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Reduction of Interhemispheric Functional Connectivity in Sensorimotor and Visual Information Processing Pathways in
Xu Lang1, Le Wang2, Chuan-Jun Zhuo3
1Department of Radiology and Tianjin Key Laboratory of Functional Imaging, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin 300052, China.
Chinese Medical Journal
|October 18, 2016
Summary
Reduced interhemispheric functional connectivity in visual and sensorimotor regions was observed in schizophrenia patients, irrespective of disease remission status. This finding suggests reduced connectivity may be a trait marker for schizophrenia.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychiatry
- Medical Imaging
Background:
- Previous research indicates altered interhemispheric functional connectivity in schizophrenia.
- The link between these connectivity changes and schizophrenia disease state remains unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between interhemispheric functional connectivity and the disease state in schizophrenia.
- Utilize the voxel-mirrored homotopic connectivity (VMHC) method to assess these connections.
Main Methods:
- Recruited 36 schizophrenia patients with complete remission, 58 with incomplete remission, and 55 healthy controls.
- Calculated VMHC from resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data.
- Employed one-way ANOVA for group comparisons and post hoc analyses for region of interest (ROI) mean VMHC values.
Main Results:
- Significant VMHC differences were found in visual (inferior occipital, fusiform gyri) and sensorimotor (paracentral lobule) regions among the three groups (P < 0.05, FDR corrected).
- Patients in both remission subgroups showed lower VMHC in these regions compared to healthy controls (P < 0.05, Bonferroni corrected).
- No significant VMHC difference was observed between the complete and incomplete remission patient subgroups.
Conclusions:
- Schizophrenia is associated with reduced interhemispheric functional connectivity in sensorimotor and visual processing pathways.
- This reduction is independent of the disease state (remission status).
- These connectivity alterations may represent a potential trait marker for schizophrenia.
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