Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Jena University Hospital, Jahnstr. 3, Jena, Germany.
Cortex. 2013 Mar;49(3):722-9. doi: 10.1016/j.cortex.2012.02.001. Epub 2012 Feb 9.
Both impaired white matter connectivity and alterations in gray matter morphometry have repeatedly been reported in schizophrenia. Neurodevelopmental models propose a close linkage between gray matter alterations and white matter deficits. However, there are no studies investigating alterations in cortical thickness in relation to white matter connectivity changes.
This combined diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) - surface based morphometry study examined a potential linkage between disruption in white matter connectivity and alterations in cortical thickness. Cortical thickness was analyzed using the FreeSurfer software package (version 4.0.5, http://surfer.nmr.harvard.edu) in a sample of 19 patients with schizophrenia and 20 healthy controls.
Whole brain node-by-node correlational analysis revealed a highly significant association ( r= -.8, p < .0001) between disturbed white matter connectivity in the superior temporal cortex and diminished cortical thickness in the posterior part of the cingulate cortex (Brodmann area 23/31).
This result indicates a significant linkage between disturbed white matter connectivity and reduced cortical thickness in a relevant node of the default mode network that is held to be of high pathophysiological relevance in schizophrenia. The result moreover provides support for the assumption of a neurodevelopmental pathogenesis of the disorder.
精神分裂症患者的脑白质连接完整性受损和灰质形态学改变已被反复报道。神经发育模型提出灰质改变与白质缺陷之间存在密切联系。然而，目前还没有研究调查皮质厚度改变与白质连接变化之间的关系。
本联合弥散张量成像（DTI）-基于表面形态计量学的研究旨在探究白质连接中断与皮质厚度改变之间的潜在联系。使用 FreeSurfer 软件包（版本 4.0.5，http://surfer.nmr.harvard.edu）分析了 19 名精神分裂症患者和 20 名健康对照者的皮质厚度。
全脑节点对节点相关性分析显示，颞上叶白质连接紊乱与扣带回后部（Brodmann 区 23/31）皮质厚度减少之间存在高度显著的关联（r= -.8，p <.0001）。
该结果表明，在默认模式网络的一个相关节点中，白质连接紊乱与皮质厚度减少之间存在显著联系，该节点被认为与精神分裂症的高病理生理学相关性有关。此外，该结果为该疾病的神经发育发病机制假设提供了支持。
