Reduced Resting-State Connectivity in the Precuneus is correlated with Apathy in Patients with Schizophrenia

TY - JOUR

T1 - Reduced Resting-State Connectivity in the Precuneus is correlated with Apathy in Patients with Schizophrenia

AU - Forlim, Caroline Garcia

AU - Klock, Leonie

AU - Bächle, Johanna

AU - Stoll, Laura

AU - Giemsa, Patrick

AU - Fuchs, Marie

AU - Schoofs, Nikola

AU - Montag, Christiane

AU - Gallinat, Jürgen

AU - Kühn, Simone

PY - 2020/2/13

Y1 - 2020/2/13

N2 - A diagnosis of schizophrenia is associated with a heterogeneous psychopathology including positive and negative symptoms. The disconnection hypothesis, an early pathophysiological framework conceptualizes the diversity of symptoms as a result of disconnections in neural networks. In line with this hypothesis, previous neuroimaging studies of patients with schizophrenia reported alterations within the default mode network (DMN), the most prominent network at rest. The aim of the present study was to investigate the functional connectivity during rest in patients with schizophrenia and with healthy individuals and explore whether observed functional alterations are related to the psychopathology of patients. Therefore, functional magnetic resonance images at rest were recorded of 35 patients with schizophrenia and 41 healthy individuals. Independent component analysis (ICA) was used to extract resting state networks. Comparing ICA results between groups indicated alterations only within the network of the DMN. More explicitly, reduced connectivity in the precuneus was observed in patients with schizophrenia compared to healthy controls. Connectivity in this area was negatively correlated with the severity of negative symptoms, more specifically with the domain of apathy. Taken together, the current results provide further evidence for a role DMN alterations might play in schizophrenia and especially in negative symptoms such as apathy.

AB - A diagnosis of schizophrenia is associated with a heterogeneous psychopathology including positive and negative symptoms. The disconnection hypothesis, an early pathophysiological framework conceptualizes the diversity of symptoms as a result of disconnections in neural networks. In line with this hypothesis, previous neuroimaging studies of patients with schizophrenia reported alterations within the default mode network (DMN), the most prominent network at rest. The aim of the present study was to investigate the functional connectivity during rest in patients with schizophrenia and with healthy individuals and explore whether observed functional alterations are related to the psychopathology of patients. Therefore, functional magnetic resonance images at rest were recorded of 35 patients with schizophrenia and 41 healthy individuals. Independent component analysis (ICA) was used to extract resting state networks. Comparing ICA results between groups indicated alterations only within the network of the DMN. More explicitly, reduced connectivity in the precuneus was observed in patients with schizophrenia compared to healthy controls. Connectivity in this area was negatively correlated with the severity of negative symptoms, more specifically with the domain of apathy. Taken together, the current results provide further evidence for a role DMN alterations might play in schizophrenia and especially in negative symptoms such as apathy.

U2 - 10.1038/s41598-020-59393-6

DO - 10.1038/s41598-020-59393-6

M3 - SCORING: Journal article

C2 - 32054907

VL - 10

SP - 2616

JO - SCI REP-UK

JF - SCI REP-UK

SN - 2045-2322

IS - 1

ER -