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Cerebellar-Cortical Connectivity Is Linked to Social Cognition Trans-Diagnostically
Roscoe O Brady1,2, Adam Beermann1,2, Madelaine Nye3
1Department of Psychiatry, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA, United States.
Frontiers in Psychiatry
|December 17, 2020
Summary
A specific brain circuit involving the cerebellum and parietal cortex is strongly linked to social cognition in people with psychosis and neurotypical adults. This cerebellar-parietal connectivity may be a key factor in social cognitive impairments across different conditions.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychiatry
- Cognitive Science
Background:
- Psychotic disorders feature social cognitive deficits impacting community functioning, with unclear neural underpinnings.
- Similar social impairments in psychosis and autism spectrum disorders (ASD) suggest shared mechanisms.
- A cerebellar-parietal network is implicated in social cognition in ASD models.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the neural mechanisms of social cognition in psychosis by examining brain connectivity.
- To test the hypothesis that cerebellar-parietal connectivity is associated with social cognition in psychosis.
Main Methods:
- Examined resting-state functional connectivity and social cognition in individuals with psychosis (n=81) and neurotypical controls (n=45).
- Assessed social cognition using the MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery.
- Employed multivariate pattern analysis to correlate social cognition with voxel-level resting-state functional connectivity.
Main Results:
- A circuit between the right cerebellar Crus I, II and left parietal cortex emerged as the strongest correlate of social cognitive performance.
- This association between cerebellar-parietal connectivity and social cognition was consistent in both psychosis and neurotypical groups.
Conclusions:
- A data-driven approach identified a robust link between a cerebellar-parietal circuit and social cognitive ability, mirroring findings in ASD.
- This circuit may serve as a trans-diagnostic marker for social cognitive impairment.
- Cerebellar-parietal connectivity represents a potential therapeutic target for improving social cognition.
Keywords:
bipolar disordercerebellumconnectivityimagingpsychosisresting stateschizophreniasocial cognitionMore Related Videos
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