1
|
Fang J, Cai R, Hu Y, Wang Y, Ling Y, Lv Y, Fang X, Zhang X, Zhou C. Aberrant brain functional connectivity mediates the effects of negative symptoms on cognitive function in schizophrenia: A structural equation model. J Psychiatr Res 2024; 177:109-117. [PMID: 39004002 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2024.07.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2024] [Revised: 07/01/2024] [Accepted: 07/03/2024] [Indexed: 07/16/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Schizophrenia is a severe psychiatric disorder, characterized by positive symptoms, negative symptoms, and cognitive deficits. Elucidating the mechanism of negative symptom and cognitive deficits could contribute to the treatment and prognosis of schizophrenia. We hypothesized that abnormal functional connectivity would be involved in the indirect effects of negative symptoms on cognitive function. METHODS A total of 150 schizophrenia male patients and 108 healthy controls matched for age, education and gender were enrolled in the study. The scores of Brief Negative Symptom Scale were divided into two factors: motivation and pleasure deficits (MAP) and diminished expression (EXP). Subsequently, a series of classic neurocognitive tests were used to evaluate cognitive functions. Resting-state fMRI data was collected from all participants. The Anatomical Automatic Labeling template was employed to establish regions of interest, thereby constructing the functional connectivity network across the entire brain. Eventually, scores of patients' negative symptoms scale, cognitive function, and strengths of abnormal functional connectivity were incorporated into a structural equation model to explore the interactions among variables. RESULTS MAP exhibited a distinctly and significantly negative impact on cognitive function. The functional connectivity between the left insula and left precuneus, along with that between the left precuneus and right angular gyrus, collectively served as intermediaries, contributing to the indirect effects of MAP and EXP on cognitive function. CONCLUSIONS Our findings demonstrated the moderating role of aberrant brain functional connectivity between negative symptoms and cognitive function, providing clues about the neural correlates of negative symptoms and cognitive deficits in schizophrenia.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jin Fang
- Department of Geriatric Psychiatry, The Affiliated Brain Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210029, China
| | - Renliang Cai
- Department of Geriatric Psychiatry, The Affiliated Brain Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210029, China
| | - Yunshan Hu
- Department of Geriatric Psychiatry, The Affiliated Brain Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210029, China
| | - Yu Wang
- Department of Geriatric Psychiatry, The Affiliated Brain Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210029, China
| | - Yuru Ling
- Department of Geriatric Psychiatry, The Affiliated Brain Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210029, China
| | - Yiding Lv
- Department of Geriatric Psychiatry, The Affiliated Brain Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210029, China
| | - Xinyu Fang
- Department of Geriatric Psychiatry, The Affiliated Brain Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210029, China
| | - Xiangrong Zhang
- Department of Geriatric Psychiatry, The Affiliated Brain Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210029, China.
| | - Chao Zhou
- Department of Geriatric Psychiatry, The Affiliated Brain Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210029, China.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Barendse MEA, Lara GA, Guyer AE, Swartz JR, Taylor SL, Shirtcliff EA, Lamb ST, Miller C, Ng J, Yu G, Tully LM. Sex and pubertal influences on the neurodevelopmental underpinnings of schizophrenia: A case for longitudinal research on adolescents. Schizophr Res 2023; 252:231-241. [PMID: 36682313 PMCID: PMC10725041 DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2022.12.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2022] [Revised: 11/08/2022] [Accepted: 12/10/2022] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Sex is a significant source of heterogeneity in schizophrenia, with more negative symptoms in males and more affective symptoms and internalizing comorbidity in females. In this narrative review, we argue that there are likely sex differences in the pathophysiological mechanisms of schizophrenia-spectrum disorders (SZ) that originate during puberty and relate to the sex-specific impacts of pubertal maturation on brain development. Pubertal maturation might also trigger underlying (genetic or other) vulnerabilities in at-risk individuals, influencing brain development trajectories that contribute to the emergence of SZ. This review is the first to integrate links between pubertal development and neural development with cognitive neuroscience research in SZ to form and evaluate these hypotheses, with a focus on the frontal-striatal and frontal-limbic networks and their hypothesized contribution to negative and mood symptoms respectively. To test these hypotheses, longitudinal research with human adolescents is needed that examines the role of sex and pubertal development using large cohorts or high risk samples. We provide recommendations for such studies, which will integrate the fields of psychiatry, developmental cognitive neuroscience, and developmental endocrinology towards a more nuanced understanding of the role of pubertal factors in the hypothesized sex-specific pathophysiological mechanisms of schizophrenia.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- M E A Barendse
