Dynamic functional connectivity and its anatomical substrate reveal treatment outcome in first-episode drug-naïve schizophrenia

作者：Zhe Zhang, Kaiming Zhuo, Qiang Xiang, Yi Sun, Yi Sun, John Suckling, Jinhong Wang, Dengtang Liu, Yu Sun, Yu Sun · 发表于：Translational Psychiatry · 年份：2021 · DOI：10.1038/s41398-021-01398-4 · 被引用次数：38 · 研究领域：Functional Brain Connectivity Studies、Advanced Neuroimaging Techniques and Applications、Neural dynamics and brain function

Convergent evidence has suggested a significant effect of antipsychotic exposure on brain structure and function in patients with schizophrenia, yet the characteristics of favorable treatment outcome remains largely unknown. In this work, we aimed to examine how large-scale brain networks are modulated by antipsychotic treatment, and whether the longitudinal changes could track the improvements of psychopathologic scores. Thirty-four patients with first-episode drug-naïve schizophrenia and 28 matched healthy controls were recruited at baseline from Shanghai Mental Health Center. After 8 weeks of antipsychotic treatment, 24 patients were re-scanned. Through a systematical dynamic functional connectivity (dFC) analysis, we investigated the schizophrenia-related intrinsic alterations of dFC at baseline, followed by a longitudinal study to examine the influence of antipsychotic treatment on these abnormalities by comparing patients at baseline and follow-up. A structural connectivity (SC) association analysis was further carried out to investigate longitudinal anatomical changes that underpin the alterations of dFC. We found a significant symptomatic improvement-related increase in the occurrence of a dFC state characterized by stronger inter-network integration. Furthermore, symptom reduction was correlated with increased FC variability in a unique connectomic signature, particularly in the connections within the default mode network and between the auditory, cognitive control, ...