UK
| | - Sridevi Kalidindi
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London SE5 8AF, UK
| | - Eugenia Kravariti
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London SE5 8AF, UK
| | - Robin M Murray
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London SE5 8AF, UK
| | | | - Michael C Craig
- Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Sciences, and Natbrainlab, Centre for Neuroimaging Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London SE5 8AF, UK, National Autism Unit, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, Beckenham, UK
| | - Marco Catani
- Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Sciences, and Natbrainlab, Centre for Neuroimaging Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London SE5 8AF, UK
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Mueller BA, Lim KO, Hemmy L, Camchong J. Diffusion MRI and its Role in Neuropsychology. Neuropsychol Rev 2015; 25:250-71. [PMID: 26255305 PMCID: PMC4807614 DOI: 10.1007/s11065-015-9291-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2015] [Accepted: 07/21/2015] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging (dMRI) is a popular method used by neuroscientists to uncover unique information about the structural connections within the brain. dMRI is a non-invasive imaging methodology in which image contrast is based on the diffusion of water molecules in tissue. While applicable to many tissues in the body, this review focuses exclusively on the use of dMRI to examine white matter in the brain. In this review, we begin with a definition of diffusion and how diffusion is measured with MRI. Next we introduce the diffusion tensor model, the predominant model used in dMRI. We then describe acquisition issues related to acquisition parameters and scanner hardware and software. Sources of artifacts are then discussed, followed by a brief review of analysis approaches. We provide an overview of the limitations of the traditional diffusion tensor model, and highlight several more sophisticated non-tensor models that better describe the complex architecture of the brain's white matter. We then touch on reliability and validity issues of diffusion measurements. Finally, we describe examples of ways in which dMRI has been applied to studies of brain disorders and how identified alterations relate to symptomatology and cognition.
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Lei D, Li L, Li L, Suo X, Huang X, Lui S, Li J, Bi F, Kemp GJ, Gong Q. Microstructural abnormalities in children with post-traumatic stress disorder: a diffusion tensor imaging study at 3.0T. Sci Rep 2015; 5:8933. [PMID: 25757374 PMCID: PMC4355726 DOI: 10.1038/srep08933] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2014] [Accepted: 02/02/2015] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a severe anxiety disorder characterized by re-experiencing, avoidance and hyperarousal. Brain microstructure abnormalities in PTSD, especially in children, are not yet well characterized. The aim of this study was to use MR diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) to identify brain microstructure alterations in children with PTSD compared to non-PTSD controls who experienced the same time-limited trauma. We studied 27 children with PTSD and 24 age- and gender-matched traumatized controls without PTSD, who all experienced the 2008 Sichuan major earthquake. DTI data were acquired and analyzed in terms of fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity (MD), radial diffusivity (RD) and axial diffusivity (AD). Children with PTSD showed an abnormal pattern, not only of FA, but also of the diffusivity measures MD, AD and RD. Most of the abnormal brain regions belonged to two important networks: the default-mode network, including precuneus and angular gyrus, and the salience network, including insula, putamen and thalamus. This DTI study identifies microstructural abnormalities of children with PTSD after a major earthquake, our results are consistent with the suggestion that pediatric PTSD is accompanied by a connectivity disequilibrium between the salience and default-mode networks, a finding of potential pathophysiological significance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Du Lei
- Huaxi MR Research Center (HMRRC), Department of Radiology, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, PR China
| | - Lingjiang Li
- Mental Health Institute, The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, PR China
| | - Lei Li
- Huaxi MR Research Center (HMRRC), Department of Radiology, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, PR China
| | - Xueling Suo
- Huaxi MR Research Center (HMRRC), Department of Radiology, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, PR China
| | - Xiaoqi Huang
- Huaxi MR Research Center (HMRRC), Department of Radiology, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, PR China
| | - Su Lui
- Huaxi MR Research Center (HMRRC), Department of Radiology, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, PR China
| | - Jing Li
- Departments of Psychiatry and Oncology, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Feng Bi
- Departments of Psychiatry and Oncology, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Graham J Kemp
- Magnetic Resonance and Image Analysis Research Centre (MARIARC) and Institute of Ageing and Chronic Disease, University of Liverpool, United Kingdom
| | - Qiyong Gong
- 1] Huaxi MR Research Center (HMRRC), Department of Radiology, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, PR China [2] Department of Psychology, School of Public Administration, Sichuan University, Chengdu, PR China
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Hayakawa YK, Kirino E, Shimoji K, Kamagata K, Hori M, Ito K, Kunimatsu A, Abe O, Ohtomo K, Aoki S. Anterior cingulate abnormality as a neural correlate of mismatch negativity in schizophrenia. Neuropsychobiology 2014; 68:197-204. [PMID: 24192500 DOI: 10.1159/000355296] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2012] [Accepted: 08/26/2013] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Limbic circuitry, especially the anterior cingulate gyrus, has been implicated in the pathophysiology and cognitive changes of schizophrenia. Previous diffusion tensor imaging studies have demonstrated that the integrity of the anterior cingulum (AC) is abnormal in schizophrenia. However, the relationship between the abnormal AC tract integrity and the pathophysiology of schizophrenia has not been fully studied. METHODS We performed a voxelwise group comparison of white matter fractional anisotropy (FA) by using tract-based spatial statistics in 9 patients with schizophrenia and 9 matched controls. We then measured FA specifically in the AC by using a tract-specific measurement. The latency and amplitude of the mismatch negativity (MMN) were also evaluated in all subjects. RESULTS In patients with schizophrenia, tract-based spatial statistics showed a reduction in FA in broad white matter areas, including the bilateral AC, compared with controls. Tract-specific measurements confirmed the specific reduction of FA in the region of the bilateral AC. The decreased FA in the AC was correlated with prolonged MMN latency in the patient group. CONCLUSION Our study of AC structure and electrophysiological changes in schizophrenia suggest that the disruption of limbic-cortical structural networks may be part of the neural basis underlying the changes in MMN in schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yayoi K Hayakawa
- Department of Radiology, Graduate School of Medicine, University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Japan
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Ozcelik-Eroglu E, Ertugrul A, Oguz KK, Has AC, Karahan S, Yazici MK. Effect of clozapine on white matter integrity in patients with schizophrenia: a diffusion tensor imaging study. Psychiatry Res 2014; 223:226-35. [PMID: 25012780 DOI: 10.1016/j.pscychresns.2014.06.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2013] [Revised: 02/20/2014] [Accepted: 06/13/2014] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Several diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) studies have reported disturbed white matter integrity in various brain regions in patients with schizophrenia, whereas only a few studied the effect of antipsychotics on DTI measures. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of 12 weeks of clozapine treatment on DTI findings in patients with schizophrenia, and to compare the findings with those in unaffected controls. The study included 16 patients with schizophrenia who were assessed with the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale, a neurocognitive test battery, and DTI at baseline and 12 weeks after the initiation of clozapine treatment. Eight unaffected controls were assessed once with the neurocognitive test battery and DTI. Voxel-wise analysis of DTI data was performed via tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS). Compared with the control group, the patient group exhibited lower fractional anisotropy (FA) in 16 brain regions, including the bilateral superior longitudinal fasciculi, inferior fronto-occipital fasciculi, superior and inferior parietal lobules, cingulate bundles, cerebellum, middle cerebellar peduncles, and left inferior longitudinal fasciculus, whereas the patients had higher FA in six regions, including the right parahippocampus, left anterior thalamic radiation, and right posterior limb of the internal capsule before clozapine treatment. After 12 weeks of treatment with clozapine, white matter FA was increased in widespread brain regions. In two of the regions where FA had initially been lower in patients compared with controls (left inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus and superior parietal lobule), clozapine appeared to increase FA. An improvement in semantic fluency was correlated with the increase in FA value in the left inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus. An increase in FA following 12 weeks of treatment with clozapine suggests that this treatment alters white matter microstructural integrity in patients with schizophrenia previously treated with typical and/or atypical antipsychotics and, in some locations, reverses a previous deficit.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elcin Ozcelik-Eroglu
- Department of Psychiatry, Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Aygun Ertugrul
- Department of Psychiatry, Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey.
