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Loneliness is associated with different structural brain changes in schizophrenia spectrum disorders and major
Stefan Fritze1, Geva A Brandt1, Sebastian Volkmer2
1Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany; German Center for Mental Health (DZPG), partner site Mannheim-Heidelberg-Ulm, Germany.
Schizophrenia Research
|January 22, 2025
Summary
Loneliness has distinct brain patterns in schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSD) and major depressive disorder (MDD). Structural MRI revealed differences in temporal and parietal regions, offering insights into mental illness and potential treatments.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychiatry
- Medical Imaging
Background:
- Loneliness is a public health crisis linked to psychopathology.
- Neural underpinnings of loneliness in schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSD) and major depressive disorder (MDD) are not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the neural signatures of loneliness in SSD and MDD patients.
- To compare brain structure differences associated with loneliness in these patient groups.
Main Methods:
- Structural magnetic resonance imaging (sMRI) data from 57 SSD patients, 45 MDD patients, and 41 healthy controls (HC).
- Loneliness assessed using the University of California, Los Angeles Loneliness Scale (UCLA-LS).
- Cortical parcellation performed using FreeSurfer v7.2.
Main Results:
- SSD patients exhibited reduced cortical volume and thickness in fronto-parietal and temporal regions compared to HC.
- In SSD, right superior temporal gyrus volume correlated with loneliness scores.
- MDD patients showed reduced fronto-parietal cortical volume and thickness.
- In MDD, right superior parietal cortex thickness correlated with loneliness scores.
Conclusions:
- Loneliness in SSD and MDD may have distinct neural correlates involving temporal and parietal regions.
- Understanding these neurobiological mechanisms is crucial for severe mental illness research and therapeutic target identification.
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