Resting-state functional network correlates of psychotic symptoms in schizophrenia

Rotarska-Jagiela, Anna; van de Ven, Vincent; Oertel-Knöchel, Viola; Uhlhaas, Peter J.; Vogeley, Kai; Linden, David E.J.

doi:10.1016/j.schres.2010.01.001

« Previous Next »Schizophrenia Research
Volume 117, Issue 1 , Pages 21-30, March 2010

Resting-state functional network correlates of psychotic symptoms in schizophrenia

Anna Rotarska-Jagiela
- Max Planck Institute for Brain Research, Department of Neurophysiology, Deutschordenstr. 46, 60528 Frankfurt a.M., Germany
- University of Cologne, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Kerpenerstr. 62, 50924 Cologne, Germany
- Johann Wolfgang Goethe University, Department of Psychiatry, Neurophysiology and Neuroimaging Lab and Brain Imaging Center, Heinrich-Hoffmann-Str. 10, 60528 Frankfurt/Main, Germany
- Corresponding author. Max Planck Institute for Brain Research, Department of Neurophysiology, Deutschordenstr. 46, 60528 Frankfurt a.M., Germany. Tel.: +49 69 6301 83782; fax: +49 69 6301 3833.
- These authors contributed equally to this work.
Vincent van de Ven
- Maastricht University, Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, PO Box 616, 6200 MD, Maastricht, The Netherlands
- These authors contributed equally to this work.
Viola Oertel-Knöchel
- Johann Wolfgang Goethe University, Department of Psychiatry, Neurophysiology and Neuroimaging Lab and Brain Imaging Center, Heinrich-Hoffmann-Str. 10, 60528 Frankfurt/Main, Germany
Peter J. Uhlhaas
- Max Planck Institute for Brain Research, Department of Neurophysiology, Deutschordenstr. 46, 60528 Frankfurt a.M., Germany
- Johann Wolfgang Goethe University, Department of Psychiatry, Neurophysiology and Neuroimaging Lab and Brain Imaging Center, Heinrich-Hoffmann-Str. 10, 60528 Frankfurt/Main, Germany
Kai Vogeley
- University of Cologne, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Kerpenerstr. 62, 50924 Cologne, Germany
David E.J. Linden
- Bangor University, School of Psychology and North Wales Clinical School, Adeilad Brigantia, Penrallt Road, Gwynedd LL57 2AS, United Kingdom

Received 10 September 2009; received in revised form 1 January 2010; accepted 4 January 2010. published online 25 January 2010.

Abstract

Schizophrenia has been associated with aberrant intrinsic functional organization of the brain but the relationship of such deficits to psychopathology is unclear. In this study, we investigated associations between resting-state networks and individual psychopathology in sixteen patients with paranoid schizophrenia and sixteen matched healthy control participants.

We estimated whole-brain functional connectivity of multiple networks using a combination of spatial independent component analysis and multiple regression analysis. Five networks (default-mode, left and right fronto-parietal, left fronto-temporal and auditory networks) were selected for analysis based on their involvement in neuropsychological models of psychosis. Between-group comparisons and correlations to psychopathology ratings were performed on both spatial (connectivity distributions) and temporal features (power-spectral densities of temporal frequencies below 0.06Hz). Schizophrenia patients showed aberrant functional connectivity in the default-mode network, which correlated with severity of hallucinations and delusions, and decreased hemispheric separation of fronto-parietal activity, which correlated with disorganization symptoms. Furthermore, the severity of positive symptoms correlated with functional connectivity of fronto-temporal and auditory networks. Finally, default-mode and auditory networks showed increased spectral power of low frequency oscillations, which correlated with positive symptom severity. These results are in line with findings from studies that investigated the neural correlates of positive symptoms and suggest that psychopathology is associated with aberrant intrinsic organization of functional brain networks in schizophrenia.

Keywords: Schizophrenia, Resting-state connectivity, Independent component analysis, Psychotic symptoms, Default mode network