Dynamic Functional Connectivity Strength Within Different Frequency-Band in Schizophrenia.

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Psychiatry
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Schizophrenia is a complex psychiatric disorder characterized by disrupted brain connectivity.
• Neuroimaging studies increasingly investigate brain network alterations in schizophrenia.
• Frequency-dependent functional network abnormalities are reported, but dynamic connectivity is underexplored in schizophrenia.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate frequency-dependent dynamic functional connectivity strength (dFCS) in schizophrenia patients.
• To explore whole-brain changes in dynamic functional connectivity across multiple frequency bands.
• To assess the correlation between altered dFCS and clinical symptoms in schizophrenia.

Main Methods:

• Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data from 96 schizophrenia patients and 121 healthy controls.
• Analysis of dynamic functional connectivity strength (dFCS) across four frequency bands: slow-5, slow-4, slow-3, and slow-2.
• Statistical assessment of group differences, frequency interactions, and correlations with clinical symptoms.

Main Results:

• Schizophrenia patients exhibited decreased dFCS in salience, auditory, sensorimotor, and visual networks.
• Increased dFCS was observed in cerebellum, basal ganglia, and prefrontal networks across frequency bands.
• Significant frequency-by-group interactions were found in specific brain regions, including the anterior cingulum cortex (ACC).
• Altered dFCS in regions like the insula and thalamus (THA) correlated with clinical symptoms in specific frequency bands.

Conclusions:

• Dynamic functional connectivity abnormalities in schizophrenia are frequency-dependent.
• These findings highlight the neuropathological mechanisms of schizophrenia.
• dFCS analysis across frequency bands offers potential for understanding schizophrenia.