Alahmadi Adnan, Al-Ghamdi Jamaan, Tayeb Haythum O
Radiologic Sciences Department, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, 21589, Saudi Arabia.
Radiologic Sciences Department, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Transl Neurosci. 2024 Dec 11;15(1):20220356. doi: 10.1515/tnsci-2022-0356. eCollection 2024 Jan 1.
Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) stands as a pivotal tool in advancing our comprehension of Schizophrenia, offering insights into functional segregations and integrations. Previous investigations employing either task-based or resting-state fMRI primarily focused on large main regions of interest (ROI), revealing the thalamus and superior temporal gyrus (STG) as prominently affected areas. Recent studies, however, unveiled the cytoarchitectural intricacies within these regions, prompting a more nuanced exploration. In this study, resting-state fMRI was conducted on 72 schizophrenic patients and 74 healthy controls to discern whether distinct thalamic nuclei and STG sub-regions exhibit varied functional integrational connectivity to main networks and to identify the most affected sub-regions in Schizophrenia. Employing seed-based analysis, six sub-ROIs - four in the thalamus and two in the STG - were selected. Our findings unveiled heightened positive functional connectivity in Schizophrenic patients, particularly toward the anterior STG (aSTG) and posterior STG (pSTG). Notably, positive connectivity emerged between the medial division of mediodorsal thalamic nuclei (MDm) and the visual network, while increased functional connectivity linked the ventral lateral nucleus of the thalamus with aSTG. This accentuated functional connectivity potentially influences these sub-regions, contributing to dysfunctions and manifesting symptoms such as language and learning difficulties alongside hallucinations. This study underscores the importance of delineating sub-regional dynamics to enhance our understanding of the nuanced neural alterations in Schizophrenia, paving the way for more targeted interventions and therapeutic approaches.
功能磁共振成像（fMRI）是增进我们对精神分裂症理解的关键工具，能为功能分离和整合提供见解。以往使用基于任务或静息态fMRI的研究主要聚焦于大的主要感兴趣区域（ROI），揭示丘脑和颞上回（STG）是受影响显著的区域。然而，近期研究揭示了这些区域内细胞结构的复杂性，促使进行更细致入微的探索。在本研究中，对72名精神分裂症患者和74名健康对照者进行了静息态fMRI，以辨别不同的丘脑核团和STG子区域与主要网络之间是否表现出不同的功能整合连接，并确定精神分裂症中受影响最严重的子区域。采用基于种子点的分析方法，选择了六个子ROI——四个在丘脑中，两个在STG中。我们的研究结果揭示了精神分裂症患者中增强的正性功能连接，特别是朝向STG前部（aSTG）和STG后部（pSTG）。值得注意的是，背内侧丘脑核内侧部（MDm）与视觉网络之间出现了正性连接，而丘脑腹外侧核与aSTG之间的功能连接增加。这种增强的功能连接可能影响这些子区域，导致功能障碍，并表现出如语言和学习困难以及幻觉等症状。本研究强调了描绘子区域动态变化对于增强我们对精神分裂症细微神经改变理解的重要性，为更有针对性的干预和治疗方法铺平了道路。
