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Maximo JO, Briend F, Armstrong WP, Kraguljac NV, Lahti AC. Higher-order functional brain networks and anterior cingulate glutamate + glutamine (Glx) in antipsychotic-naïve first episode psychosis patients. Transl Psychiatry 2024; 14:183. [PMID: 38600117 PMCID: PMC11006887 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-024-02854-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2022] [Revised: 02/07/2024] [Accepted: 02/26/2024] [Indexed: 04/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Human connectome studies have provided abundant data consistent with the hypothesis that functional dysconnectivity is predominant in psychosis spectrum disorders. Converging lines of evidence also suggest an interaction between dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) cortical glutamate with higher-order functional brain networks (FC) such as the default mode (DMN), dorsal attention (DAN), and executive control networks (ECN) in healthy controls (HC) and this mechanism may be impaired in psychosis. Data from 70 antipsychotic-medication naïve first-episode psychosis (FEP) and 52 HC were analyzed. 3T Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) data were acquired from a voxel in the dACC and assessed correlations (positive FC) and anticorrelations (negative FC) of the DMN, DAN, and ECN. We then performed regressions to assess associations between glutamate + glutamine (Glx) with positive and negative FC of these same networks and compared them between groups. We found alterations in positive and negative FC in all networks (HC > FEP). A relationship between dACC Glx and positive and negative FC was found in both groups, but when comparing these relationships between groups, we found contrasting associations between these variables in FEP patients compared to HC. We demonstrated that both positive and negative FC in three higher-order resting state networks are already altered in antipsychotic-naïve FEP, underscoring the importance of also considering anticorrelations for optimal characterization of large-scale functional brain networks as these represent biological processes as well. Our data also adds to the growing body of evidence supporting the role of dACC cortical Glx as a mechanism underlying alterations in functional brain network connectivity. Overall, the implications for these findings are imperative as this particular mechanism may differ in untreated or chronic psychotic patients; therefore, understanding this mechanism prior to treatment could better inform clinicians.Clinical trial registration: Trajectories of Treatment Response as Window into the Heterogeneity of Psychosis: A Longitudinal Multimodal Imaging Study, NCT03442101 . Glutamate, Brain Connectivity and Duration of Untreated Psychosis (DUP), NCT02034253 .
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Affiliation(s)
- Jose O Maximo
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurobiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Frederic Briend
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurobiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
- UMR1253, iBrain, Université de Tours, Inserm, Tours, France
| | - William P Armstrong
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurobiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Nina V Kraguljac
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurobiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Adrienne C Lahti
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurobiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA.
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Chen X, Song X, Öngür D, Du F. Association of default-mode network neurotransmitters and inter-network functional connectivity in first episode psychosis. Neuropsychopharmacology 2023; 48:781-788. [PMID: 36788375 PMCID: PMC10066209 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-023-01546-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2022] [Revised: 01/31/2023] [Accepted: 02/02/2023] [Indexed: 02/16/2023]
Abstract
Multiple psychiatric disorders are characterized by a failure to suppress default-mode network (DMN) activity during tasks and by weaker anti-correlations between DMN and other brain networks at rest. However, the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying this phenomenon are poorly understood. At the cellular level, neuronal activity is regulated by multiple neurochemical processes including cycling of glutamate and GABA, the major excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitters in brain. By combining functional MRI and magnetic resonance spectroscopy techniques, it has been shown that the neurotransmitter concentrations in DMN modulate not only functional activity during cognitive tasks, but also the functional connectivity between DMN and other brain networks such as frontoparietal executive control network (CN) at rest in the healthy brain. In the current study, we extend previous research to first episode psychosis (FEP) patients and their relatives. We detected higher glutamate (Glu) levels in the medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC) in FEP compared to healthy controls without a significant difference in GABA. We also observed a significantly lower functional anti-correlated connectivity between critical nodes within the DMN (MPFC) and CN (DLPFC) in FEP. Furthermore, the relationship between MPFC Glu and GABA concentrations and the functional anti-correlation that is seen in healthy people was absent in FEP patients. These findings imply that both the DMN Glu level and the interaction between DMN and CN are affected by the illness, as is the association between neurochemistry and functional connectivity. A better understanding of this observation could provide opportunities for developing novel treatment strategies for psychosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xi Chen
- Psychotic Disorders Division, McLean Hospital, Belmont, CA, 02478, USA
- McLean Imaging Center, McLean Hospital, Belmont, CA, 02478, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Xiaopeng Song
- Psychotic Disorders Division, McLean Hospital, Belmont, CA, 02478, USA
- McLean Imaging Center, McLean Hospital, Belmont, CA, 02478, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
- Wuhan Zhongke Industrial Research Institute of Medical Science, Wuhan, Hubei, 430075, China
| | - Dost Öngür
- Psychotic Disorders Division, McLean Hospital, Belmont, CA, 02478, USA.
