Aberrant Functional Connectivity and Brain Network Organization in High-Schizotypy Individuals: An...

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Psychiatry
• Brain Network Analysis

Background:

• Oscillatory synchrony is vital for brain region functional connectivity.
• Schizophrenia is characterized by brain network organization aberrations.
• High schizotypy traits in healthy individuals may indicate altered functional networks.

Purpose of the Study:

• Investigate resting-state functional network alterations in healthy individuals with high schizotypy.
• Examine the role of brain rhythms in driving network changes.
• Understand neurophysiological signatures associated with psychosis risk.

Main Methods:

• Resting-state electroencephalography (EEG) recordings from healthy participants with low and high schizotypy scores.
• Spectral Granger causality analysis to compute functional connectivity across theta, alpha, beta, and gamma bands.
• Graph theory metrics to assess global and local brain network properties.

Main Results:

• High-schizotypy individuals exhibited lower local efficiency (theta, alpha bands) and decreased global efficiency (theta, alpha, beta bands).
• Reduced node centrality and frequency-specific functional connectivity decreases were observed.
• Diminished top-down connectivity in slower frequencies and bottom-up connectivity in faster rhythms were noted.

Conclusions:

• Healthy individuals with high schizotypy display less efficient functional brain organization.
• Systematic decreases in functional connectivity impact both top-down and bottom-up processing.
• Frequency-specific network alterations support the dimensional model of schizophrenia and identify neurophysiological signatures.