M158. ASSOCIATIONS OF NEUROLOGICAL SOFT SIGNS AND CEREBELLAR-CEREBRAL FUNCTIONAL CONNECTIVITY IN PATIENTS WITH FIRST-EPISODE SCHIZOPHRENIA AND THEIR UNAFFECTED SIBLINGS

Abstract Background Neurological softs signs (NSS) are defined as subtle neurological abnormalities with manifestations of motor coordination, sensory integration and disinhibition. Evidence has suggested NSS as one of the most promising endophenotypes for schizophrenia spectrum disorders. Moreover, accumulating evidence also suggest that NSS may be associated with specific functional connectivity. The present study aimed to examine the cerebellar-cerebral resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) of NSS in patients with first-episode schizophrenia (FES) and their unaffected siblings (SB). Methods We administered the abridge version of the Cambridge Neurological Inventory (CNI) to 51 FES patients, 20 unaffected SB, and 50 healthy controls (HC) to assess the severity of NSS. All the participants also underwent a resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan. Ten regions of interest (ROIs) in the cerebellum were selected to represent cerebellar motor network (MN) and cerebellar executive control network (EN), which corresponded to the “sensorimotor-cognitive” dichotomy of NSS. rsFC between each ROI and the whole brain voxels were constructed, and the linear regression analysis was conducted to examine the cerebellar-cerebral rsFC patterns of NSS in each group. Results Regarding the cerebellar MN, there were positive correlations observed between the rsFC of the cerebellar MN with the default mode network (DMN) and NSS in FES patients group (CNI total score and the motor coordination subscale) and the SB group (CNI total score and the motor coordination and sensory integration subscales). The rsFC of the cerebellar MN and the sensorimotor network were significantly and positively correlated with NSS (CNI total score and the motor coordination and sensory integration subscales) in the SB group. Regarding the cerebellar EN, we found that both the FES and the SB groups exhibited significantly negative correlations between NSS (CNI total score and the motor coordination subscale) and the rsFC of the cerebellar EN with the DMN. Moreover, the rsFC between the cerebellar EN and the sensorimotor network was positively correlated with NSS (CNI total score and the motor coordination and disinhibition subscales) in the SB group. Discussion We found inverse correlations between NSS and the rsFC of the cerebellar EN/MN and the DMN in both FES patients and their unaffected SB, suggesting that altered cerebellar-cerebral rsFC between these networks is correlated with the NSS. Moreover, the SB group exhibited a unique correlational pattern that NSS were correlated with the cerebellar-sensorimotor network rsFC, suggesting that such a network connectivity may serve as a potential biomarker for schizophrenia.

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Altered amygdala-based functional connectivity in individuals with attenuated psychosis syndrome and first-episode schizophrenia

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-020-74771-w ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Woo-Sung Kim ◽

Guangfan Shen ◽

Congcong Liu ◽

Nam-In Kang ◽

Keon-Hak Lee ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Functional Connectivity ◽

Resting State ◽

Negative Relationship ◽

First Episode ◽

Frontal Pole ◽

Resting State Functional Connectivity ◽

Significant Group ◽

Attenuated Psychosis Syndrome ◽

The Right ◽

First Episode Schizophrenia

Abstract Altered resting-state functional connectivity (FC) of the amygdala (AMY) has been demonstrated to be implicated in schizophrenia (SZ) and attenuated psychosis syndrome (APS). Specifically, no prior work has investigated FC in individuals with APS using subregions of the AMY as seed regions of interest. The present study examined AMY subregion-based FC in individuals with APS and first-episode schizophrenia (FES) and healthy controls (HCs). The resting state FC maps of the three AMY subregions were computed and compared across the three groups. Correlation analysis was also performed to examine the relationship between the Z-values of regions showing significant group differences and symptom rating scores. Individuals with APS showed hyperconnectivity between the right centromedial AMY (CMA) and left frontal pole cortex (FPC) and between the laterobasal AMY and brain stem and right inferior lateral occipital cortex compared to HCs. Patients with FES showed hyperconnectivity between the right superficial AMY and left occipital pole cortex and between the left CMA and left thalamus compared to the APS and HCs respectively. A negative relationship was observed between the connectivity strength of the CMA with the FPC and negative-others score of the Brief Core Schema Scales in the APS group. We observed different altered FC with subregions of the AMY in individuals with APS and FES compared to HCs. These results shed light on the pathogenetic mechanisms underpinning the development of APS and SZ.

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Aberrant Resting-State Functional Connectivity of the Globus Pallidus Subregions in First-Episode Schizophrenia

Biological Psychiatry ◽

10.1016/j.biopsych.2021.02.803 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 89 (9) ◽

pp. S322

Author(s):

Wei Qi ◽

Zhenfu Wen ◽

Jingyun Chen ◽

Jijun Wang ◽

Mohammed Milad ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Functional Connectivity ◽

Globus Pallidus ◽

Resting State ◽

First Episode ◽

Resting State Functional Connectivity ◽

First Episode Schizophrenia

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Fatigue in multiple sclerosis: The contribution of resting-state functional connectivity reorganization

Multiple Sclerosis Journal ◽

10.1177/1352458517730932 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 24 (13) ◽

pp. 1696-1705 ◽

Cited By ~ 23

Author(s):

Alvino Bisecco ◽

Federica Di Nardo ◽

Renato Docimo ◽

Giuseppina Caiazzo ◽

Alessandro d’Ambrosio ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Multiple Sclerosis ◽

Regression Analysis ◽

Functional Connectivity ◽

Motor Cortex ◽

Resting State ◽

Primary Motor Cortex ◽

Linear Regression Analysis ◽

Posterior Cingulate Cortex ◽

Resting State Functional Connectivity ◽

Sensorimotor Network

Objectives: To investigate resting-state functional connectivity (RS-FC) of the default-mode network (DMN) and of sensorimotor network (SMN) network in relapsing remitting (RR) multiple sclerosis (MS) patients with fatigue (F) and without fatigue(NF). Methods: In all, 59 RRMS patients and 29 healthy controls (HC) underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) protocol including resting-state fMRI (RS-fMRI). Functional connectivity of the DMN and SMN was evaluated by independent component analysis (ICA). A linear regression analysis was performed to explore whether fatigue was mainly driven by changes observed in the DMN or in the SMN. Regional gray matter atrophy was assessed by voxel-based morphometry (VBM). Results: Compared to HC, F-MS patients showed a stronger RS-FC in the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) and a reduced RS-FC in the anterior cingulated cortex (ACC) of the DMN. F-MS patients, compared to NF-MS patients, revealed (1) an increased RS-FC in the PCC and a reduced RS-FC in the ACC of the DMN and (2) an increased RS-FC in the primary motor cortex and in the supplementary motor cortex of the SMN. The regression analysis suggested that fatigue is mainly driven by RS-FC changes of the DMN. Conclusions: Fatigue in RRMS is mainly associated to a functional rearrangement of non-motor RS networks.

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