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Hua JPY, Cummings J, Roach BJ, Fryer SL, Loewy RL, Stuart BK, Ford JM, Vinogradov S, Mathalon DH. Rich-club connectivity and structural connectome organization in youth at clinical high-risk for psychosis and individuals with early illness schizophrenia. Schizophr Res 2023; 255:110-121. [PMID: 36989668 PMCID: PMC10705845 DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2023.03.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2022] [Revised: 11/07/2022] [Accepted: 03/08/2023] [Indexed: 03/31/2023]
Abstract
Brain dysconnectivity has been posited as a biological marker of schizophrenia. Emerging schizophrenia connectome research has focused on rich-club organization, a tendency for brain hubs to be highly-interconnected but disproportionately vulnerable to dysconnectivity. However, less is known about rich-club organization in individuals at clinical high-risk for psychosis (CHR-P) and how it compares with abnormalities early in schizophrenia (ESZ). Combining diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), we examined rich-club and global network organization in CHR-P (n = 41) and ESZ (n = 70) relative to healthy controls (HC; n = 74) after accounting for normal aging. To characterize rich-club regions, we examined rich-club MRI morphometry (thickness, surface area). We also examined connectome metric associations with symptom severity, antipsychotic dosage, and in CHR-P specifically, transition to a full-blown psychotic disorder. ESZ had fewer connections among rich-club regions (ps < .024) relative to HC and CHR-P, with this reduction specific to the rich-club even after accounting for other connections in ESZ relative to HC (ps < .048). There was also cortical thinning of rich-club regions in ESZ (ps < .013). In contrast, there was no strong evidence of global network organization differences among the three groups. Although connectome abnormalities were not present in CHR-P overall, CHR-P converters to psychosis (n = 9) had fewer connections among rich-club regions (ps < .037) and greater modularity (ps < .037) compared to CHR-P non-converters (n = 19). Lastly, symptom severity and antipsychotic dosage were not significantly associated with connectome metrics (ps < .012). Findings suggest that rich-club and connectome organization abnormalities are present early in schizophrenia and in CHR-P individuals who subsequently transition to psychosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica P Y Hua
- Sierra Pacific Mental Illness Research Education and Clinical Centers, San Francisco VA Medical Center and the University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA; San Francisco VA Medical Center, San Francisco, CA 94121, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA; Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA
| | - Jennifer Cummings
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA; Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Brian J Roach
- San Francisco VA Medical Center, San Francisco, CA 94121, USA
| | - Susanna L Fryer
- San Francisco VA Medical Center, San Francisco, CA 94121, USA
| | - Rachel L Loewy
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Barbara K Stuart
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Judith M Ford
- San Francisco VA Medical Center, San Francisco, CA 94121, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Sophia Vinogradov
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Daniel H Mathalon
- San Francisco VA Medical Center, San Francisco, CA 94121, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA.
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Alkan E, Davies G, Evans SL. Cognitive impairment in schizophrenia: relationships with cortical thickness in fronto-temporal regions, and dissociability from symptom severity. NPJ SCHIZOPHRENIA 2021; 7:20. [PMID: 33737508 PMCID: PMC7973472 DOI: 10.1038/s41537-021-00149-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2020] [Accepted: 02/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Cognitive impairments are a core and persistent characteristic of schizophrenia with implications for daily functioning. These show only limited response to antipsychotic treatment and their neural basis is not well characterised. Previous studies point to relationships between cortical thickness and cognitive performance in fronto-temporal brain regions in schizophrenia patients (SZH). There is also evidence that these relationships might be independent of symptom severity, suggesting dissociable disease processes. We set out to explore these possibilities in a sample of 70 SZH and 72 age and gender-matched healthy controls (provided by the Center of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE)). Cortical thickness within fronto-temporal regions implicated by previous work was considered in relation to performance across various cognitive domains (from the MATRICS Cognitive Battery). Compared to controls, SZH had thinner cortices across most fronto-temporal regions and significantly lower performance on all cognitive domains. Robust relationships with cortical thickness were found: visual learning and attention performance correlated with bilateral superior and middle frontal thickness in SZH only. Correlations between attention performance and right transverse temporal thickness were also specific to SZH. Findings point to the importance of these regions for cognitive performance in SZH, possibly reflecting compensatory processes and/or aberrant connectivity. No links to symptom severity were observed in these regions, suggesting these relationships are dissociable from underlying psychotic symptomology. Findings enhance understanding of the brain structural underpinnings and possible aetiology of cognitive impairment in SZH.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erkan Alkan
- Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford, Surrey, UK
| | - Geoff Davies
- Brighton & Sussex Medical School/Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, Sussex, UK
| | - Simon L Evans
- Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford, Surrey, UK.
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