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, UC Davis, CA, USA
| | - G A Lara
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, UC Davis, CA, USA
| | - A E Guyer
- Department of Human Ecology, UC Davis, CA, USA; Center for Mind and Brain, UC Davis, CA, USA
| | - J R Swartz
- Center for Mind and Brain, UC Davis, CA, USA
| | - S L Taylor
- Division of Biostatistics, Department of Public Health Sciences, UC Davis, CA, USA
| | - E A Shirtcliff
- Human Development and Family Studies, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA
| | - S T Lamb
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, UC Davis, CA, USA
| | - C Miller
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, UC Davis, CA, USA
| | - J Ng
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, UC Davis, CA, USA
| | - G Yu
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, UC Davis, CA, USA
| | - L M Tully
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, UC Davis, CA, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Snelleksz M, Rossell SL, Gibbons A, Nithianantharajah J, Dean B. Evidence that the frontal pole has a significant role in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. Psychiatry Res 2022; 317:114850. [PMID: 36174274 DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2022.114850] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2022] [Revised: 09/07/2022] [Accepted: 09/11/2022] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Different regions of the cortex have been implicated in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. Recently published data suggested there are many more changes in gene expression in the frontal pole (Brodmann's Area (BA) 10) compared to the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (BA 9) and the anterior cingulate cortex (BA 33) from patients with schizophrenia. These data argued that the frontal pole is significantly affected by the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. The frontal pole is a region necessary for higher cognitive functions and is highly interconnected with many other brain regions. In this review we summarise the growing body of evidence to support the hypothesis that a dysfunctional frontal pole, due at least in part to its widespread effects on brain function, is making an important contribution to the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. We detail the many structural, cellular and molecular abnormalities in the frontal pole from people with schizophrenia and present findings that argue the symptoms of schizophrenia are closely linked to dysfunction in this critical brain region.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Megan Snelleksz
- Synaptic Biology and Cognition Laboratory, The Florey Institute for Neuroscience and Mental Health, Parkville, Victoria, Australia; The Florey Department of Neuroscience and Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Susan L Rossell
- Centre for Mental Health, School of Health Sciences, Swinburne University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; Department of Psychiatry, St Vincent's Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Andrew Gibbons
- The Department of Psychiatry, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Jess Nithianantharajah
- The Florey Department of Neuroscience and Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Brian Dean
- Synaptic Biology and Cognition Laboratory, The Florey Institute for Neuroscience and Mental Health, Parkville, Victoria, Australia; The Florey Department of Neuroscience and Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Kaul D, Schwab SG, Mechawar N, Ooi L, Matosin N. Alterations in Astrocytic Regulation of Excitation and Inhibition by Stress Exposure and in Severe Psychopathology. J Neurosci 2022; 42:6823-6834. [PMID: 38377014 PMCID: PMC9463979 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2410-21.2022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2021] [Revised: 07/25/2022] [Accepted: 07/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Dysregulation of excitatory and inhibitory signaling is commonly observed in major psychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia, depression, and bipolar disorder, and is often targeted by psychological and pharmacological treatment methods. The balance of excitation and inhibition is highly sensitive to severe psychological stress, one of the strongest risk factors for psychiatric disorders. The role of astrocytes in regulating excitatory and inhibitory signaling is now widely recognized; however, the specific involvement of astrocytes in the context of psychiatric disorders with a history of significant stress exposure remains unclear. In this review, we summarize how astrocytes regulate the balance of excitation and inhibition in the context of stress exposure and severe psychopathology, with a focus on the PFC, a brain area highly implicated in psychopathology. We first focus on preclinical models to demonstrate that the duration of stress (particularly acute vs chronic stress) is key to shaping astrocyte function and downstream behavior. We then provide a hypothesis for how astrocytes are involved in stress-associated cortical signaling imbalance, discuss how this directly contributes to phenotypes of psychopathologies, and provide suggestions for future research. We highlight that astrocytes are a key target to understand and treat the dysregulation of cortical signaling associated with stress-related psychiatric disorders.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Dominic Kaul
- Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, Northfields Ave, Wollongong, 2522, Australia
- Molecular Horizons, School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health, University of Wollongong, Northfields Ave, Wollongong, 2522, Australia
| | - Sibylle G Schwab
- Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, Northfields Ave, Wollongong, 2522, Australia
- Molecular Horizons, School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health, University of Wollongong, Northfields Ave, Wollongong, 2522, Australia
- School of Medical, Indigenous and Health Sciences, Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health, University of Wollongong, Northfields Ave, Wollongong, 2522, Australia
| | - Naguib Mechawar
- Douglas Mental Health University Institute, 6875 LaSalle Blvd, Verdun, Quebec H4H 1R3, Canada
| | - Lezanne Ooi
- Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, Northfields Ave, Wollongong, 2522, Australia
- Molecular Horizons, School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health, University of Wollongong, Northfields Ave, Wollongong, 2522, Australia
| | - Natalie Matosin
- Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, Northfields Ave, Wollongong, 2522, Australia
- Molecular Horizons, School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health, University of Wollongong, Northfields Ave, Wollongong, 2522, Australia
- Department of Translational Research in Psychiatry, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Kraepelinstrasse 2-10, Munich, 80804, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Guimond S, Ling G, Drodge J, Matheson H, Wojtalik JA, Lopez B, Collin G, Brady R, Mesholam-Gately RI, Thermenos H, Eack SM, Keshavan MS. Functional connectivity associated with improvement in emotion management after cognitive enhancement therapy in early-course schizophrenia. Psychol Med 2022; 52:2245-2254. [PMID: 33183362 PMCID: PMC10763577 DOI: 10.1017/s0033291720004110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The ability to manage emotions is an important social-cognitive domain impaired in schizophrenia and linked to functional outcome. The goal of our study was to examine the impact of cognitive enhancement therapy (CET) on the ability to manage emotions and brain functional connectivity in early-course schizophrenia. METHODS Participants were randomly assigned to CET (n = 55) or an enriched supportive therapy (EST) control group (n = 45). The resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging scans and measures of emotion management performances were collected at baseline, 9, and 18 months follow-up. The final sample consisted of 37 CET and 25 EST participants, including 19 CET and 12 EST participants with imaging data. Linear mixed-effects models investigated the impact of treatment on emotion management and functional connectivity from the amygdala to ventrolateral and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC). RESULTS The CET group showed significant improvement over time in emotion management compared to EST. Neither functional connectivity changes nor main group differences were observed following treatment. However, a significant between-group interaction showed that improved emotion management ability was associated with increased functional connectivity between the left amygdala and the left dlPFC in the CET group exclusively. CONCLUSION Our results replicate the previous work demonstrating that CET is effective at improving some aspects of social cognition in schizophrenia. We found evidence that improvement in emotion management may be associated with a change in amygdala-dlPFC connectivity. This fronto-limbic circuit may provide a mechanistic link between the biology of emotion management processes that can be enhanced in individuals with schizophrenia.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Synthia Guimond
- Department of Psychiatry, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Massachusetts Mental Health Center Division of Public Psychiatry, MA, 02115, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, The Royal’s Institute of Mental Health Research, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, K1Z 7K4, Canada
- Department of Psychoeducation and Psychology, University of Québec in Outaouais, Gatineau, QC, J8X 3X7, Canada
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8L1, Canada
| | - George Ling
- Department of Psychiatry, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Massachusetts Mental Health Center Division of Public Psychiatry, MA, 02115, USA
- University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, 33136, USA
| | - Jessica Drodge
- Department of Psychiatry, The Royal’s Institute of Mental Health Research, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, K1Z 7K4, Canada
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8L1, Canada
| | - Hannah Matheson
- Department of Psychiatry, The Royal’s Institute of Mental Health Research, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, K1Z 7K4, Canada
| | - Jessica A. Wojtalik
- Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
| | - Betzamel Lopez
- Department of Psychiatry, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Massachusetts Mental Health Center Division of Public Psychiatry, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Guusje Collin
