Department of Psychiatry, University of Minnesota, 717 Delaware Street SE, Suite 516, Minneapolis, MN 55414, USA.
Schizophr Bull. 2011 May;37(3):640-50. doi: 10.1093/schbul/sbp131. Epub 2009 Nov 17.
Schizophrenia is characterized by a lack of integration between thought, emotion, and behavior. A disruption in the connectivity between brain processes may underlie this schism. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) were used to evaluate functional and anatomical brain connectivity in schizophrenia.
In all, 29 chronic schizophrenia patients (11 females, age: mean=41.3, SD=9.28) and 29 controls (11 females, age: mean=41.1, SD=10.6) were recruited. Schizophrenia patients were assessed for severity of negative and positive symptoms and general cognitive abilities of attention/concentration and memory. Participants underwent a resting-fMRI scan and a DTI scan. For fMRI data, a hybrid independent components analysis was used to extract the group default mode network (DMN) and accompanying time-courses. Voxel-wise whole-brain multiple regressions with corresponding DMN time-courses was conducted for each subject. A t-test was conducted on resulting DMN correlation maps to look between-group differences. For DTI data, voxel-wise statistical analysis of the fractional anisotropy data was carried out to look for between-group differences. Voxel-wise correlations were conducted to investigate the relationship between brain connectivity and behavioral measures.
Results revealed altered functional and anatomical connectivity in medial frontal and anterior cingulate gyri of schizophrenia patients. In addition, frontal connectivity in schizophrenia patients was positively associated with symptoms as well as with general cognitive ability measures.
The present study shows convergent fMRI and DTI findings that are consistent with the disconnection hypothesis in schizophrenia, particularly in medial frontal regions, while adding some insight of the relationship between brain disconnectivity and behavior.
精神分裂症的特征是思维、情感和行为之间缺乏整合。大脑过程之间的连接中断可能是这种分裂的基础。功能磁共振成像（fMRI）和弥散张量成像（DTI）用于评估精神分裂症的功能和解剖连接。
共招募了 29 名慢性精神分裂症患者（11 名女性，年龄：平均=41.3，SD=9.28）和 29 名对照（11 名女性，年龄：平均=41.1，SD=10.6）。对精神分裂症患者的阴性和阳性症状严重程度以及注意力/集中和记忆等一般认知能力进行评估。参与者接受了静息态 fMRI 扫描和 DTI 扫描。对于 fMRI 数据，使用混合独立成分分析提取组默认模式网络（DMN）及其伴随的时程。对每个受试者进行全脑多回归的体素水平分析，以及相应的 DMN 时程。对 DMN 相关图进行 t 检验，以寻找组间差异。对于 DTI 数据，对各向异性分数数据进行体素水平统计分析，以寻找组间差异。进行体素水平相关性分析，以探讨脑连接与行为测量之间的关系。
结果显示，精神分裂症患者的内侧额部和前扣带回的功能和解剖连接发生改变。此外，精神分裂症患者的额叶连接与症状以及一般认知能力测量呈正相关。
本研究显示了功能磁共振成像和 DTI 的一致性发现，这些发现与精神分裂症的连接中断假说一致，特别是在额内侧区域，同时还提供了一些关于脑连接中断与行为之间关系的见解。
