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Evidence for Network-Based Cortical Thickness Reductions in Schizophrenia.
Cassandra M J Wannan1, Vanessa L Cropley1, M Mallar Chakravarty1
1The Department of Psychiatry, Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, University of Melbourne and Melbourne Health, Carlton South, Victoria, Australia (Wannan, Cropley, Bousman, Ganella, T.W. Weickert, C.S. Weickert, McGorry, Velakoulis, Bartholomeusz, Pantelis, Zalesky); Orygen, the National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health, Parkville, Victoria, Australia (Wannan, Ganella, McGorry, Wood, Bartholomeusz); the Centre for Youth Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia (Wannan, Ganella, McGorry, Wood, Bartholomeusz); the Cooperative Research Centre for Mental Health, Victoria, Australia (Wannan, Bousman, Ganella, Everall, Pantelis); North Western Mental Health, Melbourne Health, Parkville, Victoria, Australia (Wannan, Ganella, Everall, Pantelis); Faculty of Health, Arts, and Design, the Brain and Psychological Sciences Research Centre, Swinburne University, Victoria, Australia (Cropley); the Florey Institute for Neurosciences and Mental Health, Parkville, Victoria, Australia (Bousman, Everall, Pantelis); the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Centre for Neural Engineering, University of Melbourne, Carlton South, Victoria, Australia (Everall, Pantelis); the Melbourne School of Engineering, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia (Everall, Pantelis, Zalesky); Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Alberta (Bousman); Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Alberta (Bousman); the Departments of Medical Genetics, Psychiatry, and Physiology and Pharmacology, University of Calgary, Alberta (Bousman); the Cerebral Imaging Centre, Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Montreal (Chakravarty); the Departments of Psychiatry and Biological and Biomedical Engineering, McGill University, Montreal (Chakravarty); the School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia (Bruggemann, T.W. Weickert, C.S. Weickert); Neuroscience Research Australia, Sydney, Australia (Bruggemann, T.W. Weickert, C.S. Weickert); the Schizophrenia Research Laboratory, Neuroscience Research Australia, Randwick, New South Wales, Australia (T.W. Weickert, C.S. Weickert); the School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, U.K. (Wood); the Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, N.Y. (T.W. Weickert, C.S. Weickert); and the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience, King's College London (Everall).
Brain network connectivity explains irregular cortical thickness reductions in schizophrenia patients across different illness stages. This robust finding highlights the importance of network architecture in understanding schizophrenia
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychiatry
- Brain Imaging
Background:
- Schizophrenia is characterized by irregular cortical thickness reductions across the brain.
- The distribution of these reductions suggests a potential role for underlying brain network architecture.
Purpose of the Study:
- To test the hypothesis that cortical connectivity networks explain the distribution of cortical thickness reductions in schizophrenia.
- To investigate if cortico-cortical connectivity is stronger between affected brain regions.
Main Methods:
- Structural brain imaging was used to assess cortical thickness in three schizophrenia cohorts (first-episode psychosis, chronic, treatment-resistant) and healthy controls.
- Structural covariance analysis quantified structural connectivity strength between cortical regions.
- Connectivity between regions with cortical thickness reductions was compared to random region pairs.
Main Results:
- Widespread cortical thickness reductions were observed, particularly in frontal, temporal, cingulate, and insular regions, varying by illness stage.
- Both schizophrenia patients and healthy controls exhibited significantly increased structural covariance between regions with cortical thickness reductions compared to random regions.
- This pattern was consistent across all three schizophrenia cohorts.
Conclusions:
- Brain network architecture significantly explains the irregular distribution of cortical thickness reductions in schizophrenia.
- The findings are robust and independent of illness stage, suggesting a fundamental role of network organization in the disorder.
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