- Department of Psychiatry, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Massachusetts Mental Health Center Division of Public Psychiatry, MA, 02115, USA
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
- University Medical Center Utrecht Brain Center, 3584 XC Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Roscoe Brady
- Department of Psychiatry, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Massachusetts Mental Health Center Division of Public Psychiatry, MA, 02115, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Raquelle I. Mesholam-Gately
- Department of Psychiatry, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Massachusetts Mental Health Center Division of Public Psychiatry, MA, 02115, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Heidi Thermenos
- Department of Psychiatry, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Massachusetts Mental Health Center Division of Public Psychiatry, MA, 02115, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Shaun M. Eack
- School of Social Work and Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, 4200 Fifth Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA
| | - Matcheri S. Keshavan
- Department of Psychiatry, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Massachusetts Mental Health Center Division of Public Psychiatry, MA, 02115, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Liu S, Li A, Liu Y, Li J, Wang M, Sun Y, Qin W, Yu C, Jiang T, Liu B. MIR137 polygenic risk is associated with schizophrenia and affects functional connectivity of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Psychol Med 2020; 50:1510-1518. [PMID: 31239006 DOI: 10.1017/s0033291719001442] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have consistently revealed that a variant of microRNA 137 (MIR137) shows a quite significant association with schizophrenia. Identifying the network of genes regulated by MIR137 could provide insights into the biological processes underlying schizophrenia. In addition, DLPFC functional connectivity, a robust correlate of MIR137, may provide plausible endophenotypes. However, the regulatory role of the MIR137 gene network in the disrupted functional connectivity remains unclear. Here, we tested the effects of the MIR137 regulated genes on the risk for schizophrenia and DLPFC functional connectivity. METHODS To evaluate the additive effects of the MIR137 regulated genes (N = 1274), we calculated a MIR137 polygenic risk score (PRS) for schizophrenia and tested its association with the risk for schizophrenia in the genomic data of a Han Chinese population that included schizophrenia patients (N = 589) and normal controls (N = 575). We then investigated the association between MIR137 PRS and DLPFC functional connectivity in two independent young healthy cohorts (N = 356 and N = 314). RESULTS We found that the MIR137 PRS successfully captured the differences in genetic structure between the patients and controls, but the single gene MIR137 did not. We then consistently found that a higher MIR137 PRS was correlated with lower functional connectivities between the DLPFC and both the superior parietal cortex and the inferior temporal cortex in two independent cohorts. CONCLUSION The findings suggested that these two functional connectivities of the DLPFC could be important endophenotypes linking the MIR137-regulated genetic structure to schizophrenia.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Shu Liu
- Brainnetome Center and National Laboratory of Pattern Recognition, Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing100190, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing100049, China
| | - Ang Li
- Brainnetome Center and National Laboratory of Pattern Recognition, Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing100190, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing100049, China
| | - Yong Liu
- Brainnetome Center and National Laboratory of Pattern Recognition, Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing100190, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing100049, China
- CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing100190, China
| | - Jin Li
- Brainnetome Center and National Laboratory of Pattern Recognition, Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing100190, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing100049, China
| | - Meng Wang
- Brainnetome Center and National Laboratory of Pattern Recognition, Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing100190, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing100049, China
| | - Yuqing Sun
- Brainnetome Center and National Laboratory of Pattern Recognition, Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing100190, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing100049, China
| | - Wen Qin
- Department of Radiology, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin300052, China
| | - Chunshui Yu
- Department of Radiology, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin300052, China
| | - Tianzi Jiang
- Brainnetome Center and National Laboratory of Pattern Recognition, Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing100190, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing100049, China
- CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing100190, China
- Key Laboratory for NeuroInformation of Ministry of Education, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu610054, China