| | - Kader Karli Oguz
- Department of Radiology, Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey; National Magnetic Resonance Research Center, Bilkent University, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Arzu Ceylan Has
- National Magnetic Resonance Research Center, Bilkent University, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Sevilay Karahan
- Department of Biostatistics, Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Mumin Kazim Yazici
- Department of Psychiatry, Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey
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Spellman TJ, Gordon JA. Synchrony in schizophrenia: a window into circuit-level pathophysiology. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2014; 30:17-23. [PMID: 25215626 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2014.08.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2014] [Accepted: 08/22/2014] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
As a complex neuropsychiatric disease with both hereditary and environmental components, schizophrenia must be understood across multiple biological scales, from genes through cells and circuits to behaviors. The key to evaluating candidate explanatory models, therefore, is to establish causal links between disease-related phenomena observed across these scales. To this end, there has been a resurgence of interest in the circuit-level pathophysiology of schizophrenia, which has the potential to link molecular and cellular data from risk factor and post-mortem studies with the behavioral phenomena that plague patients. The demonstration that patients with schizophrenia frequently have deficits in neuronal synchrony, including deficits in local oscillations and long-range functional connectivity, offers a promising opportunity to forge such links across scales.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy J Spellman
- Department of Physiology, Columbia University, College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY 10032, United States
| | - Joshua A Gordon
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY 10032, United States; Division of Integrative Neuroscience, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY 10032, United States.
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Wheeler AL, Voineskos AN. A review of structural neuroimaging in schizophrenia: from connectivity to connectomics. Front Hum Neurosci 2014; 8:653. [PMID: 25202257 PMCID: PMC4142355 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2014.00653] [Citation(s) in RCA: 165] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2014] [Accepted: 08/05/2014] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
In patients with schizophrenia neuroimaging studies have revealed global differences with some brain regions showing focal abnormalities. Examining neurocircuitry, diffusion-weighted imaging studies have identified altered structural integrity of white matter in frontal and temporal brain regions and tracts such as the cingulum bundles, uncinate fasciculi, internal capsules and corpus callosum associated with the illness. Furthermore, structural co-variance analyses have revealed altered structural relationships among regional morphology in the thalamus, frontal, temporal and parietal cortices in schizophrenia patients. The distributed nature of these abnormalities in schizophrenia suggests that multiple brain circuits are impaired, a neural feature that may be better addressed with network level analyses. However, even with the advent of these newer analyses, a large amount of variability in findings remains, likely partially due to the considerable heterogeneity present in this disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne L Wheeler
- Kimel Family Translational Imaging Genetics Laboratory, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Research Imaging Centre Toronto, ON, Canada ; Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Aristotle N Voineskos
- Kimel Family Translational Imaging Genetics Laboratory, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Research Imaging Centre Toronto, ON, Canada ; Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto Toronto, ON, Canada
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29
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Holleran L, Ahmed M, Anderson-Schmidt H, McFarland J, Emsell L, Leemans A, Scanlon C, Dockery P, McCarthy P, Barker GJ, McDonald C, Cannon DM. Altered interhemispheric and temporal lobe white matter microstructural organization in severe chronic schizophrenia. Neuropsychopharmacology 2014; 39:944-54. [PMID: 24150571 PMCID: PMC3924528 DOI: 10.1038/npp.2013.294] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2013] [Revised: 09/11/2013] [Accepted: 09/14/2013] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Diffusion MRI investigations in schizophrenia provide evidence of abnormal white matter (WM) microstructural organization as indicated by reduced fractional anisotropy (FA) primarily in interhemispheric, left frontal and temporal WM. Using tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS), we examined diffusion parameters in a sample of patients with severe chronic schizophrenia. Diffusion MRI data were acquired on 19 patients with chronic severe schizophrenia and 19 age- and gender-matched healthy controls using a 64 gradient direction sequence, (b=1300 s/mm(2)) collected on a Siemens 1.5T MRI scanner. Diagnosis of schizophrenia was determined by Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders 4th Edition (DSM-IV) Structured Clinical Interview for DSM disorder (SCID). Patients were treatment resistance, having failed to respond to at least two antipsychotic medications, and had prolonged periods of moderate to severe positive or negative symptoms. Analysis of diffusion parameters was carried out using TBSS. Individuals with chronic severe schizophrenia had significantly reduced FA with corresponding increased radial diffusivity in the genu, body, and splenium of the corpus callosum, the right posterior limb of the internal capsule, right external capsule, and the right temporal inferior longitudinal fasciculus. There were no voxels of significantly increased FA in patients compared with controls. A decrease in splenium FA was shown to be related to a longer illness duration. We detected widespread abnormal diffusivity properties in the callosal and temporal lobe WM regions in individuals with severe chronic schizophrenia who have not previously been exposed to clozapine. These deficits can be driven by a number of factors that are indistinguishable using in vivo diffusion-weighted imaging, but may be related to reduced axonal number or packing density, abnormal glial cell arrangement or function, and reduced myelin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laurena Holleran
- Clinical Neuroimaging Laboratory, Department of Anatomy, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Clinical Science Institute, National University of Ireland Galway, Galway, Ireland,Clinical Neuroimaging Laboratory, Department of Anatomy, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Clinical Science Institute, National University of Ireland Galway, Galway, Ireland, Tel: +087 92 13388, Fax: +353 (0)91 494520, E-mail:
| | - Mohamed Ahmed
- Clinical Neuroimaging Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, National University of Ireland Galway, Galway, Ireland
| | - Heike Anderson-Schmidt
- Clinical Neuroimaging Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, National University of Ireland Galway, Galway, Ireland,Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Centre Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany
| | - John McFarland
- Clinical Neuroimaging Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, National University of Ireland Galway, Galway, Ireland
| | - Louise Emsell
- Clinical Neuroimaging Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, National University of Ireland Galway, Galway, Ireland,Department of Radiology, University Hospital of KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Alexander Leemans
- Image Sciences Institute, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Cathy Scanlon
- Clinical Neuroimaging Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, National University of Ireland Galway, Galway, Ireland
| | - Peter Dockery
- Clinical Neuroimaging Laboratory, Department of Anatomy, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Clinical Science Institute, National University of Ireland Galway, Galway, Ireland
| | - Peter McCarthy
- Clinical Neuroimaging Laboratory, Department of Radiology, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, National University of Ireland Galway, Galway, Ireland
| | - Gareth J Barker
- King's College London, Centre for Neuroimaging Sciences, Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry, London, UK
| | - Colm McDonald
- Clinical Neuroimaging Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, National University of Ireland Galway, Galway, Ireland
| | - Dara M Cannon
- Clinical Neuroimaging Laboratory, Department of Anatomy, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Clinical Science Institute, National University of Ireland Galway, Galway, Ireland
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Höistad M, Heinsen H, Wicinski B, Schmitz C, Hof PR. Stereological assessment of the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex in schizophrenia: absence of changes in neuronal and glial densities. Neuropathol Appl Neurobiol 2013; 39:348-61. [PMID: 22860626 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2990.2012.01296.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
AIMS The prefrontal and anterior cingulate cortices are implicated in schizophrenia, and many studies have assessed volume, cortical thickness, and neuronal densities or numbers in these regions. Available data, however, are rather conflicting and no clear cortical alteration pattern has been established. Changes in oligodendrocytes and white matter have been observed in schizophrenia, introducing a hypothesis about a myelin deficit as a key event in disease development. METHODS We investigated the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) in 13 men with schizophrenia and 13 age- and gender-matched controls. We assessed stereologically the dACC volume, neuronal and glial densities, total neurone and glial numbers, and glia/neurone index (GNI) in both layers II-III and V-VI. RESULTS We observed no differences in neuronal or glial densities. No changes were observed in dACC cortical volume, total neurone numbers, and total glial numbers in schizophrenia. This contrasts with previous findings and suggests that the dACC may not undergo as severe changes in schizophrenia as is generally believed. However, we observed higher glial densities in layers V-VI than in layers II-III in both controls and patients with schizophrenia, pointing to possible layer-specific effects on oligodendrocyte distribution during development. CONCLUSIONS Using rigorous stereological methods, we demonstrate a seemingly normal cortical organization in an important neocortical area for schizophrenia, emphasizing the importance of such morphometric approaches in quantitative neuropathology. We discuss the significance of subregion- and layer-specific alterations in the development of schizophrenia, and the discrepancies between post mortem histopathological studies and in vivo brain imaging findings in patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Höistad
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA
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31
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Yao L, Lui S, Liao Y, Du MY, Hu N, Thomas JA, Gong QY. White matter deficits in first episode schizophrenia: an activation likelihood estimation meta-analysis. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2013; 45:100-6. [PMID: 23648972 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2013.04.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 102] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2013] [Revised: 04/26/2013] [Accepted: 04/26/2013] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) has been widely used in psychiatric research and has provided evidence of white matter abnormalities in first episode schizophrenia (FES). The goal of the present meta-analysis was to identify white matter deficits by DTI in FES. METHODS A systematic search was conducted to collect DTI studies with voxel-wised analysis of the fractional anisotropy (FA) in FES. The coordinates of regions with FA changes were meta-analyzed using the activation likelihood estimation (ALE) method which weighs each study on the basis of its sample size. RESULTS A total of 8 primary studies were selected, including 271 FES patients and 297 healthy controls. Among these studies, 52 regions showed reductions in the FA in FES while 2 regions had increased FA. Consistent FA reductions in the white matter of the right deep frontal and left deep temporal lobes were identified in all FES patients relative to healthy controls. Fiber tracking showed that the main tracts involved were the cingulum bundle, the left inferior longitudinal fasciculus, the left inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus and the interhemispheric fibers running through the corpus callosum. CONCLUSIONS The current findings provide evidence confirming the lack of connection in the fronto-limbic circuitry at the early stages of the schizophrenia. Because the coordinates reported in the primary literature were highly variable, future investigations with large samples would be required to support the identified white matter changes in FES.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li Yao
- Huaxi MR Research Center, Department of Radiology, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, PR China
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32
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Leech R, Sharp DJ. The role of the posterior cingulate cortex in cognition and disease. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2013; 137:12-32. [PMID: 23869106 DOI: 10.1093/brain/awt162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1444] [Impact Index Per Article: 131.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
The posterior cingulate cortex is a highly connected and metabolically active brain region. Recent studies suggest it has an important cognitive role, although there is no consensus about what this is. The region is typically discussed as having a unitary function because of a common pattern of relative deactivation observed during attentionally demanding tasks. One influential hypothesis is that the posterior cingulate cortex has a central role in supporting internally-directed cognition. It is a key node in the default mode network and shows increased activity when individuals retrieve autobiographical memories or plan for the future, as well as during unconstrained 'rest' when activity in the brain is 'free-wheeling'. However, other evidence suggests that the region is highly heterogeneous and may play a direct role in regulating the focus of attention. In addition, its activity varies with arousal state and its interactions with other brain networks may be important for conscious awareness. Understanding posterior cingulate cortex function is likely to be of clinical importance. It is well protected against ischaemic stroke, and so there is relatively little neuropsychological data about the consequences of focal lesions. However, in other conditions abnormalities in the region are clearly linked to disease. For example, amyloid deposition and reduced metabolism is seen early in Alzheimer's disease. Functional neuroimaging studies show abnormalities in a range of neurological and psychiatric disorders including Alzheimer's disease, schizophrenia, autism, depression and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, as well as ageing. Our own work has consistently shown abnormal posterior cingulate cortex function following traumatic brain injury, which predicts attentional impairments. Here we review the anatomy and physiology of the region and how it is affected in a range of clinical conditions, before discussing its proposed functions. We synthesize key findings into a novel model of the region's function (the 'Arousal, Balance and Breadth of Attention' model). Dorsal and ventral subcomponents are functionally separated and differences in regional activity are explained by considering: (i) arousal state; (ii) whether attention is focused internally or externally; and (iii) the breadth of attentional focus. The predictions of the model can be tested within the framework of complex dynamic systems theory, and we propose that the dorsal posterior cingulate cortex influences attentional focus by 'tuning' whole-brain metastability and so adjusts how stable brain network activity is over time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert Leech
