Network Controllability in Transmodal Cortex Predicts Positive Psychosis Spectrum Symptoms

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Psychiatry
• Network Science

Background:

• The psychosis spectrum (PS) is linked to structural brain dysconnectivity, particularly in the transmodal cortex.
• Previous research has primarily focused on direct interregional connectivity, limiting a full understanding of PS pathophysiology.
• Network control theory offers a novel approach to analyze both direct and indirect connectivity patterns.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the role of direct and indirect structural brain connectivity in predicting psychosis spectrum symptoms.
• To apply network control theory to assess brain regions' capacity to control neural dynamics.
• To determine if indirect connectivity measures offer superior prediction of PS symptoms compared to direct connectivity.

Main Methods:

• Utilized structural connectivity data and psychosis symptom data from 1068 individuals in the Philadelphia Neurodevelopmental Cohort.
• Applied average controllability, a network control theory metric, to quantify each brain region's control over linear brain dynamics.
• Compared the predictive performance of average controllability against regional strength (direct connections) and graph-theoretic centrality measures (indirect connections) for PS symptoms.

Main Results:

• Average controllability significantly outperformed other connectivity measures in predicting positive psychosis spectrum symptoms, achieving above-chance accuracy.
• The enhanced predictive power of average controllability was primarily observed in the transmodal cortex.
• Regional strength showed uniform predictive performance across the cortex, highlighting the importance of indirect connections in association areas.

Conclusions:

• Interindividual variations in direct and indirect structural connections within the transmodal cortex are critical for accurately predicting positive psychosis spectrum symptoms.
• Network control theory, specifically average controllability, provides valuable insights into the neural underpinnings of psychosis spectrum disorders.
• Future research should focus on the role of indirect connectivity in the transmodal cortex for understanding and potentially treating psychosis spectrum conditions.