- Queensland Brain Institute, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Bing Liu
- Brainnetome Center and National Laboratory of Pattern Recognition, Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing100190, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing100049, China
- CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing100190, China
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Interaction of emotion and cognitive control along the psychosis continuum: A critical review. Int J Psychophysiol 2020; 147:156-175. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2019.11.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2019] [Revised: 10/29/2019] [Accepted: 11/05/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
|
8
|
Brain function differences in drug-naïve first-episode auditory verbal hallucination-schizophrenia patients with versus without insight. Chin Med J (Engl) 2019; 132:2199-2205. [PMID: 31478928 PMCID: PMC6797149 DOI: 10.1097/cm9.0000000000000419] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Few studies have reported brain function differences in drug-naïve first-episode schizophrenia patients who had auditory verbal hallucinations (AVH) with insight vs. those without insight. This study aimed to investigate brain function differences between drug-naïve first-episode AVH-schizophrenia patients with and without insight. Methods: Forty first-episode drug-naïve AVH-schizophrenia patients with or without insight and 40 healthy controls between December 2016 and December 2018 were recruited in this study. The auditory hallucinations rating scale (AHRS) was used to assess AVH severity, while the insight and treatment attitudes questionnaire was used to distinguish insight. The global functional connectivity density (gFCD) between different groups was compared using a voxel-wise one-way analysis of covariance. The relationship between gFCD and AHRS total scores were analyzed using voxel-wise multiple regression. Results: Finally, 13 first-episode drug-naïve AVH-schizophrenia patients with insight, 15 AVH-schizophrenia patients without insight, and 20 healthy controls were included for analysis. Except for global assessment of functioning scores, there were no significant differences in sociodemographic information between the AVH-schizophrenia and healthy groups (P > 0.05). Compared to the healthy controls, AVH-schizophrenia patients with insight demonstrated a decreased gFCD in the supra-marginal gyrus within the primary auditory cortex, while those without insight demonstrated an increased gFCD in the inferior frontal gyrus and superior temporal gyrus and decreased gFCD in the supplemental motor area. Compared to the AVH-schizophrenia patients with insight, those without insight demonstrated an increased gFCD in the supra-marginal gyrus and posterior superior temporal lobule and a decreased gFCD in the frontal lobe. No significant correlation between gFCD and AVH severity (AHRS total score: r = 0.23, P = 0.590; and frequency: r = 0.42, P = 0.820) was found in both AVH-schizophrenia groups. Conclusions: The gFCD-aberrant brain regions in the AVH-schizophrenia patients without insight were wider compared to those with insight, although the AHRS scores were not significantly different. The AVH-schizophrenia patients without insight had wide functional impairment in the frontal lobule, which may underlie the lack of insight and the abnormal hyperactivity in the inferior frontal gurus and temporal lobe related to the AVH symptoms.
Collapse
|
9
|
Maksymetz J, Joffe ME, Moran SP, Stansley BJ, Li B, Temple K, Engers DW, Lawrence JJ, Lindsley CW, Conn PJ. M 1 Muscarinic Receptors Modulate Fear-Related Inputs to the Prefrontal Cortex: Implications for Novel Treatments of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. Biol Psychiatry 2019; 85:989-1000. [PMID: 31003787 PMCID: PMC6555658 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2019.02.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2018] [Revised: 02/15/2019] [Accepted: 02/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The prefrontal cortex (PFC) integrates information from multiple inputs to exert top-down control allowing for appropriate responses in a given context. In psychiatric disorders such as posttraumatic stress disorder, PFC hyperactivity is associated with inappropriate fear in safe situations. We previously reported a form of muscarinic acetylcholine receptor (mAChR)-dependent long-term depression in the PFC that we hypothesize is involved in appropriate fear responding and could serve to reduce cortical hyperactivity following stress. However, it is unknown whether this long-term depression occurs at fear-related inputs. METHODS Using optogenetics with extracellular and whole-cell electrophysiology, we assessed the effect of mAChR activation on the synaptic strength of specific PFC inputs. We used selective pharmacological tools to assess the involvement of M1 mAChRs in conditioned fear extinction in control mice and in the stress-enhanced fear-learning model. RESULTS M1 mAChR activation induced long-term depression at inputs from the ventral hippocampus and basolateral amygdala but not from the mediodorsal nucleus of the thalamus. We found that systemic M1 mAChR antagonism impaired contextual fear extinction. Treatment with an M1 positive allosteric modulator enhanced contextual fear extinction consolidation in stress-enhanced fear learning-conditioned mice. CONCLUSIONS M1 mAChRs dynamically modulate synaptic transmission at two PFC inputs whose activity is necessary for fear extinction, and M1 mAChR function is required for proper contextual fear extinction. Furthermore, an M1 positive allosteric modulator enhanced the consolidation of fear extinction in the stress-enhanced fear-learning model, suggesting that M1 positive allosteric modulators may provide a novel treatment strategy to facilitate exposure therapy in the clinic for the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- James Maksymetz