- The Computational, Cognitive and Clinical Neuroimaging Laboratory, Division of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London, W12 0NN, UK
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Manoach DS, Agam Y. Neural markers of errors as endophenotypes in neuropsychiatric disorders. Front Hum Neurosci 2013; 7:350. [PMID: 23882201 PMCID: PMC3714549 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2013.00350] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2013] [Accepted: 06/18/2013] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Learning from errors is fundamental to adaptive human behavior. It requires detecting errors, evaluating what went wrong, and adjusting behavior accordingly. These dynamic adjustments are at the heart of behavioral flexibility and accumulating evidence suggests that deficient error processing contributes to maladaptively rigid and repetitive behavior in a range of neuropsychiatric disorders. Neuroimaging and electrophysiological studies reveal highly reliable neural markers of error processing. In this review, we evaluate the evidence that abnormalities in these neural markers can serve as sensitive endophenotypes of neuropsychiatric disorders. We describe the behavioral and neural hallmarks of error processing, their mediation by common genetic polymorphisms, and impairments in schizophrenia, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and autism spectrum disorders. We conclude that neural markers of errors meet several important criteria as endophenotypes including heritability, established neuroanatomical and neurochemical substrates, association with neuropsychiatric disorders, presence in syndromally-unaffected family members, and evidence of genetic mediation. Understanding the mechanisms of error processing deficits in neuropsychiatric disorders may provide novel neural and behavioral targets for treatment and sensitive surrogate markers of treatment response. Treating error processing deficits may improve functional outcome since error signals provide crucial information for flexible adaptation to changing environments. Given the dearth of effective interventions for cognitive deficits in neuropsychiatric disorders, this represents a potentially promising approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dara S Manoach
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School Boston, MA, USA ; Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging Charlestown, MA, USA
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Filippi M, Canu E, Gasparotti R, Agosta F, Valsecchi P, Lodoli G, Galluzzo A, Comi G, Sacchetti E. Patterns of brain structural changes in first-contact, antipsychotic drug-naive patients with schizophrenia. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol 2013; 35:30-7. [PMID: 23744689 DOI: 10.3174/ajnr.a3583] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Previous studies have suggested that structural changes do occur in the brain of patients with schizophrenia compared with healthy control participants. However, findings from such studies are inconclusive, probably because of the different methodologic approaches, the clinical heterogeneity of patient samples, and also the fact that patients enrolled were treated with antipsychotic drugs. The aim of this study was to investigate brain GM volumes and intrinsic structural WM changes in first-contact, antipsychotic drug-naïve patients with schizophrenia. MATERIALS AND METHODS A total of 43 first-contact, drug-naïve, patients with schizophrenia and 17 age-matched control participants were studied. All participants underwent T1-weighted MR imaging and DTI scans. Voxel-based morphometry and tract-based spatial statistics were used to compare GM volumes and WM DTI metrics between groups. MR imaging measures were correlated with the duration of the untreated psychosis and the clinical positive and negative symptoms. RESULTS Compared with control participants, patients with schizophrenia showed smaller volumes of the temporal, parietal, and occipital GM, and a pattern of decreased mean diffusivity and increased fractional anisotropy in the brain stem and cerebellum bilaterally, interhemispheric and cortico-cortical connections bilaterally, and right anterior and posterior limb of the internal capsule. In patients, decreased mean diffusivity and increased fractional anisotropy in several brain regions were related to a longer duration of the untreated psychosis and the severity of positive symptoms. CONCLUSIONS First-contact, drug-naïve, patients with schizophrenia present with volumetric and DTI changes, which correlated with their clinical features. This study increases our knowledge on the neural networks involved in the pathophysiologic mechanisms of schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Filippi
- Neuroimaging Research Unit Institute of Experimental Neurology, Division of Neuroscience
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Emsell L, Leemans A, Langan C, Van Hecke W, Barker GJ, McCarthy P, Jeurissen B, Sijbers J, Sunaert S, Cannon DM, McDonald C. Limbic and callosal white matter changes in euthymic bipolar I disorder: an advanced diffusion magnetic resonance imaging tractography study. Biol Psychiatry 2013; 73:194-201. [PMID: 23158457 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2012.09.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 103] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2012] [Revised: 09/21/2012] [Accepted: 09/21/2012] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND White matter microstructural changes detected using diffusion tensor imaging have been reported in bipolar disorder. However, findings are heterogeneous, which may be related to the use of analysis techniques that cannot adequately model crossing fibers in the brain. We therefore sought to identify altered diffusion anisotropy and diffusivity changes using an improved high angular resolution fiber-tracking technique. METHODS Diffusion magnetic resonance imaging data was obtained from 35 prospectively confirmed euthymic bipolar disorder type 1 patients (age 22-59) and 43 control subjects (age 22-59) drawn from a sample of 120 age- and gender-matched demographically similar case-control pairs. Tractography using a constrained spherical deconvolution approach to account for crossing fibers was implemented. Changes in fractional anisotropy, mean diffusivity, axial diffusivity, and radial diffusivity between patient and control groups in subdivisions of the corpus callosum, cingulum, and fornix were measured as indicators of trait differences in white matter microstructural organization in bipolar disorder. RESULTS Patients had significantly reduced fractional anisotropy and increased mean diffusivity and radial diffusivity in all divisions of the corpus callosum, left fornix, and subgenual cingulum compared with control subjects. Axial diffusivity was increased in the fornix bilaterally and right dorsal-anterior cingulum. CONCLUSIONS By using an improved fiber-tracking method in a clinically homogeneous population, we were able to localize trait diffusivity changes to specific subdivisions of limbic fiber pathways, including the fornix. Our findings extend previous reports of altered limbic system microstructural disorganization as a trait feature of bipolar disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Louise Emsell
- Department of Radiology, University Hospital of the KU Leuven, Radiology/MIRC, UZ Herestraat 49, Box 7003, Leuven 3000, Belgium.
