Neurological soft signs and structural network changes: a longitudinal analysis in first-episode schizophrenia

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Psychiatry
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Neurological soft signs (NSS) are common in schizophrenia and linked to network connectivity.
• Longitudinal changes in NSS and their brain network associations in schizophrenia are not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the longitudinal changes in structural brain network characteristics in first-episode schizophrenia patients.
• To explore the relationship between neurological soft signs (NSS) and brain network alterations over one year.

Main Methods:

• 20 first-episode schizophrenia patients and 20 controls underwent structural MRI at baseline and one-year follow-up.
• Graph theoretical analysis of structural network properties was performed.
• Neurological soft signs (NSS) were assessed using the Heidelberg scale.

Main Results:

• Schizophrenia patients showed altered local network properties at baseline, particularly in cortical-subcortical-cerebellar circuits.
• Patients with persisting NSS exhibited significant changes in network betweenness, especially in frontal, temporal, and cerebellar regions.
• Patients with decreasing NSS showed more localized network changes.

Conclusions:

• Brain network reorganization occurs after the onset of schizophrenia.
• Persisting NSS are associated with progressive brain network abnormalities, suggesting a poorer prognosis.
• NSS may serve as a prognostic indicator in first-episode schizophrenia.