The structural connectivity pathology of first-episode schizophrenia based on the cardinal symptom of auditory verbal hallucinations

• Published in: Psychiatry research. Neuroimaging Vol. 257; pp. 25 - 30
• Main Authors: Xi, Yi-Bin, Guo, Fan, Li, Hua, Chang, Xiao, Sun, Jin-Bo, Zhu, Yuan-Qiang, Liu, Wen-Ming, Cui, Long-Biao, Chen, Gang, Wang, Hua-Ning, Yin, Hong
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier Ireland Ltd 30.11.2016
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Anisotropy; Auditory verbal hallucination; Brain - diagnostic imaging; Brain - pathology; Brain Mapping; Diffusion tensor imaging; Diffusion Tensor Imaging - methods; Female; First-episode; Hallucinations - diagnostic imaging; Hallucinations - pathology; Humans; Male; Psychiatry; Radiology; Schizophrenia; Schizophrenia - diagnostic imaging; Schizophrenia - pathology; White Matter - diagnostic imaging; White Matter - pathology; Young Adult; First-episode; Schizophrenia; Auditory verbal hallucination; Diffusion tensor imaging
• ISSN: 0925-4927; 1872-7506; 1872-7506
• DOI: 10.1016/j.pscychresns.2016.09.011

Heterogeneous findings across studies of structural abnormality in schizophrenia (SZ) have impeded the development a unified theory of white matter pathology. As a cardinal symptom of SZ, auditory verbal hallucination (AVH) has been suspected to be associated with improper communication among several brain regions, which might indicated white matter pathology. Participants comprised 25 first-episode (FE) patients with AVH, 25 patients without AVH and 25 healthy subjects. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) measures were calculated using the TBSS of FSL. Voxel-based ANOVA tests were performed among the three groups and threshold-free cluster enhancement (TFCE) method correction was used for multiple comparisons. Voxel-based one-way ANOVA showed significant group effects for fractional anisotropy (FA) and radial diffusivity (RD) values. Post-hoc t-tests indicated that schizophrenia patients had lower FA and higher RD values in the internal capsule and anterior corona radiata than control subjects. Post-hoc analyses exhibited more widespread fiber disruptions in AVH patients than non-AVH patients. These results hinted on the important role of projection fiber disruption in schizophrenia patients. In addition, the current study also suggested that direct comparison between studies using patients with different symptom profiles should be interpreted with caution. •Patients were on the first episode and free from antipsychotic medication.•SZ patients with AVH exhibited myelination disruption in ACR and aLIC.•DTI measures of FA and RD could reflex the myelination disruption.•Patients with different symptom profiles were used for direct comparison.