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Functional and anatomical connectivity abnormalities in cognitive division of anterior cingulate cortex in schizophrenia. PLoS One 2012; 7:e45659. [PMID: 23049832 PMCID: PMC3458074 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0045659] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2012] [Accepted: 08/21/2012] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Current pathophysiological theories of schizophrenia highlight the role of altered brain functional and anatomical connectivity. The cognitive division of anterior cingulate cortex (ACC-cd) is a commonly reported abnormal brain region in schizophrenia for its importance in cognitive control process. The aim of this study was to investigate the functional and anatomical connectivity of ACC-cd and its cognitive and clinical manifestation significance in schizophrenia by using the resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and the diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). Methods Thirty-three medicated schizophrenics and 30 well-matched health controls were recruited. Region-of-interest (ROI)-based resting-state functional connectivity analysis and Tract-Based Spatial Statistics (TBSS) were performed on 30 patients and 30 controls, and 24 patients and 29 controls, respectively. The Pearson correlation was performed between the imaging measures and the Stroop performance and scores of the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), respectively. Results Patients with schizophrenia showed significantly abnormal in the functional connectivity and its hemispheric asymmetry of the ACC-cd with multiple brain areas, e.g., decreased positive connectivity with the bilateral putamen and caudate, increased negative connectivity with the left posterior cingulated cortex (PCC), increased asymmetry of connectivity strength with the contralateral inferior frontal gyrus (IFG). The FA of the right anterior cingulum was significantly decreased in patients group (p = 0.014). The abnormal functional and structural connectivity of ACC-cd were correlated with Stroop performance and the severity of the symptoms in patients. Conclusions Our results suggested that the abnormal connectivity of the ACC-cd might play a role in the cognitive impairment and clinical symptoms in schizophrenia.
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Lemkaddem A, Daducci A, Vulliemoz S, O'Brien K, Lazeyras F, Hauf M, Wiest R, Meuli R, Seeck M, Krueger G, Thiran JP. A multi-center study: intra-scan and inter-scan variability of diffusion spectrum imaging. Neuroimage 2012; 62:87-94. [PMID: 22569062 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2012.04.045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2012] [Revised: 04/18/2012] [Accepted: 04/23/2012] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
The objective of this study was to investigate whether it is possible to pool together diffusion spectrum imaging data from four different scanners, located at three different sites. Two of the scanners had identical configuration whereas two did not. To measure the variability, we extracted three scalar maps (ADC, FA and GFA) from the DSI and utilized a region and a tract-based analysis. Additionally, a phantom study was performed to rule out some potential factors arising from the scanner performance in case some systematic bias occurred in the subject study. This work was split into three experiments: intra-scanner reproducibility, reproducibility with twin-scanner settings and reproducibility with other configurations. Overall for the intra-scanner and twin-scanner experiments, the region-based analysis coefficient of variation (CV) was in a range of 1%-4.2% and below 3% for almost every bundle for the tract-based analysis. The uncinate fasciculus showed the worst reproducibility, especially for FA and GFA values (CV 3.7-6%). For the GFA and FA maps, an ICC value of 0.7 and above is observed in almost all the regions/tracts. Looking at the last experiment, it was found that there is a very high similarity of the outcomes from the two scanners with identical setting. However, this was not the case for the two other imagers. Given the fact that the overall variation in our study is low for the imagers with identical settings, our findings support the feasibility of cross-site pooling of DSI data from identical scanners.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Lemkaddem
- Ecole Polythechnique Fédéral de Lausanne, Signal Processing Laboratories (LTS5), Lausanne, Switzerland.
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Kim SN, Park JS, Jang JH, Jung WH, Shim G, Park HY, Hwang JY, Choi CH, Kang DH, Lee JM, Kwon JS. Increased white matter integrity in the corpus callosum in subjects with high genetic loading for schizophrenia. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2012; 37:50-5. [PMID: 22155177 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2011.11.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2011] [Revised: 11/24/2011] [Accepted: 11/28/2011] [Indexed: 10/14/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE White matter abnormalities in the corpus callosum (CC) of schizophrenia have been reported to predate the illness onset. This study aimed to investigate the effect of genetic predisposition on the white matter integrity of the CC, in subjects at genetically high risk for schizophrenia (GHR) and schizophrenia patients. METHOD Fractional anisotropy (FA) of the mid-sagittal CC in 22 young GHR, 15 schizophrenia, and 26 control subjects were examined. GHR subjects were defined as non-prodromal individuals who had more than two relatives with schizophrenia within third-degree relatives, one of whom must be a first-degree relative. RESULTS ANCOVA with age and gender as covariates revealed overall difference of FA in the genu and splenium among the three groups. Post-hoc analysis found significantly increased FA in the genu of GHR subjects compared to controls (corrected p<0.01), whereas schizophrenia patients showed significantly decreased FA in the splenium. CONCLUSION The white matter change of the CC in young GHR subjects was the opposite of that in schizophrenia. To consider previous reports on FA decrease in the CC in schizophrenia and the impaired frontal functioning in GHR group, the increased FA may be an indicator of compensatory alteration in white matter integrity in young GHR people.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sung Nyun Kim
- Department of Psychiatry, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
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Baumann PS, Cammoun L, Conus P, Do KQ, Marquet P, Meskaldji D, Meuli R, Thiran JP, Hagmann P. High b-value diffusion-weighted imaging: a sensitive method to reveal white matter differences in schizophrenia. Psychiatry Res 2012; 201:144-51. [PMID: 22386971 DOI: 10.1016/j.pscychresns.2011.08.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2010] [Revised: 08/07/2011] [Accepted: 08/08/2011] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Over the last 10 years, diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) has become an important tool to investigate white matter (WM) anomalies in schizophrenia. Despite technological improvement and the exponential use of this technique, discrepancies remain and little is known about optimal parameters to apply for diffusion weighting during image acquisition. Specifically, high b-value diffusion-weighted imaging known to be more sensitive to slow diffusion is not widely used, even though subtle myelin alterations as thought to happen in schizophrenia are likely to affect slow-diffusing protons. Schizophrenia patients and healthy controls were scanned with a high b-value (4000 s/mm(2)) protocol. Apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) measures turned out to be very sensitive in detecting differences between schizophrenia patients and healthy volunteers even in a relatively small sample. We speculate that this is related to the sensitivity of high b-value imaging to the slow-diffusing compartment believed to reflect mainly the intra-axonal and myelin bound water pool. We also compared these results to a low b-value imaging experiment performed on the same population in the same scanning session. Even though the acquisition protocols are not strictly comparable, we noticed important differences in sensitivities in the favor of high b-value imaging, warranting further exploration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philipp Sebastian Baumann
- Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital Center and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.
