Abnormal dynamic resting-state brain network organization in auditory verbal hallucination

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Psychiatry
• Cognitive Science

Background:

• Auditory-verbal hallucinations (AVH) are a core symptom of schizophrenia.
• Disrupted dynamic functional connectivity between brain networks is implicated in mental illnesses, including schizophrenia.
• The fluctuating nature of AVH suggests altered dynamic brain network interactions may underlie this symptom.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between altered dynamic functional connectivity and AVH in schizophrenia.
• To examine dynamic interactions within and between brain networks involved in auditory perception, language, emotion processing, and top-down control in patients with and without AVH.

Main Methods:

• Employed dynamic connectivity approaches, including sliding window and k-means clustering.
• Analyzed dynamic interactions among brain networks in schizophrenia patients with and without a recent history of AVH.
• Utilized neuroimaging data to assess functional connectivity patterns.

Main Results:

• Patients with AVH spent less time in a 'network-antagonistic' state (default mode network and language network anti-correlated) and had a lower probability of switching into this state.
• Reduced within-network connectivity was observed in the language and auditory networks in patients with AVH.
• Lower between-network connectivity was found between the executive control and language networks in specific dynamic states for patients with AVH.

Conclusions:

• This study provides the first neuroimaging evidence linking altered dynamic brain networks to AVH in schizophrenia.
• Findings suggest that abnormal dynamic interactions within and between key brain networks contribute to the neural mechanisms of AVH.
• These results can inform cognitive models of AVH and aid in developing new coping strategies for patients.