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Cerebral white matter structure is associated with DSM-5 schizophrenia symptom dimensions

Petra V Viher1, Katharina Stegmayer1, Stéphanie Giezendanner1

  • 1Translational Research Center, University Hospital of Psychiatry, Bern, Switzerland.

Neuroimage. Clinical
|July 14, 2016
PubMed

Insights

This study found that white matter abnormalities in schizophrenia are linked to specific symptoms. Abnormal psychomotor behavior relates to motor tracts, while negative symptoms are associated with prefrontal and temporal lobe white matter.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroimaging
  • Psychiatry
  • Neuroscience

Background:

  • Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) studies indicate widespread white matter (WM) abnormalities in schizophrenia.
  • The clinical significance of these WM abnormalities is evident, but their link to specific symptoms remains limited and varied.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between white matter (WM) microstructure and the severity of the five main DSM-5 schizophrenia symptom dimensions.
  • To explore the relationship between specific WM abnormalities and distinct clinical presentations in schizophrenia spectrum disorders.

Main Methods:

  • Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) was performed on forty patients diagnosed with schizophrenia spectrum disorders.
  • Tract-Based Spatial Statistics (TBSS) were employed, controlling for age, gender, and antipsychotic dosage, to analyze WM microstructure.

Main Results:

  • Significant negative correlations were observed between WM microstructure and two DSM-5 symptom dimensions.
  • Abnormal psychomotor behavior was associated with WM in motor tracts.
  • Negative symptoms correlated with WM microstructure in the prefrontal and right temporal lobes.

Conclusions:

  • WM disconnectivity patterns serve as relevant markers for negative symptoms and abnormal psychomotor behavior in schizophrenia.
  • The study provides evidence linking specific brain structural abnormalities to aberrant behaviors in schizophrenia.
  • No significant associations were found between WM microstructure and delusions, hallucinations, or disorganized speech.
Keywords:
Diffusion tensor imagingMotor abnormalitiesNegative syndromeNeurobiological correlatesTract-Based Spatial Statistics

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