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Kunimatsu N, Aoki S, Kunimatsu A, Abe O, Yamada H, Masutani Y, Kasai K, Yamasue H, Ohtomo K. Tract-specific analysis of white matter integrity disruption in schizophrenia. Psychiatry Res 2012; 201:136-43. [PMID: 22398298 DOI: 10.1016/j.pscychresns.2011.07.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2010] [Revised: 06/04/2011] [Accepted: 07/11/2011] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Several studies have suggested that white matter integrity is disrupted in some brain regions in patients with schizophrenia. The purpose of this study was to assess the white matter integrity of the cingulum, uncinate fasciculus, fornix, and corpus callosum using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). Participants comprised 39 patients with schizophrenia (19 males and 20 females) and 40 age-matched normal controls (20 males and 20 females). We quantitatively assessed the fractional anisotropy (FA) and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) of the anterior cingulum, body of the cingulum, uncinate fasciculus, fornix, and corpus callosum on a tract-specific basis using diffusion tensor tractography (DTT). Group differences in FA and ADC between the patients and normal controls were sought. Additional exploratory analyses of the relationship between the FA or ADC and four clinical parameters (i.e., illness duration, positive symptom scores, negative symptom scores, and medication dosage) were performed. Results were analyzed in gender-combined and gender-separated group comparisons. FA was significantly lower on both sides of the anterior cingulum, uncinate fasciculus, and fornix in the schizophrenia patients irrespective of gender group separation. In the gender-combined analyses, significantly higher ADC values were demonstrated in the schizophrenia patients in both sides of the anterior cingulum, body of the cingulum and uncinate fasciculus, the left fornix, and the corpus callosum, compared with those of the normal controls. In the gender-separated analyses, the male patients showed higher ADC in the left anterior cingulum, the bilateral cingulum bodies, and the bilateral uncinate fasciculi. The female patients showed higher ADC in the right anterior cingulum, the left fornix, and the bilateral uncinate fasciculus. In correlation analyses, a significant negative correlation was found between illness duration and ADC in the right anterior cingulum in the gender-combined analyses. The gender-separated analyses found that the male patients had a significant negative correlation between negative symptom scores and FA in the right fornix, a positive correlation between illness duration and FA in the right anterior cingulum, and a negative correlation between illness duration and FA in the left uncinate fasciculus. Our DTI study showed that the integrity of white matter is disrupted in patients with schizophrenia. The results of our sub-analyses suggest that changes in FA and ADC may be related to negative symptom scores or illness duration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natsuko Kunimatsu
- Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Toranomon Hospital, 2-2-2 Toranomon, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan.
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Brambilla P, Como G, Isola M, Taboga F, Zuliani R, Goljevscek S, Ragogna M, Brondani G, Baiano M, Perini L, Ferro A, Bazzocchi M, Zuiani C, Balestrieri M. White-matter abnormalities in the right posterior hemisphere in generalized anxiety disorder: a diffusion imaging study. Psychol Med 2012; 42:427-434. [PMID: 21781374 DOI: 10.1017/s0033291711001255] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Prior imaging studies have shown structural, functional and biochemical impairments in patients with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), particularly in the right hemisphere. In this study we investigated, for the first time to the best of our knowledge, the white-matter microstructure organization in GAD. METHOD A total of 12 patients with DSM-IV GAD and 15 matched healthy controls underwent a magnetic resonance imaging session of diffusion weighted imaging, exploring white-matter water molecules by the means of apparent diffusion coefficients (ADCs). Regions of interests were placed in the frontal, parietal, temporal and occipital lobes and in the splenium and genu of the corpus callosum, bilaterally. RESULTS ADC measures were significantly greater in patients with GAD in the right splenium and right parietal cortex compared with healthy controls (p⩽0.002). No significant correlations between ADCs and age or clinical variables were found. CONCLUSIONS We provide evidence that GAD is associated with disrupted white-matter coherence of posterior right hemisphere regions, which may partly sustain the impaired cognitive regulation of anxiety. Future diffusion imaging investigations are expected to better elucidate the communication between the parietal cortex and other right hemisphere regions in sustaining the cognitive processing of social and emotional stimuli in patients with GAD.
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Affiliation(s)
- P Brambilla
- Department of Experimental Clinical Medical Sciences, Inter-University Centre for Behavioural Neurosciences, University of Udine, Udine, Italy
| | - G Como
- Department of Medical and Biological Sciences, University of Udine, Udine, Italy
| | - M Isola
- Department of Medical and Biological Sciences, University of Udine, Udine, Italy
| | - F Taboga
- Department of Experimental Clinical Medical Sciences, Inter-University Centre for Behavioural Neurosciences, University of Udine, Udine, Italy
| | - R Zuliani
- Department of Experimental Clinical Medical Sciences, Inter-University Centre for Behavioural Neurosciences, University of Udine, Udine, Italy
| | - S Goljevscek
- Department of Experimental Clinical Medical Sciences, Inter-University Centre for Behavioural Neurosciences, University of Udine, Udine, Italy
| | - M Ragogna
- Department of Experimental Clinical Medical Sciences, Inter-University Centre for Behavioural Neurosciences, University of Udine, Udine, Italy
| | - G Brondani
- Department of Medical and Biological Sciences, University of Udine, Udine, Italy
| | - M Baiano
- Centre for Weight and Eating Disorders, Portogruaro, Venice, Italy
| | - L Perini
- Department of Experimental Clinical Medical Sciences, Inter-University Centre for Behavioural Neurosciences, University of Udine, Udine, Italy
| | - A Ferro
- Department of Public Health and Community Medicine, Section of Psychiatry and Clinical Psychology, Inter-University Centre for Behavioural Neurosciences, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - M Bazzocchi
- Department of Medical and Biological Sciences, University of Udine, Udine, Italy
| | - C Zuiani
- Department of Medical and Biological Sciences, University of Udine, Udine, Italy
| | - M Balestrieri
- Department of Experimental Clinical Medical Sciences, Inter-University Centre for Behavioural Neurosciences, University of Udine, Udine, Italy
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Abstract
Individuals with schizotypal personality disorder (SPD) share genetic, phenomenologic, and cognitive abnormalities with people diagnosed with schizophrenia. To date, 15 structural MRI studies of the brain have examined size, and 3 diffusion tensor imaging studies have examined white matter connectivity in SPD. Overall, both types of structural neuroimaging modalities have shown temporal lobe abnormalities similar to those observed in schizophrenia, while frontal lobe regions appear to show more sparing. This intriguing pattern suggests that frontal lobe sparing may suppress psychosis, which is consistent with the idea of a possible neuroprotective factor. In this paper, we review these 18 studies and discuss whether individuals with SPD who both resemble and differ from schizophrenia patients in their phenomenology, share some or all of the structural brain imaging characteristics of schizophrenia. We attempt to group the MRI abnormalities in SPD into three patterns: 1) a spectrum of severity-abnormalities are similar to those observed in schizophrenia but not so severe; 2) a spectrum of region-abnormalities affecting some, but not all, brain regions affected in schizophrenia; and 3) a spectrum of compensation-abnormalities reflecting greater-than-normal white matter volume, possibly serving as a buffer or compensatory mechanism protecting the individual with SPD from the frank psychosis observed in schizophrenia.
