Resting-state functional connectivity correlates of brain structural aging in schizophrenia

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Psychiatry
• Radiology

Background:

• Schizophrenia is associated with accelerated brain structural aging.
• Functional brain architecture changes in schizophrenia remain understudied.
• Brain structural aging may correlate with functional connectivity alterations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate differences in whole-brain functional connectivity associated with brain structural aging between schizophrenia patients and healthy controls.
• To identify specific brain regions where functional connectivity is differentially associated with brain-predicted age difference (b-PAD) in schizophrenia.

Main Methods:

• Structural MRI and resting-state fMRI were used in 84 male schizophrenia patients and 86 male healthy controls.
• Brain-predicted age difference (b-PAD) quantified brain structural aging.
• Global correlation (GCOR) maps assessed whole-brain functional connectivity.

Main Results:

• Schizophrenia patients exhibited higher b-PAD (mean difference +2.9 years).
• Greater b-PAD in schizophrenia correlated with reduced functional connectivity in the right frontal-temporal-insula (rFTI) region.
• Decreased rFTI connectivity was linked to poorer verbal working memory and language production, driven by altered connectivity with posterior cingulate and temporal/occipital regions.

Conclusions:

• Schizophrenia is characterized by accelerated brain structural aging.
• Frontotemporal functional abnormalities in schizophrenia are associated with increased brain structural aging.
• Altered functional connectivity in schizophrenia patients contributes to cognitive deficits.