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Cortical magnetization transfer abnormalities and connectome dysconnectivity in schizophrenia
Yongbin Wei1, Guusje Collin1, René C W Mandl1
1Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, Department of Psychiatry, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Schizophrenia Research
|June 12, 2017
Summary
Schizophrenia patients show disrupted cortical myelination in prefrontal areas. These microstructural changes in magnetization transfer ratio (MTR) correlate with macroscale brain network disconnectivity, revealing key neuropathology.
Area of Science:
- Neuroimaging
- Neuroscience
- Psychiatry
Background:
- Macroscale brain dysconnectivity is a hallmark of schizophrenia.
- The relationship between cortical myelination and this dysconnectivity is not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the link between in vivo cortical myelination, measured by magnetization transfer ratio (MTR), and macroscale dysconnectivity in schizophrenia.
Main Methods:
- Magnetization transfer imaging (MTI) and diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) data were acquired from 78 schizophrenia patients and 93 healthy controls.
- MTR was extracted, and brain connectomes were reconstructed to analyze cortical myelination and structural connectivity.
Main Results:
- Schizophrenia patients exhibited significant cortical MTR disruptions in prefrontal regions, including the rostral middle frontal, pars orbitalis, and frontal pole.
- These MTR alterations were significantly correlated with regional disconnectivity within the brain network.
Conclusions:
- Microstructural abnormalities in cortical myelination, particularly in prefrontal areas, are present in schizophrenia.
- These myelination deficits are associated with altered structural connectome architecture at a network level.
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