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Shad MU, Brent BK, Keshavan MS. Neurobiology of self-awareness deficits in schizophrenia: A hypothetical model. Asian J Psychiatr 2011; 4:248-54. [PMID: 23051156 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajp.2011.09.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2011] [Accepted: 09/28/2011] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Self-awareness (SA) is a cognitive ability to differentiate between self and non-self cues and is pivotal to understand the behavior of other human beings. For this reason, there has been a significant interest to investigate the neurobiology of SA in human subjects. So far the majority of such research has been conducted in healthy subjects but a significant relationship between impaired SA and poor psychosocial outcome in schizophrenia has stimulated neuroimaging research in this patient population. The results from small number of neuroimaging studies in schizophrenia suggest that impaired SA may be mediated by a dysfunction of cortical midline structures. This paper is an attempt to review emerging functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data in schizophrenia and to propose a hypothetical model of deficits in SA in schizophrenia that can be tested in future research. The model is refined from the available literature and proposes that self-referential activity appears to reflect a shift from activation of anterior to posterior cortical midline structures in schizophrenia subjects, which may be related to lack of functional connectivity between different cortical midline regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mujeeb U Shad
- The University of Texas Health Science Center, 1421 East Road BBSB # 3118, Houston, TX 77054, United States
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van den Heuvel MP, Sporns O. Rich-club organization of the human connectome. J Neurosci 2011; 31:15775-86. [PMID: 22049421 PMCID: PMC6623027 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.3539-11.2011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1498] [Impact Index Per Article: 115.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2011] [Revised: 08/15/2011] [Accepted: 09/05/2011] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The human brain is a complex network of interlinked regions. Recent studies have demonstrated the existence of a number of highly connected and highly central neocortical hub regions, regions that play a key role in global information integration between different parts of the network. The potential functional importance of these "brain hubs" is underscored by recent studies showing that disturbances of their structural and functional connectivity profile are linked to neuropathology. This study aims to map out both the subcortical and neocortical hubs of the brain and examine their mutual relationship, particularly their structural linkages. Here, we demonstrate that brain hubs form a so-called "rich club," characterized by a tendency for high-degree nodes to be more densely connected among themselves than nodes of a lower degree, providing important information on the higher-level topology of the brain network. Whole-brain structural networks of 21 subjects were reconstructed using diffusion tensor imaging data. Examining the connectivity profile of these networks revealed a group of 12 strongly interconnected bihemispheric hub regions, comprising the precuneus, superior frontal and superior parietal cortex, as well as the subcortical hippocampus, putamen, and thalamus. Importantly, these hub regions were found to be more densely interconnected than would be expected based solely on their degree, together forming a rich club. We discuss the potential functional implications of the rich-club organization of the human connectome, particularly in light of its role in information integration and in conferring robustness to its structural core.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martijn P van den Heuvel
- Department of Psychiatry, University Medical Center Utrecht, Rudolf Magnus Institute of Neuroscience, 3508 GA Utrecht, The Netherlands.
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Walterfang M, Velakoulis D, Whitford TJ, Pantelis C. Understanding aberrant white matter development in schizophrenia: an avenue for therapy? Expert Rev Neurother 2011; 11:971-87. [PMID: 21721915 DOI: 10.1586/ern.11.76] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Although historically gray matter changes have been the focus of neuropathological and neuroradiological studies in schizophrenia, in recent years an increasing body of research has implicated white matter structures and its constituent components (axons, their myelin sheaths and supporting oligodendrocytes). This article summarizes this body of literature, examining neuropathological, neurogenetic and neuroradiological evidence for white matter pathology in schizophrenia. We then look at the possible role that antipsychotic medication may play in these studies, examining both its role as a potential confounder in studies examining neuronal density and brain volume, but also the possible role that these medications may play in promoting myelination through their effects on oligodendrocytes. Finally, the role of potential novel therapies is discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark Walterfang
- Neuropsychiatry Unit, Royal Melbourne Hospital, Melbourne, Australia.
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Melonakos E, Shenton M, Rathi Y, Terry D, Bouix S, Kubicki M. Voxel-based morphometry (VBM) studies in schizophrenia-can white matter changes be reliably detected with VBM? Psychiatry Res 2011; 193:65-70. [PMID: 21684124 PMCID: PMC3382976 DOI: 10.1016/j.pscychresns.2011.01.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2010] [Revised: 01/14/2011] [Accepted: 01/14/2011] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Voxel-based morphometry (VBM) is a hypothesis-free, whole-brain, voxel-by-voxel analytic method that attempts to compare imaging data between populations. Schizophrenia studies have utilized this method to localize differences in diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) derived fractional anisotropy (FA), a measure of white matter integrity, between patients and healthy controls. The number of publications has grown, although it is unclear how reliable and reproducible this method is, given the subtle white matter abnormalities expected in schizophrenia. Here we analyze and combine results from 23 studies published to date that use VBM to study schizophrenia in order to evaluate the reproducibility of this method in DTI analysis. Coordinates of each region reported in DTI VBM studies published thus far in schizophrenia were plotted onto a Montreal Neurological Institute atlas, and their anatomical locations were recorded. Results indicated that the reductions of FA in patients with schizophrenia were scattered across the brain. Moreover, even the most consistently reported regions were reported independently in less than 35% of the articles studied. Other instances of reduced FA were replicated at an even lower rate. Our findings demonstrate striking inconsistency, with none of the regions reported in much more than a third of the published articles. This poor replication rate suggests that the application of VBM to DTI data may not be the optimal way for finding the subtle microstructural abnormalities suggested in schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric Melonakos
- Psychiatry Neuroimaging Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Martha Shenton
- Psychiatry Neuroimaging Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA,Department of Psychiatry, VA Boston Healthcare System, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Yogesh Rathi
- Psychiatry Neuroimaging Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Doug Terry
- Psychiatry Neuroimaging Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Sylvain Bouix
- Psychiatry Neuroimaging Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Marek Kubicki
- Psychiatry Neuroimaging Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA,Department of Psychiatry, VA Boston Healthcare System, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA,Corresponding author’s address: Psychiatry Neuroimaging Laboratory, 1249 Boylston St., Boston, MA 02215, Tel.: 617 525-6105, fax: 617 525-6150