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee; Vanderbilt Center for Neuroscience Drug Discovery, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Max E Joffe
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee; Vanderbilt Center for Neuroscience Drug Discovery, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Sean P Moran
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee; Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee; Vanderbilt Center for Neuroscience Drug Discovery, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Branden J Stansley
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee; Vanderbilt Center for Neuroscience Drug Discovery, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Brianna Li
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Kayla Temple
- Vanderbilt Center for Neuroscience Drug Discovery, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Darren W Engers
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee; Vanderbilt Center for Neuroscience Drug Discovery, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - J Josh Lawrence
- Department of Pharmacology and Neuroscience, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, Texas
| | - Craig W Lindsley
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee; Vanderbilt Center for Neuroscience Drug Discovery, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee; Department of Chemistry, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - P Jeffrey Conn
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee; Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee; Vanderbilt Kennedy Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee; Vanderbilt Center for Neuroscience Drug Discovery, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee.
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Park J, Chun JW, Park HJ, Kim E, Kim JJ. Involvement of amygdala-prefrontal dysfunction in the influence of negative emotion on the resolution of cognitive conflict in patients with schizophrenia. Brain Behav 2018; 8:e01064. [PMID: 30004191 PMCID: PMC6085922 DOI: 10.1002/brb3.1064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2017] [Revised: 06/17/2018] [Accepted: 06/20/2018] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Patients with schizophrenia often have impaired cognition and abnormal conflict control. Conflict control is influenced by the emotional values of stimuli. This study investigated the neural basis of negative emotion interference with conflict control in schizophrenia. METHODS Seventeen patients with schizophrenia and 20 healthy controls underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging while performing the emotional Simon task, in which positive or negative emotional pictures were located in congruent or incongruent positions. Analysis was focused on identifying brain regions with the significant interaction among group, emotion, and conflict in whole brain voxel-wise analysis, and abnormality in their functional connectivity in the patient group. RESULTS The regions showing the targeted interaction was the right amygdala, which exhibited significantly reduced activity in the negative congruent (t = -2.168, p = 0.036) and negative incongruent (t = -3.273, p = 0.002) conditions in patients versus controls. The right amygdala also showed significantly lower connectivity with the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in the cognitive and emotional loading contrast (negative incongruent-positive congruent) in patients versus controls (t = -5.154, p < 0.01), but not in the cognitive-only or emotional-only loading contrast. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that negative emotion interferes with cognitive conflict resolution in patients with schizophrenia due to amygdala-dorsolateral prefrontal cortex disconnection. Based on these findings, interventions targeting conflict control under negative emotional influence may promote cognitive rehabilitation in patients with schizophrenia.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jaesub Park
- Institute of Behavioral Science in Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.,Department of Psychiatry, National Health Insurance Service Ilsan Hospital, Goyang, Korea
| | - Ji-Won Chun
- Institute of Behavioral Science in Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.,Department of Psychiatry, Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, The Catholic University of Korea College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
| | - Hae-Jeong Park
- Institute of Behavioral Science in Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.,Department of Nuclear Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
| | - Eosu Kim
- Institute of Behavioral Science in Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.,Department of Psychiatry, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
| | - Jae-Jin Kim
- Institute of Behavioral Science in Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.,Department of Psychiatry, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
| |
Collapse
|