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Ramsay IS, Mueller B, Ma Y, Shen C, Sponheim SR. Thalamocortical connectivity and its relationship with symptoms and cognition across the psychosis continuum. Psychol Med 2023; 53:5582-5591. [PMID: 36047043 DOI: 10.1017/s0033291722002793] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Coordination between the thalamus and cortex is necessary for efficient processing of sensory information and appears disrupted in schizophrenia. The significance of this disrupted coordination (i.e. thalamocortical dysconnectivity) to the symptoms and cognitive deficits of schizophrenia is unclear. It is also unknown whether similar dysconnectivity is observed in other forms of psychotic psychopathology and associated with familial risk for psychosis. Here we examine the relevance of thalamocortical connectivity to the clinical symptoms and cognition of patients with psychotic psychopathology, their first-degree biological relatives, and a group of healthy controls. METHOD Patients with a schizophrenia-spectrum diagnosis (N = 100) or bipolar disorder with a history of psychosis (N = 33), their first-degree relatives (N = 73), and a group of healthy controls (N = 43) underwent resting functional MRI in addition to clinical and cognitive assessments as part of the Psychosis Human Connectome Project. A bilateral mediodorsal thalamus seed-based analysis was used to measure thalamocortical connectivity and test for group differences, as well as associations with symptomatology and cognition. RESULTS Reduced connectivity from mediodorsal thalamus to insular, orbitofrontal, and cerebellar regions was seen in schizophrenia. Across groups, greater symptomatology was related to less thalamocortical connectivity to the left middle frontal gyrus, anterior cingulate, right insula, and cerebellum. Poorer cognition was related to less thalamocortical connectivity to bilateral insula. Analyses revealed similar patterns of dysconnectivity across patient groups and their relatives. CONCLUSIONS Reduced thalamo-prefrontal-cerebellar and thalamo-insular connectivity may contribute to clinical symptomatology and cognitive deficits in patients with psychosis as well as individuals with familial risk for psychotic psychopathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ian S Ramsay
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Minnesota School of Medicine, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Bryon Mueller
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Minnesota School of Medicine, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Yizhou Ma
- Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Maryland Psychiatric Research Center, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Catonsville, MD, USA
| | - Chen Shen
- Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Scott R Sponheim
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Minnesota School of Medicine, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Minneapolis Veterans Affairs Healthcare System, Minneapolis, MN, USA
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2
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Cattarinussi G, Gugliotta AA, Sambataro F. The Risk for Schizophrenia-Bipolar Spectrum: Does the Apple Fall Close to the Tree? A Narrative Review. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2023; 20:6540. [PMID: 37569080 PMCID: PMC10418911 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20156540] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2023] [Revised: 07/24/2023] [Accepted: 08/04/2023] [Indexed: 08/13/2023]
Abstract
Schizophrenia (SCZ) and bipolar disorder (BD) are severe psychiatric disorders that share clinical features and several risk genes. Important information about their genetic underpinnings arises from intermediate phenotypes (IPs), quantifiable biological traits that are more prevalent in unaffected relatives (RELs) of patients compared to the general population and co-segregate with the disorders. Within IPs, neuropsychological functions and neuroimaging measures have the potential to provide useful insight into the pathophysiology of SCZ and BD. In this context, the present narrative review provides a comprehensive overview of the available evidence on deficits in neuropsychological functions and neuroimaging alterations in unaffected relatives of SCZ (SCZ-RELs) and BD (BD-RELs). Overall, deficits in cognitive functions including intelligence, memory, attention, executive functions, and social cognition could be considered IPs for SCZ. Although the picture for cognitive alterations in BD-RELs is less defined, BD-RELs seem to present worse performances compared to controls in executive functioning, including adaptable thinking, planning, self-monitoring, self-control, and working memory. Among neuroimaging markers, SCZ-RELs appear to be characterized by structural and functional alterations in the cortico-striatal-thalamic network, while BD risk seems to be associated with abnormalities in the prefrontal, temporal, thalamic, and limbic regions. In conclusion, SCZ-RELs and BD-RELs present a pattern of cognitive and neuroimaging alterations that lie between patients and healthy individuals. Similar abnormalities in SCZ-RELs and BD-RELs may be the phenotypic expression of the shared genetic mechanisms underlying both disorders, while the specificities in neuropsychological and neuroimaging profiles may be associated with the differential symptom expression in the two disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giulia Cattarinussi
- Department of Neuroscience (DNS), University of Padova, 35131 Padova, Italy; (G.C.); (A.A.G.)
- Padova Neuroscience Center, University of Padova, 35131 Padova, Italy
| | - Alessio A. Gugliotta
- Department of Neuroscience (DNS), University of Padova, 35131 Padova, Italy; (G.C.); (A.A.G.)
| | - Fabio Sambataro
- Department of Neuroscience (DNS), University of Padova, 35131 Padova, Italy; (G.C.); (A.A.G.)
- Padova Neuroscience Center, University of Padova, 35131 Padova, Italy
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3
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Alemán-Gómez Y, Baumgartner T, Klauser P, Cleusix M, Jenni R, Hagmann P, Conus P, Do KQ, Bach Cuadra M, Baumann PS, Steullet P. Multimodal Magnetic Resonance Imaging Depicts Widespread and Subregion Specific Anomalies in the Thalamus of Early-Psychosis and Chronic Schizophrenia Patients. Schizophr Bull 2023; 49:196-207. [PMID: 36065156 PMCID: PMC9810016 DOI: 10.1093/schbul/sbac113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND HYPOTHESIS Although the thalamus has a central role in schizophrenia pathophysiology, contributing to sensory, cognitive, and sleep alterations, the nature and dynamics of the alterations occurring within this structure remain largely elusive. Using a multimodal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) approach, we examined whether anomalies: (1) differ across thalamic subregions/nuclei, (2) are already present in the early phase of psychosis (EP), and (3) worsen in chronic schizophrenia (SCHZ). STUDY DESIGN T1-weighted and diffusion-weighted images were analyzed to estimate gray matter concentration (GMC) and microstructural parameters obtained from the spherical mean technique (intra-neurite volume fraction [VFINTRA)], intra-neurite diffusivity [DIFFINTRA], extra-neurite mean diffusivity [MDEXTRA], extra-neurite transversal diffusivity [TDEXTRA]) within 7 thalamic subregions. RESULTS Compared to age-matched controls, the thalamus of EP patients displays previously unreported widespread microstructural alterations (VFINTRA decrease, TDEXTRA increase) that are associated with similar alterations in the whole brain white matter, suggesting altered integrity of white matter fiber tracts in the thalamus. In both patient groups, we also observed more localized and heterogenous changes (either GMC decrease, MDEXTRA increase, or DIFFINTRA decrease) in mediodorsal, posterior, and ventral anterior parts of the thalamus in both patient groups, suggesting that the nature of the alterations varies across subregions. GMC and DIFFINTRA in the whole thalamus correlate with global functioning, while DIFFINTRA in the subregion encompassing the medial pulvinar is significantly associated with negative symptoms in SCHZ. CONCLUSION Our data reveals both widespread and more localized thalamic anomalies that are already present in the early phase of psychosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yasser Alemán-Gómez
- Department of Radiology, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois (CHUV) and University of Lausanne (UNIL), Lausanne, Switzerland
- Department of Psychiatry, Center for Psychiatric Neuroscience, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois (CHUV) and University of Lausanne (UNIL), Prilly, Switzerland
| | - Thomas Baumgartner
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois (CHUV) and University of Lausanne (UNIL), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Paul Klauser
- Department of Psychiatry, Center for Psychiatric Neuroscience, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois (CHUV) and University of Lausanne (UNIL), Prilly, Switzerland
- Department of Psychiatry, Service of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois (CHUV) and University of Lausanne (UNIL), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Martine Cleusix
- Department of Psychiatry, Center for Psychiatric Neuroscience, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois (CHUV) and University of Lausanne (UNIL), Prilly, Switzerland
| | - Raoul Jenni
- Department of Psychiatry, Center for Psychiatric Neuroscience, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois (CHUV) and University of Lausanne (UNIL), Prilly, Switzerland
| | - Patric Hagmann
- Department of Radiology, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois (CHUV) and University of Lausanne (UNIL), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Philippe Conus
- Department of Psychiatry, Service of General Psychiatry, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois (CHUV) and University of Lausanne (UNIL), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Kim Q Do
- Department of Psychiatry, Center for Psychiatric Neuroscience, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois (CHUV) and University of Lausanne (UNIL), Prilly, Switzerland
| | - Meritxell Bach Cuadra
- Medical Image Analysis Laboratory (MIAL), Centre d’Imagerie BioMédicale (CIBM), Switzerland
- Department of Radiology, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois (CHUV) and University of Lausanne (UNIL), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Philipp S Baumann
- Department of Psychiatry, Service of General Psychiatry, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois (CHUV) and University of Lausanne (UNIL), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Pascal Steullet
- Department of Psychiatry, Center for Psychiatric Neuroscience, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois (CHUV) and University of Lausanne (UNIL), Prilly, Switzerland
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Pergola G, Penzel N, Sportelli L, Bertolino A. Lessons Learned From Parsing Genetic Risk for Schizophrenia Into Biological Pathways. Biol Psychiatry 2022:S0006-3223(22)01701-2. [PMID: 36740470 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2022.10.009] [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: 04/16/2022] [Revised: 09/10/2022] [Accepted: 10/06/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The clinically heterogeneous presentation of schizophrenia is compounded by the heterogeneity of risk factors and neurobiological correlates of the disorder. Genome-wide association studies in schizophrenia have uncovered a remarkably high number of genetic variants, but the biological pathways they impact upon remain largely unidentified. Among the diverse methodological approaches employed to provide a more granular understanding of genetic risk for schizophrenia, the use of biological labels, such as gene ontologies, regulome approaches, and gene coexpression have all provided novel perspectives into how genetic risk translates into the neurobiology of schizophrenia. Here, we review the salient aspects of parsing polygenic risk for schizophrenia into biological pathways. We argue that parsed scores, compared to standard polygenic risk scores, may afford a more biologically plausible and accurate physiological modeling of the different dimensions involved in translating genetic risk into brain mechanisms, including multiple brain regions, cell types, and maturation stages. We discuss caveats, opportunities, and pitfalls inherent in the parsed risk approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giulio Pergola
- Department of Translational Biomedicine and Neuroscience, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy.
| | - Nora Penzel
- Department of Translational Biomedicine and Neuroscience, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy
| | - Leonardo Sportelli
- Department of Translational Biomedicine and Neuroscience, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy
| | - Alessandro Bertolino
- Department of Translational Biomedicine and Neuroscience, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy
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Benoit LJ, Canetta S, Kellendonk C. Thalamocortical Development: A Neurodevelopmental Framework for Schizophrenia. Biol Psychiatry 2022; 92:491-500. [PMID: 35550792 PMCID: PMC9999366 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2022.03.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2021] [Revised: 02/22/2022] [Accepted: 03/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Adolescence is a period of increased vulnerability for the development of psychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia. The prefrontal cortex (PFC) undergoes substantial maturation during this period, and PFC dysfunction is central to cognitive impairments in schizophrenia. As a result, impaired adolescent maturation of the PFC has been proposed as a mechanism in the etiology of the disorder and its cognitive symptoms. In adulthood, PFC function is tightly linked to its reciprocal connections with the thalamus, and acutely inhibiting thalamic inputs to the PFC produces impairments in PFC function and cognitive deficits. Here, we propose that thalamic activity is equally important during adolescence because it is required for proper PFC circuit development. Because thalamic abnormalities have been observed early in the progression of schizophrenia, we further postulate that adolescent thalamic dysfunction can have long-lasting consequences for PFC function and cognition in patients with schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura J Benoit
- Graduate Program in Neurobiology and Behavior, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, New York
| | - Sarah Canetta
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, New York; Division of Developmental Neuroscience, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, New York
| | - Christoph Kellendonk
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, New York; Department of Pharmacology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, New York; Division of Molecular Therapeutics, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, New York.
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6
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Antonucci LA, Fazio L, Pergola G, Blasi G, Stolfa G, Di Palo P, Mucci A, Rocca P, Brasso C, di Giannantonio M, Maria Giordano G, Monteleone P, Pompili M, Siracusano A, Bertolino A, Galderisi S, Maj M. Joint structural-functional magnetic resonance imaging features are associated with diagnosis and real-world functioning in patients with schizophrenia. Schizophr Res 2022; 240:193-203. [PMID: 35032904 DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2021.12.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2021] [Revised: 10/20/2021] [Accepted: 12/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Earlier evidence suggested that structural-functional covariation in schizophrenia patients (SCZ) is associated with cognition, a predictor of functioning. Moreover, studies suggested that functional brain abnormalities of schizophrenia may be related with structural network features. However, only few studies have investigated the relationship between structural-functional covariation and both diagnosis and functioning in SCZ. We hypothesized that structural-functional covariation networks associated with diagnosis are related to real-world functioning in SCZ. METHODS We performed joint Independent Component Analysis on T1 images and resting-state fMRI-based Degree Centrality (DC) maps from 89 SCZ and 285 controls. Structural-functional covariation networks in which we found a main effect of diagnosis underwent correlation analysis to investigate their relationship with functioning. Covariation networks showing a significant association with both diagnosis and functioning underwent univariate analysis to better characterize group-level differences at the spatial level. RESULTS A structural-functional covariation network characterized by frontal, temporal, parietal and thalamic structural estimates significantly covaried with temporo-parietal resting-state DC. Compared with controls, SCZ had reduced structural-functional covariation within this network (pFDR = 0.005). The same measure correlated positively with both social and occupational functioning (both pFDR = 0.042). Univariate analyses revealed grey matter deviations in SCZ compared with controls within this structural-functional network in hippocampus, cerebellum, thalamus, orbito-frontal cortex, and insula. No group differences were found in DC. CONCLUSIONS Findings support the existence of a phenotypical association between group-level differences and inter-individual heterogeneity of functional deficits in SCZ. Given that only the joint structural/functional analysis revealed this association, structural-functional covariation may be a potentially relevant schizophrenia phenotype.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linda A Antonucci
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Neuroscience and Sense Organs, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy
| | - Leonardo Fazio
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Neuroscience and Sense Organs, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy
| | - Giulio Pergola
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Neuroscience and Sense Organs, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Blasi
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Neuroscience and Sense Organs, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Stolfa
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Neuroscience and Sense Organs, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy
| | - Piergiuseppe Di Palo
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Neuroscience and Sense Organs, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy
| | - Armida Mucci
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Naples, Italy
| | - Paola Rocca
- Department of Neuroscience, Section of Psychiatry, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Claudio Brasso
- Department of Neuroscience, Section of Psychiatry, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | | | | | - Palmiero Monteleone
- Department of Medicine, Surgery and Dentistry "Scuola Medica Salernitana", Section of Neuroscience, University of Salerno, Salerno, Italy
| | - Maurizio Pompili
- Department of Neurosciences, Mental Health, and Sensory Organs, S. Andrea Hospital, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Alberto Siracusano
- Department of Systems Medicine, Psychiatry and Clinical Psychology Unit, Tor Vergata University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Alessandro Bertolino
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Neuroscience and Sense Organs, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy.
| | - Silvana Galderisi
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Naples, Italy
| | - Mario Maj
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Naples, Italy
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Passiatore R, Antonucci LA, Bierstedt S, Saranathan M, Bertolino A, Suchan B, Pergola G. How recent learning shapes the brain: Memory-dependent functional reconfiguration of brain circuits. Neuroimage 2021; 245:118636. [PMID: 34637904 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.118636] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2021] [Revised: 09/20/2021] [Accepted: 10/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The process of storing recently encoded episodic mnestic traces so that they are available for subsequent retrieval is accompanied by specific brain functional connectivity (FC) changes. In this fMRI study, we examined the early processing of memories in twenty-eight healthy participants performing an episodic memory task interposed between two resting state sessions. Memory performance was assessed through a forced-choice recognition test after the scanning sessions. We investigated resting state system configuration changes via Independent Component Analysis by cross-modeling baseline resting state spatial maps onto the post-encoding resting state, and post-encoding resting state spatial maps onto baseline. We identified both persistent and plastic components of the overall brain functional configuration between baseline and post-encoding. While FC patterns within executive, default mode, and cerebellar circuits persisted from baseline to post-encoding, FC within the visual circuit changed. A significant session × performance interaction characterized medial temporal lobe and prefrontal cortex FC with the visual circuit, as well as thalamic FC within the executive control system. Findings reveal early-stage FC changes at the system-level subsequent to a learning experience and associated with inter-individual variation in memory performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roberta Passiatore
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Neuroscience and Sense Organs, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Piazza Giulio Cesare, 11, Bari, IT 70124, Italy; Tri-Institutional Center for Translational Research in Neuroimaging and Data Science (TReNDS), Georgia State University, Georgia Institute of Technology, Emory University, Atlanta GA 30303, United States
| | - Linda A Antonucci
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Neuroscience and Sense Organs, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Piazza Giulio Cesare, 11, Bari, IT 70124, Italy; Department of Education, Psychology and Communication Science, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, IT 70121, Italy
| | - Sabine Bierstedt
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Clinical Neuropsychology, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, DE 44801, Germany
| | - Manojkumar Saranathan
- Department of Medical Imaging, University of Arizona, Tucson AZ 85724, United States
| | - Alessandro Bertolino
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Neuroscience and Sense Organs, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Piazza Giulio Cesare, 11, Bari, IT 70124, Italy
| | - Boris Suchan
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Clinical Neuropsychology, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, DE 44801, Germany
| | - Giulio Pergola
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Neuroscience and Sense Organs, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Piazza Giulio Cesare, 11, Bari, IT 70124, Italy; Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Johns Hopkins Medical Campus, Baltimore MD 21205, United States.
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Thalamic connectivity system across psychiatric disorders: Current status and clinical implications. BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY GLOBAL OPEN SCIENCE 2021; 2:332-340. [PMID: 36324665 PMCID: PMC9616255 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsgos.2021.09.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2021] [Revised: 09/23/2021] [Accepted: 09/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The thalamic connectivity system, with the thalamus as the central node, enables transmission of the brain’s neural computations via extensive connections to cortical, subcortical, and cerebellar regions. Emerging reports suggest deficits in this system across multiple psychiatric disorders, making it a unique network of high translational and transdiagnostic utility in mapping neural alterations that potentially contribute to symptoms and disturbances in psychiatric patients. However, despite considerable research effort, it is still debated how this system contributes to psychiatric disorders. This review characterizes current knowledge regarding thalamic connectivity system deficits in psychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder, and autism spectrum disorder, across multiple levels of the system. We identify the presence of common and distinct patterns of deficits in the thalamic connectivity system in major psychiatric disorders and assess their nature and characteristics. Specifically, this review assembles evidence for the hypotheses of 1) thalamic microstructure, particularly in the mediodorsal nucleus, as a state marker of psychosis; 2) thalamo-prefrontal connectivity as a trait marker of psychosis; and 3) thalamo-somatosensory/parietal connectivity as a possible marker of general psychiatric illness. Furthermore, possible mechanisms contributing to thalamocortical dysconnectivity are explored. We discuss current views on the contributions of cerebellar-thalamic connectivity to the thalamic connectivity system and propose future studies to examine its effects at multiple levels, from the molecular (e.g., glutamatergic) to the behavioral (e.g., cognition), to gain a deeper understanding of the mechanisms that underlie the disturbances observed in psychiatric disorders.
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Csukly G, Szabó Á, Polgár P, Farkas K, Gyebnár G, Kozák LR, Stefanics G. Fronto-thalamic structural and effective connectivity and delusions in schizophrenia: a combined DTI/DCM study. Psychol Med 2021; 51:2083-2093. [PMID: 32329710 PMCID: PMC8426148 DOI: 10.1017/s0033291720000859] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2019] [Revised: 02/07/2020] [Accepted: 03/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Schizophrenia (SZ) is a complex disorder characterized by a range of behavioral and cognitive symptoms as well as structural and functional alterations in multiple cortical and subcortical structures. SZ is associated with reduced functional network connectivity involving core regions such as the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and the thalamus. However, little is known whether effective coupling, the directed influence of one structure over the other, is altered during rest in the ACC-thalamus network. METHODS We collected resting-state fMRI and diffusion-weighted MRI data from 18 patients and 20 healthy controls. We analyzed fronto-thalamic effective connectivity using dynamic causal modeling for cross-spectral densities in a network consisting of the ACC and the left and right medio-dorsal thalamic regions. We studied structural connectivity using fractional anisotropy (FA). RESULTS We found decreased coupling strength from the right thalamus to the ACC and from the right thalamus to the left thalamus, as well as increased inhibitory intrinsic connectivity in the right thalamus in patients relative to controls. ACC-to-left thalamus coupling strength correlated with the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) total positive syndrome score and with delusion score. Whole-brain structural analysis revealed several tracts with reduced FA in patients, with a maximum decrease in white matter tracts containing fronto-thalamic and cingulo-thalamic fibers. CONCLUSIONS We found altered effective and structural connectivity within the ACC-thalamus network in SZ. Our results indicate that ACC-thalamus network activity at rest is characterized by reduced thalamus-to-ACC coupling. We suggest that positive symptoms may arise as a consequence of compensatory measures to imbalanced fronto-thalamic coupling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gábor Csukly
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Ádám Szabó
- Magnetic Resonance Research Centre, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Patrícia Polgár
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Kinga Farkas
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Gyula Gyebnár
- Magnetic Resonance Research Centre, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Lajos R. Kozák
- Magnetic Resonance Research Centre, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Gábor Stefanics
- Translational Neuromodeling Unit (TNU), Institute for Biomedical Engineering, University of Zurich & ETH Zurich, Wilfriedstrasse 6, 8032, Zurich, Switzerland
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10
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Antonucci LA, Penzel N, Pigoni A, Dominke C, Kambeitz J, Pergola G. Flexible and specific contributions of thalamic subdivisions to human cognition. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2021; 124:35-53. [PMID: 33497787 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.01.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2020] [Revised: 08/30/2020] [Accepted: 01/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
The thalamus participates in multiple functional brain networks supporting different cognitive abilities. How thalamo-cortical connections map onto the architecture of human cognition remains an outstanding question. The aim of this meta-analysis is to map co-activation between thalamic and extra-thalamic brain regions onto separate cognitive domains and to assess thalamic subdivision specificity within each of the cognitive domains considered. We parsed 93 fMRI studies into twelve cognitive domains. Signed Differential Mapping served to obtain co-activation maps. We then projected the contribution of thalamic subdivisions onto a thalamic atlas to assess cognitive domain specificity. A set of brain regions was flexibly involved with thalamus in several cognitive domains. Thalamic subdivisions showed ample cognitive heterogeneity. Our proposed model represents thalamic involvement in cognition as an "ensemble" of functional subdivisions with common cell properties embedded in separate cortical circuits rather than a homogeneous functional unit.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linda A Antonucci
- Department of Education, Psychology and Communication - University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy; Section for Neurodiagnostic Applications, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy - Ludwig Maximilians Universität, Munich, Germany; Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Neuroscience and Sense Organs - University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy.
| | - Nora Penzel
- Section for Neurodiagnostic Applications, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy - Ludwig Maximilians Universität, Munich, Germany; Department of Psychiatry University of Cologne, Medical Faculty Cologne Germany
| | - Alessandro Pigoni
- Section for Neurodiagnostic Applications, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy - Ludwig Maximilians Universität, Munich, Germany; Department of Neurosciences and Mental Health - Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Clara Dominke
- Section for Neurodiagnostic Applications, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy - Ludwig Maximilians Universität, Munich, Germany
| | - Joseph Kambeitz
- Department of Psychiatry University of Cologne, Medical Faculty Cologne Germany
| | - Giulio Pergola
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Neuroscience and Sense Organs - University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy; Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Johns Hopkins Medical Campus, Baltimore, MD, USA.
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Avram M, Rogg H, Korda A, Andreou C, Müller F, Borgwardt S. Bridging the Gap? Altered Thalamocortical Connectivity in Psychotic and Psychedelic States. Front Psychiatry 2021; 12:706017. [PMID: 34721097 PMCID: PMC8548726 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2021.706017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2021] [Accepted: 09/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Psychiatry has a well-established tradition of comparing drug-induced experiences to psychotic symptoms, based on shared phenomena such as altered perceptions. The present review focuses on experiences induced by classic psychedelics, which are substances capable of eliciting powerful psychoactive effects, characterized by distortions/alterations of several neurocognitive processes (e.g., hallucinations). Herein we refer to such experiences as psychedelic states. Psychosis is a clinical syndrome defined by impaired reality testing, also characterized by impaired neurocognitive processes (e.g., hallucinations and delusions). In this review we refer to acute phases of psychotic disorders as psychotic states. Neuropharmacological investigations have begun to characterize the neurobiological mechanisms underpinning the shared and distinct neurophysiological changes observed in psychedelic and psychotic states. Mounting evidence indicates changes in thalamic filtering, along with disturbances in cortico-striato-pallido-thalamo-cortical (CSPTC)-circuitry, in both altered states. Notably, alterations in thalamocortical functional connectivity were reported by functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies. Thalamocortical dysconnectivity and its clinical relevance are well-characterized in psychotic states, particularly in schizophrenia research. Specifically, studies report hyperconnectivity between the thalamus and sensorimotor cortices and hypoconnectivity between the thalamus and prefrontal cortices, associated with patients' psychotic symptoms and cognitive disturbances, respectively. Intriguingly, studies also report hyperconnectivity between the thalamus and sensorimotor cortices in psychedelic states, correlating with altered visual and auditory perceptions. Taken together, the two altered states appear to share clinically and functionally relevant dysconnectivity patterns. In this review we discuss recent findings of thalamocortical dysconnectivity, its putative extension to CSPTC circuitry, along with its clinical implications and future directions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mihai Avram
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Schleswig Holstein University Hospital, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
| | - Helena Rogg
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Schleswig Holstein University Hospital, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
| | - Alexandra Korda
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Schleswig Holstein University Hospital, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
| | - Christina Andreou
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Schleswig Holstein University Hospital, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
| | - Felix Müller
- Department of Psychiatry (UPK), University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Stefan Borgwardt
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Schleswig Holstein University Hospital, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
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Steullet P. Thalamus-related anomalies as candidate mechanism-based biomarkers for psychosis. Schizophr Res 2020; 226:147-157. [PMID: 31147286 DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2019.05.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2019] [Revised: 05/15/2019] [Accepted: 05/17/2019] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Identification of reliable biomarkers of prognosis in subjects with high risk to psychosis is an essential step to improve care and treatment of this population of help-seekers. Longitudinal studies highlight some clinical criteria, cognitive deficits, patterns of gray matter alterations and profiles of blood metabolites that provide some levels of prediction regarding the conversion to psychosis. Further effort is warranted to validate these results and implement these types of approaches in clinical settings. Such biomarkers may however fall short in entangling the biological mechanisms underlying the disease progression, an essential step in the development of novel therapies. Circuit-based approaches, which map on well-identified cerebral functions, could meet these needs. Converging evidence indicates that thalamus abnormalities are central to schizophrenia pathophysiology, contributing to clinical symptoms, cognitive and sensory deficits. This review highlights the various thalamus-related anomalies reported in individuals with genetic risks and in the different phases of the disorder, from prodromal to chronic stages. Several anomalies are potent endophenotypes, while others exist in clinical high-risk subjects and worsen in those who convert to full psychosis. Aberrant functional coupling between thalamus and cortex, low glutamate content and readouts from resting EEG carry predictive values for transition to psychosis or functional outcome. In this context, thalamus-related anomalies represent a valuable entry point to tackle circuit-based alterations associated with the emergence of psychosis. This review also proposes that longitudinal surveys of neuroimaging, EEG readouts associated with circuits encompassing the mediodorsal, pulvinar in high-risk individuals could unveil biological mechanisms contributing to this psychiatric disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pascal Steullet
- Center of Psychiatric Neuroscience, Department of Psychiatry, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois, Site de Cery, 1008 Prilly-Lausanne, Switzerland.
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Di Carlo P, Pergola G, Antonucci LA, Bonvino A, Mancini M, Quarto T, Rampino A, Popolizio T, Bertolino A, Blasi G. Multivariate patterns of gray matter volume in thalamic nuclei are associated with positive schizotypy in healthy individuals. Psychol Med 2020; 50:1501-1509. [PMID: 31358071 DOI: 10.1017/s0033291719001430] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Previous models suggest biological and behavioral continua among healthy individuals (HC), at-risk condition, and full-blown schizophrenia (SCZ). Part of these continua may be captured by schizotypy, which shares subclinical traits and biological phenotypes with SCZ, including thalamic structural abnormalities. In this regard, previous findings have suggested that multivariate volumetric patterns of individual thalamic nuclei discriminate HC from SCZ. These results were obtained using machine learning, which allows case-control classification at the single-subject level. However, machine learning accuracy is usually unsatisfactory possibly due to phenotype heterogeneity. Indeed, a source of misclassification may be related to thalamic structural characteristics of those HC with high schizotypy, which may resemble structural abnormalities of SCZ. We hypothesized that thalamic structural heterogeneity is related to schizotypy, such that high schizotypal burden would implicate misclassification of those HC whose thalamic patterns resemble SCZ abnormalities. METHODS Following a previous report, we used Random Forests to predict diagnosis in a case-control sample (SCZ = 131, HC = 255) based on thalamic nuclei gray matter volumes estimates. Then, we investigated whether the likelihood to be classified as SCZ (π-SCZ) was associated with schizotypy in 174 HC, evaluated with the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire. RESULTS Prediction accuracy was 72.5%. Misclassified HC had higher positive schizotypy scores, which were correlated with π-SCZ. Results were specific to thalamic rather than whole-brain structural features. CONCLUSIONS These findings strengthen the relevance of thalamic structural abnormalities to SCZ and suggest that multivariate thalamic patterns are correlates of the continuum between schizotypy in HC and the full-blown disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pasquale Di Carlo
- Group of Psychiatric Neuroscience, Department of Basic Medical Science, Neuroscience, and Sense Organs - University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Johns Hopkins Medical Campus - Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Giulio Pergola
- Group of Psychiatric Neuroscience, Department of Basic Medical Science, Neuroscience, and Sense Organs - University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Johns Hopkins Medical Campus - Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Linda A Antonucci
- Group of Psychiatric Neuroscience, Department of Basic Medical Science, Neuroscience, and Sense Organs - University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy - Ludwig-Maximilians University, Munich, Germany
| | - Aurora Bonvino
- Group of Psychiatric Neuroscience, Department of Basic Medical Science, Neuroscience, and Sense Organs - University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy
- IRCCS 'Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza', San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy
| | - Marina Mancini
- Group of Psychiatric Neuroscience, Department of Basic Medical Science, Neuroscience, and Sense Organs - University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy
| | - Tiziana Quarto
- Group of Psychiatric Neuroscience, Department of Basic Medical Science, Neuroscience, and Sense Organs - University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy
| | - Antonio Rampino
- Group of Psychiatric Neuroscience, Department of Basic Medical Science, Neuroscience, and Sense Organs - University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy
- Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Consorziale Policlinico, Bari, Italy
| | - Teresa Popolizio
- IRCCS 'Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza', San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy
| | - Alessandro Bertolino
- Group of Psychiatric Neuroscience, Department of Basic Medical Science, Neuroscience, and Sense Organs - University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy
- Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Consorziale Policlinico, Bari, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Blasi
- Group of Psychiatric Neuroscience, Department of Basic Medical Science, Neuroscience, and Sense Organs - University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy
- Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Consorziale Policlinico, Bari, Italy
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14
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Antonucci LA, Pergola G, Pigoni A, Dwyer D, Kambeitz-Ilankovic L, Penzel N, Romano R, Gelao B, Torretta S, Rampino A, Trojano M, Caforio G, Falkai P, Blasi G, Koutsouleris N, Bertolino A. A Pattern of Cognitive Deficits Stratified for Genetic and Environmental Risk Reliably Classifies Patients With Schizophrenia From Healthy Control Subjects. Biol Psychiatry 2020; 87:697-707. [PMID: 31948640 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2019.11.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2019] [Revised: 10/23/2019] [Accepted: 11/04/2019] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Schizophrenia risk is associated with both genetic and environmental risk factors. Furthermore, cognitive abnormalities are established core characteristics of schizophrenia. We aim to assess whether a classification approach encompassing risk factors, cognition, and their associations can discriminate patients with schizophrenia (SCZs) from healthy control subjects (HCs). We hypothesized that cognition would demonstrate greater HC-SCZ classification accuracy and that combined gene-environment stratification would improve the discrimination performance of cognition. METHODS Genome-wide association study-based genetic, environmental, and neurocognitive classifiers were trained to separate 337 HCs from 103 SCZs using support vector classification and repeated nested cross-validation. We validated classifiers on independent datasets using within-diagnostic (SCZ) and cross-diagnostic (clinically isolated syndrome for multiple sclerosis, another condition with cognitive abnormalities) approaches. Then, we tested whether gene-environment multivariate stratification modulated the discrimination performance of the cognitive classifier in iterative subsamples. RESULTS The cognitive classifier discriminated SCZs from HCs with a balanced accuracy (BAC) of 88.7%, followed by environmental (BAC = 65.1%) and genetic (BAC = 55.5%) classifiers. Similar classification performance was measured in the within-diagnosis validation sample (HC-SCZ BACs, cognition = 70.5%; environment = 65.8%; genetics = 49.9%). The cognitive classifier was relatively specific to schizophrenia (HC-clinically isolated syndrome for multiple sclerosis BAC = 56.7%). Combined gene-environment stratification allowed cognitive features to classify HCs from SCZs with 89.4% BAC. CONCLUSIONS Consistent with cognitive deficits being core features of the phenotype of SCZs, our results suggest that cognitive features alone bear the greatest amount of information for classification of SCZs. Consistent with genes and environment being risk factors, gene-environment stratification modulates HC-SCZ classification performance of cognition, perhaps providing another target for refining early identification and intervention strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linda A Antonucci
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Ludwig-Maximilian-University, Munich, Germany; Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Neuroscience and Sense Organs, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy; Department of Education, Psychology and Communication, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy.
| | - Giulio Pergola
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Neuroscience and Sense Organs, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy; Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Johns Hopkins Medical Campus, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Alessandro Pigoni
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Ludwig-Maximilian-University, Munich, Germany; Department of Neurosciences and Mental Health, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Dominic Dwyer
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Ludwig-Maximilian-University, Munich, Germany
| | | | - Nora Penzel
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Ludwig-Maximilian-University, Munich, Germany
| | - Raffaella Romano
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Neuroscience and Sense Organs, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy
| | - Barbara Gelao
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Neuroscience and Sense Organs, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy
| | - Silvia Torretta
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Neuroscience and Sense Organs, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy
| | - Antonio Rampino
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Neuroscience and Sense Organs, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy; Bari University Hospital, Bari, Italy
| | - Maria Trojano
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Neuroscience and Sense Organs, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy; Bari University Hospital, Bari, Italy
| | - Grazia Caforio
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Neuroscience and Sense Organs, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy; Bari University Hospital, Bari, Italy
| | - Peter Falkai
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Ludwig-Maximilian-University, Munich, Germany
| | - Giuseppe Blasi
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Neuroscience and Sense Organs, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy; Bari University Hospital, Bari, Italy
| | - Nikolaos Koutsouleris
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Ludwig-Maximilian-University, Munich, Germany
| | - Alessandro Bertolino
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Neuroscience and Sense Organs, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy; Bari University Hospital, Bari, Italy.
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Multivariate classification of schizophrenia and its familial risk based on load-dependent attentional control brain functional connectivity. Neuropsychopharmacology 2020; 45:613-621. [PMID: 31581175 PMCID: PMC7021788 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-019-0532-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2019] [Revised: 09/01/2019] [Accepted: 09/15/2019] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Patients with schizophrenia (SCZ), as well as their unaffected siblings (SIB), show functional connectivity (FC) alterations during performance of tasks involving attention. As compared with SCZ, these alterations are present in SIB to a lesser extent and are more pronounced during high cognitive demand, thus possibly representing one of the pathways in which familial risk is translated into the SCZ phenotype. Our aim is to measure the separability of SCZ and SIB from healthy controls (HC) using attentional control-dependent FC patterns, and to test to which extent these patterns span a continuum of neurofunctional alterations between HC and SCZ. 65 SCZ with 65 age and gender-matched HC and 39 SIB with 39 matched HC underwent the Variable Attentional Control (VAC) task. Load-dependent connectivity matrices were generated according to correct responses in each VAC load. Classification performances of high, intermediate and low VAC load FC on HC-SCZ and HC-SIB cohorts were tested through machine learning techniques within a repeated nested cross-validation framework. HC-SCZ classification models were applied to the HC-SIB cohort, and vice-versa. A high load-related decreased FC pattern discriminated between HC and SCZ with 66.9% accuracy and with 57.7% accuracy between HC and SIB. A high load-related increased FC network separated SIB from HC (69.6% accuracy), but not SCZ from HC (48.5% accuracy). Our findings revealed signatures of attentional FC abnormalities shared by SCZ and SIB individuals. We also found evidence for potential, SIB-specific FC signature, which may point to compensatory neurofunctional mechanisms in persons at familial risk for schizophrenia.
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Gong J, Wang J, Luo X, Chen G, Huang H, Huang R, Huang L, Wang Y. Abnormalities of intrinsic regional brain activity in first-episode and chronic schizophrenia: a meta-analysis of resting-state functional MRI. J Psychiatry Neurosci 2020; 45:55-68. [PMID: 31580042 PMCID: PMC6919918 DOI: 10.1503/jpn.180245] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Resting-state functional MRI (fMRI) studies have provided much evidence for abnormal intrinsic brain activity in schizophrenia, but results have been inconsistent. METHODS We conducted a meta-analysis of whole-brain, resting-state fMRI studies that explored differences in amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF) between people with schizophrenia (including first episode and chronic) and healthy controls. RESULTS A systematic literature search identified 24 studies comparing a total of 1249 people with schizophrenia and 1179 healthy controls. Overall, patients with schizophrenia displayed decreased ALFF in the bilateral postcentral gyrus, bilateral precuneus, left inferior parietal gyri and right occipital lobe, and increased ALFF in the right putamen, right inferior frontal gyrus, left inferior temporal gyrus and right anterior cingulate cortex. In the subgroup analysis, patients with first-episode schizophrenia demonstrated decreased ALFF in the bilateral inferior parietal gyri, right precuneus and left medial prefrontal cortex, and increased ALFF in the bilateral putamen and bilateral occipital gyrus. Patients with chronic schizophrenia showed decreased ALFF in the bilateral postcentral gyrus, left precuneus and right occipital gyrus, and increased ALFF in the bilateral inferior frontal gyri, bilateral superior frontal gyrus, left amygdala, left inferior temporal gyrus, right anterior cingulate cortex and left insula. LIMITATIONS The small sample size of our subgroup analysis, predominantly Asian samples, processing steps and publication bias could have limited the accuracy of the results. CONCLUSION Our comprehensive meta-analysis suggests that findings of aberrant regional intrinsic brain activity during the initial stages of schizophrenia, and much more widespread damage with the progression of disease, may contribute to our understanding of the progressive pathophysiology of schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiaying Gong
- From the Medical Imaging Center, First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou China (Gong, Luo, Chen, Huang, Wang); the Department of Radiology, Six Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China (Gong); the Department of Applied Psychology, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, Guangzhou, China (Wang); the School of Psychology, Institute of Brain Research and Rehabilitation (IBRR), Center for the Study of Applied Psychology & MRI Center, Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science of Guangdong Province, South China Normal University, Guangzhou China (Huang, Huang)
| | - Junjing Wang
- From the Medical Imaging Center, First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou China (Gong, Luo, Chen, Huang, Wang); the Department of Radiology, Six Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China (Gong); the Department of Applied Psychology, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, Guangzhou, China (Wang); the School of Psychology, Institute of Brain Research and Rehabilitation (IBRR), Center for the Study of Applied Psychology & MRI Center, Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science of Guangdong Province, South China Normal University, Guangzhou China (Huang, Huang)
| | - Xiaomei Luo
- From the Medical Imaging Center, First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou China (Gong, Luo, Chen, Huang, Wang); the Department of Radiology, Six Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China (Gong); the Department of Applied Psychology, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, Guangzhou, China (Wang); the School of Psychology, Institute of Brain Research and Rehabilitation (IBRR), Center for the Study of Applied Psychology & MRI Center, Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science of Guangdong Province, South China Normal University, Guangzhou China (Huang, Huang)
| | - Guanmao Chen
- From the Medical Imaging Center, First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou China (Gong, Luo, Chen, Huang, Wang); the Department of Radiology, Six Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China (Gong); the Department of Applied Psychology, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, Guangzhou, China (Wang); the School of Psychology, Institute of Brain Research and Rehabilitation (IBRR), Center for the Study of Applied Psychology & MRI Center, Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science of Guangdong Province, South China Normal University, Guangzhou China (Huang, Huang)
| | - Huiyuan Huang
- From the Medical Imaging Center, First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou China (Gong, Luo, Chen, Huang, Wang); the Department of Radiology, Six Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China (Gong); the Department of Applied Psychology, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, Guangzhou, China (Wang); the School of Psychology, Institute of Brain Research and Rehabilitation (IBRR), Center for the Study of Applied Psychology & MRI Center, Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science of Guangdong Province, South China Normal University, Guangzhou China (Huang, Huang)
| | - Ruiwang Huang
- From the Medical Imaging Center, First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou China (Gong, Luo, Chen, Huang, Wang); the Department of Radiology, Six Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China (Gong); the Department of Applied Psychology, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, Guangzhou, China (Wang); the School of Psychology, Institute of Brain Research and Rehabilitation (IBRR), Center for the Study of Applied Psychology & MRI Center, Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science of Guangdong Province, South China Normal University, Guangzhou China (Huang, Huang)
| | - Li Huang
- From the Medical Imaging Center, First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou China (Gong, Luo, Chen, Huang, Wang); the Department of Radiology, Six Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China (Gong); the Department of Applied Psychology, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, Guangzhou, China (Wang); the School of Psychology, Institute of Brain Research and Rehabilitation (IBRR), Center for the Study of Applied Psychology & MRI Center, Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science of Guangdong Province, South China Normal University, Guangzhou China (Huang, Huang)
| | - Ying Wang
- From the Medical Imaging Center, First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou China (Gong, Luo, Chen, Huang, Wang); the Department of Radiology, Six Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China (Gong); the Department of Applied Psychology, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, Guangzhou, China (Wang); the School of Psychology, Institute of Brain Research and Rehabilitation (IBRR), Center for the Study of Applied Psychology & MRI Center, Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science of Guangdong Province, South China Normal University, Guangzhou China (Huang, Huang)
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Thalamic connectivity measured with fMRI is associated with a polygenic index predicting thalamo-prefrontal gene co-expression. Brain Struct Funct 2019; 224:1331-1344. [DOI: 10.1007/s00429-019-01843-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2018] [Accepted: 01/31/2019] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
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Attachment style: The neurobiological substrate, interaction with genetics and role in neurodevelopmental disorders risk pathways. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2018; 95:515-527. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2018.11.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2018] [Revised: 10/28/2018] [Accepted: 11/02/2018] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
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Pergola G, Danet L, Pitel AL, Carlesimo GA, Segobin S, Pariente J, Suchan B, Mitchell AS, Barbeau EJ. The Regulatory Role of the Human Mediodorsal Thalamus. Trends Cogn Sci 2018; 22:1011-1025. [PMID: 30236489 PMCID: PMC6198112 DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2018.08.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 111] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2018] [Revised: 07/31/2018] [Accepted: 08/17/2018] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
The function of the human mediodorsal thalamic nucleus (MD) has so far eluded a clear definition in terms of specific cognitive processes and tasks. Although it was at first proposed to play a role in long-term memory, a set of recent studies in animals and humans has revealed a more complex, and broader, role in several cognitive functions. The MD seems to play a multifaceted role in higher cognitive functions together with the prefrontal cortex and other cortical and subcortical brain areas. Specifically, we propose that the MD is involved in the regulation of cortical networks especially when the maintenance and temporal extension of persistent activity patterns in the frontal lobe areas are required.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giulio Pergola
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Neuroscience and Sense Organs, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari 70124, Italy.
| | - Lola Danet
- Toulouse NeuroImaging Center, Université de Toulouse, Inserm, UPS 31024, France; CHU Toulouse Purpan, Neurology Department, Toulouse 31059, France
| | - Anne-Lise Pitel
- Normandie University, UNICAEN, PSL Research University, EPHE, INSERM, U1077, CHU de Caen, Neuropsychologie et Imagerie de la Mémoire Humaine, 14000 Caen, France
| | - Giovanni A Carlesimo
- Department of Systems Medicine, Tor Vergata University and S. Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy
| | - Shailendra Segobin
- Normandie University, UNICAEN, PSL Research University, EPHE, INSERM, U1077, CHU de Caen, Neuropsychologie et Imagerie de la Mémoire Humaine, 14000 Caen, France
| | - Jérémie Pariente
- Toulouse NeuroImaging Center, Université de Toulouse, Inserm, UPS 31024, France; CHU Toulouse Purpan, Neurology Department, Toulouse 31059, France
| | - Boris Suchan
- Clinical Neuropsychology, Ruhr University Bochum, Universitätsstrasse 150, 44801 Bochum, Germany
| | - Anna S Mitchell
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, The Tinsley Building, Mansfield Road, Oxford OX1 3SR, UK; Equivalent contribution as last authors.
| | - Emmanuel J Barbeau
- Centre de recherche Cerveau et Cognition, UMR5549, Université de Toulouse - CNRS, Toulouse 31000, France; Equivalent contribution as last authors
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Rikandi E, Mäntylä T, Lindgren M, Kieseppä T, Suvisaari J, Raij TT. Connectivity of the precuneus-posterior cingulate cortex with the anterior cingulate cortex-medial prefrontal cortex differs consistently between control subjects and first-episode psychosis patients during a movie stimulus. Schizophr Res 2018; 199:235-242. [PMID: 29588124 DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2018.03.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2017] [Revised: 01/10/2018] [Accepted: 03/11/2018] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Functional connectivity is altered in psychotic disorders. Multiple findings concentrate on the default mode network, anchored on the precuneus-posterior cingulate cortex (PC-PCC). However, the nature of the alterations varies between studies and connectivity alterations have not been studied during an ecologically valid natural stimulus. In the present study, we investigated the functional and structural connectivity of a PC-PCC region, where functioning differentiated first-episode psychosis patients from control subjects during free viewing of a movie in our earlier study. METHODS 14 first-episode psychosis patients and 12 control subjects were imaged with GE 3T, and 29 patients and 19 control subjects were imaged with a Siemens Skyra 3T scanner while watching scenes from the movie Alice in Wonderland. Group differences in functional connectivity were analysed for both scanners separately and results were compared to identify any overlap. Diffusion tensor measures of 26 patients and 19 control subjects were compared for the related white matter tracts, identified by deterministic tractography. RESULTS Functional connectivity was increased in patients across scanners between the midline regions of the PC-PCC and the anterior cingulate cortex-medial prefrontal cortex (ACC-mPFC). We found no group differences in any of the diffusion tensor imaging measures. CONCLUSIONS Already in the early stages of psychosis functional connectivity between the midline structures of the PC-PCC and the ACC-mPFC is consistently increased during naturalistic stimulus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva Rikandi
- Mental Health Unit, National Institute for Health and Welfare, Helsinki, Finland; Department of Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering, and Advanced Magnetic Imaging Centre, Aalto NeuroImaging, Aalto University School of Science, Espoo, Finland; Department of Psychology and Logopedics, Faculty of Medicine, Helsinki University, Helsinki, Finland.
| | - Teemu Mäntylä
- Mental Health Unit, National Institute for Health and Welfare, Helsinki, Finland; Department of Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering, and Advanced Magnetic Imaging Centre, Aalto NeuroImaging, Aalto University School of Science, Espoo, Finland; Department of Psychology and Logopedics, Faculty of Medicine, Helsinki University, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Maija Lindgren
- Mental Health Unit, National Institute for Health and Welfare, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Tuula Kieseppä
- Department of Psychiatry, Helsinki University and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Jaana Suvisaari
- Mental Health Unit, National Institute for Health and Welfare, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Tuukka T Raij
- Department of Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering, and Advanced Magnetic Imaging Centre, Aalto NeuroImaging, Aalto University School of Science, Espoo, Finland; Department of Psychiatry, Helsinki University and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland
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Passiatore R, Antonucci L, Di Carlo P, Papalino M, Monda A, Taurisano P, Bertolino A, Pergola G, Blasi G. A thalamo-cortical genetic co-expression network is associated with thalamic functional connectivity linked with familial risk for schizophrenia. Eur Psychiatry 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.eurpsy.2017.01.1617] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022] Open
Abstract
IntroductionThe genetic architecture of schizophrenia is based on polygenic trajectories. Indeed, genes converge on molecular co-expression pathways, which may be associated with heritable characteristics of patients and their siblings, called intermediate phenotypes, such as prefrontal anomalies and thalamic dysconnectivity during attentional control [2].ObjectivesHere, we investigated in healthy humans association between co-expression of genes with coordinated thalamo-prefrontal (THA-PFC) expression and functional connectivity during attentional control.MethodsWe used Brainspan dataset to characterize a coordinated THA-PFC expression gene list by correlating post-mortem gene expression in both areas (Kendall's Tau>.76, Bonferroni P < .05). Then, we identified a PFC co-expression network1 and tested all gene sets for THA-PFC and PGC loci [3] enrichments (P < .05). SNPs associated with the first principal component of the resulting enriched gene set were combined in a Polygenic Co-Expression Index (PCI) [1]. We conducted Independent Component Analysis (ICA) on attentional control fMRI data (n = 265) and selected Independent Components (ICs) including the thalamus and being highly correlated with an attentional control network2. Multiple regressions were conducted (predictor: PCI) using a thalamic cluster previously associated with familial risk for schizophrenia [2] as ROI (FWE P < .05).ResultsIn one of the 8 ICs of interest there was a positive effect of PCI on thalamic connectivity strength in a cluster overlapping with our ROI (Z = 4.3).ConclusionDecreased co-expression of genes included in PCI predicts thalamic dysconnectivity during attentional control, suggesting a novel co-regulated molecular pathway potentially implicated in genetic risk for schizophrenia.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.
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Pergola G, Trizio S, Di Carlo P, Taurisano P, Mancini M, Amoroso N, Nettis MA, Andriola I, Caforio G, Popolizio T, Rampino A, Di Giorgio A, Bertolino A, Blasi G. Grey matter volume patterns in thalamic nuclei are associated with familial risk for schizophrenia. Schizophr Res 2017; 180:13-20. [PMID: 27449252 DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2016.07.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2016] [Revised: 07/05/2016] [Accepted: 07/07/2016] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Previous evidence suggests reduced thalamic grey matter volume (GMV) in patients with schizophrenia (SCZ). However, it is not considered an intermediate phenotype for schizophrenia, possibly because previous studies did not assess the contribution of individual thalamic nuclei and employed univariate statistics. Here, we hypothesized that multivariate statistics would reveal an association of GMV in different thalamic nuclei with familial risk for schizophrenia. We also hypothesized that accounting for the heterogeneity of thalamic GMV in healthy controls would improve the detection of subjects at familial risk for the disorder. We acquired MRI scans for 96 clinically stable SCZ, 55 non-affected siblings of patients with schizophrenia (SIB), and 249 HC. The thalamus was parceled into seven regions of interest (ROIs). After a canonical univariate analysis, we used GMV estimates of thalamic ROIs, together with total thalamic GMV and premorbid intelligence, as features in Random Forests to classify HC, SIB, and SCZ. Then, we computed a Misclassification Index for each individual and tested the improvement in SIB detection after excluding a subsample of HC misclassified as patients. Random Forests discriminated SCZ from HC (accuracy=81%) and SIB from HC (accuracy=75%). Left anteromedial thalamic volumes were significantly associated with both multivariate classifications (p<0.05). Excluding HC misclassified as SCZ improved greatly HC vs. SIB classification (Cohen's d=1.39). These findings suggest that multivariate statistics identify a familial background associated with thalamic GMV reduction in SCZ. They also suggest the relevance of inter-individual variability of GMV patterns for the discrimination of individuals at familial risk for the disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giulio Pergola
- Department of Basic Medical Science, Neuroscience, and Sense Organs, University of Bari 'Aldo Moro', Piazza Giulio Cesare 11, 70124 Bari, Italy
| | - Silvestro Trizio
- Department of Basic Medical Science, Neuroscience, and Sense Organs, University of Bari 'Aldo Moro', Piazza Giulio Cesare 11, 70124 Bari, Italy
| | - Pasquale Di Carlo
- Department of Basic Medical Science, Neuroscience, and Sense Organs, University of Bari 'Aldo Moro', Piazza Giulio Cesare 11, 70124 Bari, Italy
| | - Paolo Taurisano
- Department of Basic Medical Science, Neuroscience, and Sense Organs, University of Bari 'Aldo Moro', Piazza Giulio Cesare 11, 70124 Bari, Italy
| | - Marina Mancini
- Department of Basic Medical Science, Neuroscience, and Sense Organs, University of Bari 'Aldo Moro', Piazza Giulio Cesare 11, 70124 Bari, Italy
| | - Nicola Amoroso
- National Institute of Nuclear of Physics-Branch of Bari, Via E. Orabona 4, 70125 Bari, Italy; Interuniversity Department of Physics 'M. Merlin', University of Bari 'Aldo Moro', Via E. Orabona 4, 70125 Bari, Italy
| | - Maria Antonietta Nettis
- Department of Basic Medical Science, Neuroscience, and Sense Organs, University of Bari 'Aldo Moro', Piazza Giulio Cesare 11, 70124 Bari, Italy
| | - Ileana Andriola
- Department of Basic Medical Science, Neuroscience, and Sense Organs, University of Bari 'Aldo Moro', Piazza Giulio Cesare 11, 70124 Bari, Italy
| | - Grazia Caforio
- Psychiatry Unit, Bari University Hospital, Piazza Giulio Cesare 11, 70124, Bari, Italy
| | - Teresa Popolizio
- IRCCS "Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza", Viale Cappuccini, 1, I-71013 San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy
| | - Antonio Rampino
- Department of Basic Medical Science, Neuroscience, and Sense Organs, University of Bari 'Aldo Moro', Piazza Giulio Cesare 11, 70124 Bari, Italy; Psychiatry Unit, Bari University Hospital, Piazza Giulio Cesare 11, 70124, Bari, Italy
| | - Annabella Di Giorgio
- IRCCS "Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza", Viale Cappuccini, 1, I-71013 San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy
| | - Alessandro Bertolino
- Department of Basic Medical Science, Neuroscience, and Sense Organs, University of Bari 'Aldo Moro', Piazza Giulio Cesare 11, 70124 Bari, Italy; Psychiatry Unit, Bari University Hospital, Piazza Giulio Cesare 11, 70124, Bari, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Blasi
- Psychiatry Unit, Bari University Hospital, Piazza Giulio Cesare 11, 70124, Bari, Italy; IRCCS "Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza", Viale Cappuccini, 1, I-71013 San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy.
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