MRI Study for the Features of Brain Conduction Pathways in Patients with an Ultra-High Risk of Endogenous Psychoses

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Radiology
• Psychiatry

Background:

• Schizophrenia pathogenesis involves frontal and temporal lobe disturbances.
• Ultra-high risk for psychosis (UHR) individuals may exhibit early neuropathological changes.
• Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) can detect microstructural alterations in brain white matter.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate diffusion parameters in brain tracts of men at UHR of endogenous attack-like psychoses.
• To correlate these diffusion parameters with the severity of mental disorders using the SOPS scale.
• To explore the role of white matter integrity in the early stages of psychosis.

Main Methods:

• Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) was used to measure fractional anisotropy, average, radial, and axial diffusion.
• 18 brain tracts were analyzed in 27 UHR men and 27 healthy controls.
• Correlation analysis was performed between diffusion parameters and SOPS scores.

Main Results:

• Radial and axial diffusion indexes changed in the left anterior thalamic radiation and right posterior cingulum bundle, respectively.
• Diffusion parameters in the left and right anterior cingulum bundle correlated with the degree of mental disorders.
• Findings support the involvement of frontal and temporal lobe white matter alterations in psychosis.

Conclusions:

• Altered diffusion in specific white matter tracts is associated with UHR for psychosis.
• The degree of mental disorder severity is linked to diffusion parameter changes in the anterior cingulum bundle.
• These findings contribute to understanding the neurobiological underpinnings of schizophrenia development.