Schinz David, Neubauer Antonia, Hippen Rebecca, Schulz Julia, Li Hongwei Bran, Thalhammer Melissa, Schmitz-Koep Benita, Menegaux Aurore, Wendt Jil, Ayyildiz Sevilay, Brandl Felix, Priller Josef, Uder Michael, Zimmer Claus, Hedderich Dennis M, Sorg Christian
Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Neuroradiology, School of Medicine, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany; Technische Universität München Neuroimaging Center, School of Medicine, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany; Institute of Radiology, University Hospital Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen, Nürnberg, Germany.
Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Neuroradiology, School of Medicine, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany; Technische Universität München Neuroimaging Center, School of Medicine, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany; Center for Neuropathology and Prion Research, University Hospital Munich, Ludwig Maximilians University of Munich, Munich, Germany.
Biol Psychiatry Cogn Neurosci Neuroimaging. 2025 Jun;10(6):637-645. doi: 10.1016/j.bpsc.2024.11.013. Epub 2024 Nov 26.
While the last decade of extensive research revealed the prominent role of the claustrum for mammalian forebrain organization (i.e., widely distributed claustral-cortical circuits coordinate basic cognitive functions such as attention), it is poorly understood whether the claustrum is relevant for schizophrenia and related cognitive symptoms. We hypothesized that claustrum volumes are lower in schizophrenia and also that potentially lower volumes mediate patients' attention deficits.
Based on T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging, advanced automated claustrum segmentation, and attention symbol coding task in 90 patients with schizophrenia and 96 healthy control participants from 2 independent sites, the COBRE open-source database and Munich dataset, we compared total intracranial volume-normalized claustrum volumes and symbol coding task scores across groups via analysis of covariance and related variables via correlation and mediation analysis.
Patients had lower claustrum volumes of about 13% (p < .001, Hedges' g = 0.63), which not only correlated with (r = 0.24, p = .014) but also mediated lower symbol coding task scores (indirect effect ab = -1.30 ± 0.69; 95% CI, -3.73 to -1.04). Results were not confounded by age, sex, global and claustrum-adjacent gray matter changes, scanner site, smoking, and medication.
Results demonstrate lower claustrum volumes that mediate patients' attention deficits in schizophrenia. Data indicate the claustrum as being relevant for schizophrenia pathophysiology and cognitive functioning.
尽管过去十年的广泛研究揭示了屏状核在哺乳动物前脑组织中的重要作用（即广泛分布的屏状核 - 皮质回路协调诸如注意力等基本认知功能），但对于屏状核是否与精神分裂症及相关认知症状有关却知之甚少。我们假设精神分裂症患者的屏状核体积较小，并且潜在的较小体积介导了患者的注意力缺陷。
基于来自两个独立站点（COBRE开源数据库和慕尼黑数据集）的90例精神分裂症患者和96名健康对照参与者的T1加权磁共振成像、先进的自动屏状核分割以及注意力符号编码任务，我们通过协方差分析比较了各组经总颅内体积标准化的屏状核体积和符号编码任务得分，并通过相关性和中介分析比较了相关变量。
患者的屏状核体积约低13%（p <.001，Hedges' g = 0.63），这不仅与符号编码任务得分相关（r = 0.24，p =.014），而且介导了较低的符号编码任务得分（间接效应ab = -1.30 ± 0.69；95% CI，-3.73至-1.04）。结果不受年龄、性别、整体及与屏状核相邻的灰质变化、扫描站点、吸烟和药物治疗的影响。
结果表明精神分裂症患者的屏状核体积较小，且介导了患者的注意力缺陷。数据表明屏状核与精神分裂症的病理生理学和认知功能有关。