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Wang Q, Deng W, Huang C, Li M, Ma X, Wang Y, Jiang L, Lui S, Huang X, Chua SE, Cheung C, McAlonan GM, Sham PC, Murray RM, Collier DA, Gong Q, Li T. Abnormalities in connectivity of white-matter tracts in patients with familial and non-familial schizophrenia. Psychol Med 2011; 41:1691-1700. [PMID: 21205362 DOI: 10.1017/s0033291710002412] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Abnormalities in the connectivity of white-matter (WM) tracts in schizophrenia are supported by evidence from post-mortem investigations, functional and structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). The aims of this study were to explore the microstructural changes in first-episode schizophrenia in a Han Chinese population and to investigate whether a family history of psychiatric disorder is related to the severity of WM tract integrity abnormalities in these patients. METHOD T1-weighted MR and DT images were collected in 68 patients with first-episode schizophrenia [22 with a positive family history (PFH) and 46 with a negative family history (NFH)] and 100 healthy controls. Voxel-based analysis was performed and WM integrity was quantified by fractional anisotropy (FA). Cluster- and voxel-level analyses were performed by using two-sample t tests between patients and controls and/or using a full factorial model with one factor and three levels among the three sample groups (patients with PFH or NFH, and controls), as appropriate. RESULTS FA deficits were observed in the patient group, especially in the left temporal lobe and right corpus callosum. This effect was more severe in the non-familial schizophrenia than in the familial schizophrenia subgroup. CONCLUSIONS Overall, these findings support the hypothesis that loss of WM integrity may be an important pathophysiological feature of schizophrenia, with particular implications for brain dysmaturation in non-familial and familial schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Q Wang
- Psychiatric Laboratory and Department of Psychiatry, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
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Choi H, Kubicki M, Whitford TJ, Alvarado JL, Terry DP, Niznikiewicz M, McCarley RW, Kwon JS, Shenton ME. Diffusion tensor imaging of anterior commissural fibers in patients with schizophrenia. Schizophr Res 2011; 130:78-85. [PMID: 21561738 PMCID: PMC3745276 DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2011.04.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2010] [Revised: 04/11/2011] [Accepted: 04/14/2011] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Alterations in white matter connections in schizophrenia have been investigated using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). There is also evidence from post-mortem studies as well as from magnetic resonance imaging morphometry studies that the anterior commissure (AC) might be implicated in schizophrenia, but no studies, to date, have investigated the AC using DTI or tractography. METHOD DTI scans were analyzed from 25 patients and 23 controls. Mean fractional anisotropy (FA) and trace were measured from the AC tracts. SANS and SAPS were used to evaluate clinical symptoms, and the Iowa Gambling Task, related to decision making, was also examined. RESULTS Results revealed a significant decrease in mean FA and a significant increase in mean trace of AC tracts in patients compared with controls. In addition, patients, but not controls, showed a negative correlation between age and AC integrity. Statistically significant positive correlations were also found between AC FA and total positive symptom score. Decision making was negatively correlated with FA in patients on the Iowa Gambling Task, but not in controls. CONCLUSION This study provides quantitative evidence for a reduction of interhemispheric connectivity in schizophrenia within the AC. Negative correlation between age and AC FA in the patients is consistent with the idea that schizophrenia may be a disorder of white matter maturation. Positive correlation between FA and positive symptom is discussed in the context of white matter's established role in modulating neural conduction velocity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongyoon Choi
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychiatry Neuroimaging Laboratory, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, USA
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Cheung V, Chiu CPY, Law CW, Cheung C, Hui CLM, Chan KKS, Sham PC, Deng MY, Tai KS, Khong PL, McAlonan GM, Chua SE, Chen E. Positive symptoms and white matter microstructure in never-medicated first episode schizophrenia. Psychol Med 2011; 41:1709-1719. [PMID: 20809999 DOI: 10.1017/s003329171000156x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND We investigated cerebral structural connectivity and its relationship to symptoms in never-medicated individuals with first-onset schizophrenia using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). METHOD We recruited subjects with first episode DSM-IV schizophrenia who had never been exposed to antipsychotic medication (n=34) and age-matched healthy volunteers (n=32). All subjects received DTI and structural magnetic resonance imaging scans. Patients' symptoms were assessed on the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale. Voxel-based analysis was performed to investigate brain regions where fractional anisotropy (FA) values significantly correlated with symptom scores. RESULTS In patients with first-episode schizophrenia, positive symptoms correlated positively with FA scores in white matter associated with the right frontal lobe, left anterior cingulate gyrus, left superior temporal gyrus, right middle temporal gyrus, right middle cingulate gyrus, and left cuneus. Importantly, FA in each of these regions was lower in patients than controls, but patients with more positive symptoms had FA values closer to controls. We found no significant correlations between FA and negative symptoms. CONCLUSIONS The newly-diagnosed, neuroleptic-naive patients had lower FA scores in the brain compared with controls. There was positive correlation between FA scores and positive symptoms scores in frontotemporal tracts, including left fronto-occipital fasciculus and left inferior longitudinal fasciculus. This implies that white matter dysintegrity is already present in the pre-treatment phase and that FA is likely to decrease after clinical treatment or symptom remission.
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Affiliation(s)
- V Cheung
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, SAR China
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Fusar-Poli P, Crossley N, Woolley J, Carletti F, Perez-Iglesias R, Broome M, Johns L, Tabraham P, Bramon E, McGuire P. White matter alterations related to P300 abnormalities in individuals at high risk for psychosis: an MRI-EEG study. J Psychiatry Neurosci 2011; 36:239-48. [PMID: 21299920 PMCID: PMC3120892 DOI: 10.1503/jpn.100083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/01/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Psychosis onset is characterized by white matter and electrophysiologic abnormalities. The relation between these factors in the development of illness is almost unknown. We studied the relation between white matter volumes and P300 in prodromal psychosis. METHODS We assessed white matter volume (detected using magnetic resonance imaging) and electrophysiologic response during an oddball task (P300) in healthy controls and individuals at high clinical risk for psychosis (with an "at-risk mental state" [ARMS]). RESULTS We included 41 controls and 39 patients with an ARMS in our study. A psychotic disorder developed in 26% of the ARMS group within the follow-up period of 2 years. The P300 amplitude was significantly lower in the ARMS group than in the control group. The ARMS group showed reduced volume of white matter underlying the left superior temporal gyrus and the left superior frontal gyrus and increased volume of white matter underlying the right insula and the right angular gyrus compared with controls. Relative to individuals who did not later become psychotic, the subgroup in whom psychosis subsequently developed had a smaller volume of white matter underlying the left precuneus and the right middle temporal gyrus and increased volume in the white matter underlying the right middle frontal gyrus. We observed a significant interaction in the right middle frontal gyrus: white matter volume was negatively associated with P300 amplitude in the ARMS group and positively associated with P300 amplitude in the control group. LIMITATIONS The voxel-based morphometry method alone cannot determine whether abnormal white matter volumes are due to an altered number of axonal connections or decreased myelination. CONCLUSION P300 abnormalities precede the onset of psychosis and are directly related to white matter alterations, representing a correlate of an increased vulnerability to disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paolo Fusar-Poli
- Psychosis Clinical Academic Group, Institute of Psychiatry, King's Health Partners, King's College London, London, UK.
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