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Thalamic-insular dysconnectivity in schizophrenia: evidence from structural equation modeling.
Corrado Corradi-Dell'Acqua1, Luisa Tomelleri, Marcella Bellani
1Swiss Centre for Affective Sciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.
Human Brain Mapping
|April 13, 2011
Summary
Schizophrenia involves abnormal brain connections. This study reveals impaired right-hemisphere communication in patients, particularly involving relay areas like the thalamus and insula.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychiatry
Background:
- Schizophrenia is linked to frontolimbic abnormalities.
- Dysfunctional interactions in relay regions like the thalamus and anterior insula remain unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate right-hemisphere network integrity in schizophrenia.
- To examine structural connectivity involving the thalamus and anterior insula.
Main Methods:
- Gray matter volumes of five right-hemisphere regions were measured in 68 schizophrenia patients and 77 controls.
- Structural equation modeling analyzed connectivity between amygdala, thalamus, entorhinal cortex, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), and anterior insula.
Main Results:
- Altered path coefficients were found between thalamus-insula, amygdala-DLPFC, and entorhinal cortex-DLPFC.
- Schizophrenia patients showed stronger thalamus-insular connections than controls.
- Healthy controls had distinct entorhinal-DLPFC and amygdalar-DLPFC connections absent in patients.
Conclusions:
- Schizophrenia is characterized by an impaired right-hemisphere network.
- Intrahemispheric communication involving relay structures plays a key role in schizophrenia pathophysiology.
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