Structural and functional brain abnormalities in children with schizotypal disorder: a pilot study

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Developmental Psychology
• Psychiatry

Background:

• Schizotypal disorder is part of the schizophrenia spectrum, primarily studied in adults.
• Schizotypal disorder in children (SDc) is less understood, necessitating research into its early neural correlates.
• Understanding SDc is crucial for identifying potential risk factors for later psychosis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate brain morphological and functional connectivity abnormalities in children with schizotypal disorder (SDc).
• To explore the relationship between neural findings and clinical symptoms/cognitive impairments in SDc.
• To provide preliminary insights into the neural underpinnings of SDc.

Main Methods:

• Utilized neuroimaging techniques to compare brain structure and resting-state functional connectivity in 12 SDc children and 9 typically developing children.
• Focused analysis on the default mode and executive control brain networks.
• Correlated neuroimaging findings with clinical symptom severity and extra-dimensional shifting performance.

Main Results:

• SDc was associated with reduced grey matter volume (GMV) in superior and medial frontal gyri.
• Increased resting-state functional connectivity was observed between the superior frontal gyrus and inferior parietal lobule in SDc.
• GMV abnormality in the left superior frontal gyrus correlated with clinical symptoms (r = -0.66, p = 0.026).
• Functional connectivity abnormality correlated with extra-dimensional shifting impairments (r = 0.62, p = 0.011).

Conclusions:

• SDc exhibits distinct brain structural and functional connectivity patterns compared to typically developing children.
• These neural abnormalities appear linked to the clinical presentation and cognitive deficits observed in SDc.
• Further research is warranted to elucidate the neural basis of SDc and its role as a psychosis risk factor.