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.
| | - Fei Du
- Psychotic Disorders Division, McLean Hospital, Belmont, CA, 02478, USA
- McLean Imaging Center, McLean Hospital, Belmont, CA, 02478, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
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Lahti AC. Discovery of early schizophrenia through neuroimaging. Psychiatry Res 2023; 322:114993. [PMID: 36773467 DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2022.114993] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2022] [Revised: 11/22/2022] [Accepted: 11/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
In order to understand the pathophysiology of schizophrenia we carried out a number of brain imaging studies in both medicated and unmedicated patients. In addition, to help unravel the pathophysiological mechanisms without the confound of prior exposure to antipsychotic medication or chronicity, we enrolled a large group of antipsychotic medication-naïve first episode psychosis patients at first treatment contact, and performed longitudinal multimodal neuroimaging studies over several months. In unmedicated patients we found both functional and structural connectivity alterations. Similarly, in medication-naïve patients we replicated many of our prior findings, suggesting that functional and structural connectivity alterations are core pathological features of the illness. We found that a longer duration of untreated psychosis, i.e. the time between first symptom onset and initial treatment contact, was associated with greater structural and functional connectivity abnormalities, which in turn was associated with worse subsequent clinical response to treatment. These results underscore the critical importance of early identification and treatment in patients with psychosis spectrum disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adrienne C Lahti
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurobiology, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, United States.
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Bavato F, Esposito F, Dornbierer DA, Zölch N, Quednow BB, Staempfli P, Landolt HP, Seifritz E, Bosch OG. Subacute changes in brain functional network connectivity after nocturnal sodium oxybate intake are associated with anterior cingulate GABA. Cereb Cortex 2023:7086058. [DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhad097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2022] [Revised: 03/01/2023] [Accepted: 03/02/2023] [Indexed: 03/29/2023] Open
Abstract
AbstractSodium oxybate (γ-hydroxybutyrate, GHB) is an endogenous GHB/GABAB receptor agonist, clinically used to promote slow-wave sleep and reduce next-day sleepiness in disorders such as narcolepsy and fibromyalgia. The neurobiological signature of these unique therapeutic effects remains elusive. Promising current neuropsychopharmacological approaches to understand the neural underpinnings of specific drug effects address cerebral resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) patterns and neurometabolic alterations. Hence, we performed a placebo-controlled, double-blind, randomized, cross-over pharmacological magnetic resonance imaging study with a nocturnal administration of GHB, combined with magnetic resonance spectroscopy of GABA and glutamate in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). In sum, 16 healthy male volunteers received 50 mg/kg GHB p.o. or placebo at 02:30 a.m. to maximize deep sleep enhancement and multi-modal brain imaging was performed at 09:00 a.m. of the following morning. Independent component analysis of whole-brain rsFC revealed a significant increase of rsFC between the salience network (SN) and the right central executive network (rCEN) after GHB intake compared with placebo. This SN-rCEN coupling was significantly associated with changes in GABA levels in the ACC (pall < 0.05). The observed neural pattern is compatible with a functional switch to a more extrinsic brain state, which may serve as a neurobiological signature of the wake-promoting effects of GHB.
