TY - JOUR
T1 - Abnormal effective connectivity and psychopathological symptoms in the psychosis high-risk state
AU - Schmidt, André
AU - Smieskova, Renata
AU - Simon, Andor
AU - Allen, Paul
AU - Fusar-Poli, Paolo
AU - McGuire, Philip K.
AU - Bendfeldt, Kerstin
AU - Aston, Jacqueline
AU - Lang, Undine E.
AU - Walter, Marc
AU - Radue, Ernst Wilhelm
AU - Riecher-Rössler, Anita
AU - Borgwardt, Stefan J.
N1 - Funding Information:
We acknowledge the contribution of the individuals who took part in this study and we thank the FEPSY study group for recruitment and management of participants. This work was supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation (No. 3232BO_119382; R.S., S.J.B.).
PY - 2014/7
Y1 - 2014/7
N2 - Background: Recent evidence has revealed abnormal functional connectivity between the frontal and parietal brain regions during working memory processing in patients with schizophrenia and first-episode psychosis. However, it still remains unclear whether abnormal frontoparietal connectivity during working memory processing is already evident in the psychosis high-risk state and whether the connection strengths are related to psychopathological outcomes. Methods: Healthy controls and antipsychotic-naive individuals with an at-risk mental state (ARMS) performed an n-back working memory task while undergoing functional magnetic resonance imaging. Effect - ive connectivity between frontal and parietal brain regions during working memory processing were characterized using dynamic causal modelling. Results: Our study included 19 controls and 27 individuals with an ARMS. In individuals with an ARMS, we found significantly lower task performances and reduced activity in the right superior parietal lobule and middle frontal gyrus than in controls. Furthermore, the working memory-induced modulation of the connectivity from the right middle frontal gyrus to the right superior parietal lobule was significantly reduced in individuals with an ARMS, while the extent of this connectivity was negatively related to the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale total score. Limitations: The modest sample size precludes a meaningful subgroup analysis for participants with a later transition to psychosis. Conclusion: This study demonstrates that abnormal frontoparietal connectivity during working memory processing is already evident in individuals with an ARMS and is related to psychiatric symptoms. Thus, our results provide further insight into the pathophysiological mechanisms of the psychosis high-risk state by linking functional brain imaging, computational modelling and psychopathology.
AB - Background: Recent evidence has revealed abnormal functional connectivity between the frontal and parietal brain regions during working memory processing in patients with schizophrenia and first-episode psychosis. However, it still remains unclear whether abnormal frontoparietal connectivity during working memory processing is already evident in the psychosis high-risk state and whether the connection strengths are related to psychopathological outcomes. Methods: Healthy controls and antipsychotic-naive individuals with an at-risk mental state (ARMS) performed an n-back working memory task while undergoing functional magnetic resonance imaging. Effect - ive connectivity between frontal and parietal brain regions during working memory processing were characterized using dynamic causal modelling. Results: Our study included 19 controls and 27 individuals with an ARMS. In individuals with an ARMS, we found significantly lower task performances and reduced activity in the right superior parietal lobule and middle frontal gyrus than in controls. Furthermore, the working memory-induced modulation of the connectivity from the right middle frontal gyrus to the right superior parietal lobule was significantly reduced in individuals with an ARMS, while the extent of this connectivity was negatively related to the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale total score. Limitations: The modest sample size precludes a meaningful subgroup analysis for participants with a later transition to psychosis. Conclusion: This study demonstrates that abnormal frontoparietal connectivity during working memory processing is already evident in individuals with an ARMS and is related to psychiatric symptoms. Thus, our results provide further insight into the pathophysiological mechanisms of the psychosis high-risk state by linking functional brain imaging, computational modelling and psychopathology.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84904092356&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1503/jpn.130102
DO - 10.1503/jpn.130102
M3 - Journal articles
C2 - 24506946
AN - SCOPUS:84904092356
SN - 1180-4882
VL - 39
SP - 239
EP - 248
JO - Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience
JF - Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience
IS - 4
ER -