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Published on: March 21, 2019
Functional connectivity and brain networks in schizophrenia
Mary-Ellen Lynall1, Danielle S Bassett, Robert Kerwin
1Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom.
Summary
People with schizophrenia exhibit altered brain connectivity, showing decreased functional connectivity strength but increased diversity. Their brain networks are less hub-dominated, yet more robust to disruptions.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychiatry
- Computational Neuroscience
Background:
- Schizophrenia is increasingly understood as a disorder affecting large-scale brain network connectivity.
- Previous research suggests disruptions in functional connectivity and network topology are key features of schizophrenia.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate differences in functional connectivity strength and diversity between healthy individuals and those with schizophrenia.
- To analyze topological properties of brain functional networks in schizophrenia.
- To explore the relationship between connectivity metrics, network topology, and verbal fluency performance.
Main Methods:
- Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data were acquired from 15 healthy volunteers and 12 individuals with schizophrenia.
- Functional connectivity and network topology were analyzed across 72 cerebral regions using graph theory metrics.
- Analyses focused on the 0.06-0.125 Hz frequency band and thresholded interregional correlation matrices.
Main Results:
- Individuals with schizophrenia showed significantly decreased functional connectivity strength and increased functional connection diversity.
- Schizophrenic brain networks exhibited reduced clustering, small-worldness, and hub probability, but increased robustness.
- Specific regions, including medial parietal, premotor, cingulate, and right orbitofrontal cortex, showed localized reductions in degree and clustering.
Conclusions:
- Schizophrenia is associated with a less integrated, more diverse brain functional connectivity profile, characterized by a less hub-dominated network configuration.
- These connectivity alterations correlate with impaired verbal fluency performance.
- Despite behavioral disadvantages, schizophrenia brain networks demonstrate enhanced robustness to random perturbations, suggesting a potential compensatory mechanism.
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