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Zahid U, Onwordi EC, Hedges EP, Wall MB, Modinos G, Murray RM, Egerton A. Neurofunctional correlates of glutamate and GABA imbalance in psychosis: A systematic review. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2023; 144:105010. [PMID: 36549375 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.105010] [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] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2022] [Revised: 12/01/2022] [Accepted: 12/15/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Glutamatergic and GABAergic dysfunction are implicated in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. Previous work has shown relationships between glutamate, GABA, and brain activity in healthy volunteers. We conducted a systematic review to evaluate whether these relationships are disrupted in psychosis. Primary outcomes were the relationship between metabolite levels and fMRI BOLD response in psychosis relative to healthy volunteers. 17 case-control studies met inclusion criteria (594 patients and 538 healthy volunteers). Replicated findings included that in psychosis, positive associations between ACC glutamate levels and brain activity are reduced during resting state conditions and increased during cognitive control tasks, and negative relationships between GABA and local activation in the ACC are reduced. There was evidence that antipsychotic medication may alter the relationship between glutamate levels and brain activity. Emerging literature is providing insights into disrupted relationships between neurometabolites and brain activity in psychosis. Future studies determining a link to clinical variables may develop this approach for biomarker applications, including development or targeting novel therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Uzma Zahid
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, UK; Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, UK.
| | - Ellis C Onwordi
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, UK; MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital Campus, London, UK; Institute of Clinical Sciences (ICS), Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK; South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, Camberwell, London, UK
| | - Emily P Hedges
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, UK
| | - Matthew B Wall
- Invicro London, Hammersmith Hospital, UK; Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, UK; Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, UK
| | - Gemma Modinos
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, UK
| | - Robin M Murray
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, UK
| | - Alice Egerton
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, UK
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Neacsiu AD, Szymkiewicz V, Galla JT, Li B, Kulkarni Y, Spector CW. The neurobiology of misophonia and implications for novel, neuroscience-driven interventions. Front Neurosci 2022; 16:893903. [PMID: 35958984 PMCID: PMC9359080 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2022.893903] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2022] [Accepted: 06/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Decreased tolerance in response to specific every-day sounds (misophonia) is a serious, debilitating disorder that is gaining rapid recognition within the mental health community. Emerging research findings suggest that misophonia may have a unique neural signature. Specifically, when examining responses to misophonic trigger sounds, differences emerge at a physiological and neural level from potentially overlapping psychopathologies. While these findings are preliminary and in need of replication, they support the hypothesis that misophonia is a unique disorder. In this theoretical paper, we begin by reviewing the candidate networks that may be at play in this complex disorder (e.g., regulatory, sensory, and auditory). We then summarize current neuroimaging findings in misophonia and present areas of overlap and divergence from other mental health disorders that are hypothesized to co-occur with misophonia (e.g., obsessive compulsive disorder). Future studies needed to further our understanding of the neuroscience of misophonia will also be discussed. Next, we introduce the potential of neurostimulation as a tool to treat neural dysfunction in misophonia. We describe how neurostimulation research has led to novel interventions in psychiatric disorders, targeting regions that may also be relevant to misophonia. The paper is concluded by presenting several options for how neurostimulation interventions for misophonia could be crafted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrada D. Neacsiu
- Duke Center for Misophonia and Emotion Regulation, Duke Brain Stimulation Research Center, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, School of Medicine, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States
- *Correspondence: Andrada D. Neacsiu,
| | - Victoria Szymkiewicz
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States
| | - Jeffrey T. Galla
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States
| | - Brenden Li
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States
| | - Yashaswini Kulkarni
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States
| | - Cade W. Spector
- Department of Philosophy, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States
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Palaniyappan L, Venkatasubramanian G. The Bayesian brain and cooperative communication in schizophrenia. J Psychiatry Neurosci 2022; 47:E48-E54. [PMID: 35135834 PMCID: PMC8834248 DOI: 10.1503/jpn.210231] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Lena Palaniyappan
- From the Department of Psychiatry, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University, London, Ont., Canada (Palaniyappan); the Robart Research Institute & Lawson Health Research Institute, London, Ont., Canada (Palaniyappan); and the InSTAR Program, Schizophrenia Clinic, Department of Psychiatry, National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences, Bangalore, India (Venkatasubramanian)
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