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. 2016 May 18:6:26124.
doi: 10.1038/srep26124.

Patients with first-episode, drug-naive schizophrenia and subjects at ultra-high risk of psychosis shared increased cerebellar-default mode network connectivity at rest

Houliang Wang  1 , Wenbin Guo  1 , Feng Liu  2 , Guodong Wang  1 , Hailong Lyu  1 , Renrong Wu  1 , Jindong Chen  1 , Shuai Wang  1 , Lehua Li  1 , Jingping Zhao  1
Affiliations

Patients with first-episode, drug-naive schizophrenia and subjects at ultra-high risk of psychosis shared increased cerebellar-default mode network connectivity at rest

Houliang Wang et al. Sci Rep. .

Abstract

Increased cerebellar-default mode network (DMN) connectivity has been observed in first-episode, drug-naive patients with schizophrenia. However, it remains unclear whether increased cerebellar-DMN connectivity starts earlier than disease onset. Thirty-four ultra-high risk (UHR) subjects, 31 first-episode, drug-naive patients with schizophrenia and 37 healthy controls were enrolled for a resting-state scan. The imaging data were analyzed using the seed-based functional connectivity (FC) method. Compared with the controls, UHR subjects and patients with schizophrenia shared increased connectivity between the right Crus I and bilateral posterior cingulate cortex/precuneus and between Lobule IX and the left superior medial prefrontal cortex. There are positive correlations between the right Crus I-bilateral precuneus connectivity and clinical variables (Structured Interview for Prodromal Syndromes/Positive and Negative Symptom Scale negative symptoms/total scores) in the UHR subjects. Increased cerebellar-DMN connectivity shared by the UHR subjects and the patients not only highlights the importance of the DMN in the pathophysiology of psychosis but also may be a trait alteration for psychosis.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Abnormal cerebellar - DMN connectivity between groups.
Red and blue denote increased and decrease FC values. Color bar indicates post-hoc t values. DMN = default mode network, MPFC = medial prefrontal cortex; PCC = posterior cingulate cortex; AG = angular gyrus; ACC = anterior cingulate cortex.
Figure 2
Figure 2. Significantly positive correlations between the mean FC values of the right Crus I - bilateral precuneus connectivity and SIPS/PANSS negative symptoms/total scores in the UHR subjects.
SIPS = structured interview for prodromal syndromes; PANSS = Positive and Negative Symptom Scale, FC = functional connectivity, UHR = ultra-high risk.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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