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Differential Time Course of Microstructural White Matter in Patients With Psychotic Disorder and Individuals at Risk:

Patrick Domen1, Sanne Peeters2,3, Stijn Michielse2

  • 1Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands; p.domen@maastrichtuniversity.nl.

Schizophrenia Bulletin
|May 19, 2016
PubMed
Abstract

Insights

White matter integrity declines in siblings of patients with psychotic disorders over three years, while remaining stable in patients. Both groups show reduced integrity compared to controls, suggesting psychosis liability involves white matter alterations.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroimaging
  • Psychiatry
  • Neuroscience

Background:

  • Reduced white matter (WM) integrity is a common finding in schizophrenia using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI).
  • The longitudinal course of these WM alterations remains largely unknown.
  • This study investigates how microstructural WM alterations change over time based on psychosis liability.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine the longitudinal trajectories of white matter microstructural alterations.
  • To compare these trajectories across patients with psychotic disorders, their nonpsychotic siblings, and healthy controls.
  • To determine the relationship between psychosis liability and the progression of white matter changes.

Main Methods:

  • Acquired two DTI scans from 159 participants (patients, siblings, controls) over a 3-year interval.
  • Utilized tract-based spatial statistics to process DTI data and calculated mean fractional anisotropy (FA) change over time.
  • Employed multilevel models to analyze group differences and group-by-region interactions in FA change.

Main Results:

  • Nonpsychotic siblings showed a significant decrease in mean FA over time compared to controls.
  • Patients with psychotic disorders did not exhibit significant change but had lower mean FA than controls at both time points.
  • Significant group-by-region interactions indicated differential FA change in specific white matter tracts, including the cingulum and corona radiata.

Conclusions:

  • Whole-brain mean FA remained stable in patients but declined in siblings over three years.
  • At follow-up, both patients and siblings had lower FA than controls.
  • These findings suggest that liability for psychosis is associated with a progressive process of white matter alterations.
Keywords:
diffusion tensor imagingdisease progressionpsychotic disordersiblings

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