Ćurčić-Blake Branislava, Nanetti Luca, van der Meer Lisette, Cerliani Leonardo, Renken Remco, Pijnenborg Gerdina H M, Aleman André
Department of Neuroscience, Neuroimaging Center (NIC), University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, A. Deusinglaan 2, 9713AW, Groningen, The Netherlands,
Brain Struct Funct. 2015 Jan;220(1):407-18. doi: 10.1007/s00429-013-0663-y. Epub 2013 Nov 2.
Auditory verbal hallucinations (AVH) in schizophrenia have previously been associated with functional deficiencies in language networks, specifically with functional disconnectivity in fronto-temporal connections in the left hemisphere and in interhemispheric connections between frontal regions. Here, we investigate whether AVH are accompanied by white matter abnormalities in tracts connecting the frontal, parietal and temporal lobes, also engaged during language tasks. We combined diffusion tensor imaging with tract-based spatial statistics and found white matter abnormalities in patients with schizophrenia as compared with healthy controls. The patients showed reduced fractional anisotropy bilaterally: in the anterior thalamic radiation (ATR), body of the corpus callosum (forceps minor), cingulum, temporal part of the superior longitudinal fasciculus (SLF) and a small area in the inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus (IFOF); and in the right hemisphere: in the visual cortex, forceps major, body of the corpus callosum (posterior parts) and inferior parietal cortex. Compared to patients without current hallucinations, patients with hallucinations revealed decreased fractional anisotropy in the left IFOF, uncinate fasciculus, arcuate fasciculus with SLF, corpus callosum (posterior parts-forceps major), cingulate, corticospinal tract and ATR. The severity of hallucinations correlated negatively with white matter integrity in tracts connecting the left frontal lobe with temporal regions (uncinate fasciculus, IFOF, cingulum, arcuate fasciculus anterior and long part and superior long fasciculus frontal part) and in interhemispheric connections (anterior corona radiata). These findings support the hypothesis that hallucinations in schizophrenia are accompanied by a complex pattern of white matter alterations that negatively affect the language, emotion and attention/perception networks.
精神分裂症中的听幻觉（AVH）此前一直与语言网络的功能缺陷有关，特别是与左半球额颞连接以及额叶区域之间的半球间连接的功能断开有关。在这里，我们研究听幻觉是否伴随着连接额叶、顶叶和颞叶的白质异常，这些区域在语言任务中也会被激活。我们将扩散张量成像与基于束的空间统计相结合，发现与健康对照相比，精神分裂症患者存在白质异常。患者双侧各向异性分数降低：在前丘脑辐射（ATR）、胼胝体体部（小钳）、扣带、上纵束颞部（SLF）以及额枕下束（IFOF）的一个小区域；在右半球：在视觉皮层、大钳、胼胝体体部（后部）和顶下小叶。与目前没有幻觉的患者相比，有幻觉的患者在左侧IFOF、钩束、与SLF相连的弓状束、胼胝体（后部 - 大钳）、扣带、皮质脊髓束和ATR中各向异性分数降低。幻觉的严重程度与连接左额叶与颞叶区域的白质完整性（钩束、IFOF、扣带、弓状束前部和长部以及上纵束额叶部分）以及半球间连接（前放射冠）呈负相关。这些发现支持了这样一种假设，即精神分裂症中的幻觉伴随着白质改变的复杂模式，这些改变会对语言、情感和注意力/感知网络产生负面影响。
