Exploring global and local processes underlying alterations in resting-state functional connectivity and dynamics in...

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Psychiatry
• Computational Biology

Background:

• Schizophrenia (ScZ) is a complex psychiatric disorder characterized by disruptions in brain function.
• Understanding the large-scale network alterations and their mechanisms is crucial for developing effective treatments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate changes in large-scale functional connectivity and temporal dynamics in schizophrenia.
• To explore the underlying mechanisms of these alterations using computational modeling.

Main Methods:

• Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) data from 38 chronic schizophrenia patients and 43 healthy controls.
• Computational modeling based on diffusion-weighted MRI scans, fitted to rs-fMRI data.

Main Results:

• Schizophrenia patients exhibited decreased large-scale functional connectivity across sensory and association areas.
• Reduced global synchrony was observed in patients, while metastability remained unaltered.
• Computational model perturbations indicated that decreased global coupling and increased background noise better explained the observed deficits than local GABAergic or glutamatergic changes.

Conclusions:

• Large-scale network alterations in schizophrenia are more likely attributed to global network changes.
• Findings suggest that global coupling and noise levels are key factors in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia.