Structure-function coupling in white matter uncovers the abnormal brain connectivity in Schizophrenia

作者：Jiajia Zhao, Chu‐Chung Huang, Yajuan Zhang, Yuchen Liu, Shih‐Jen Tsai, Ching‐Po Lin, Chun‐Yi Zac Lo · 发表于：Translational Psychiatry · 年份：2023 · DOI：10.1038/s41398-023-02520-4 · 被引用次数：32 · 研究领域：Advanced Neuroimaging Techniques and Applications、Functional Brain Connectivity Studies、Advanced MRI Techniques and Applications

Schizophrenia is characterized by dysconnectivity syndrome. Evidence of widespread impairment of structural and functional integration has been demonstrated in schizophrenia. Although white matter (WM) microstructural abnormalities have been commonly reported in schizophrenia, the dysfunction of WM as well as the relationship between structure and function in WM remains uncertain. In this study, we proposed a novel structure-function coupling measurement to reflect neuronal information transfer, which combined spatial-temporal correlations of functional signals with diffusion tensor orientations in the WM circuit from functional and diffusion magnetic resonance images (MRI). By analyzing MRI data from 75 individuals with schizophrenia (SZ) and 89 healthy volunteers (HV), the associations between structure and function in WM regions in schizophrenia were examined. Randomized validation of the measurement was performed in the HV group to confirm the capacity of the neural signal transferring along the WM tracts, referring to quantifying the association between structure and function. Compared to HV, SZ showed a widespread decrease in the structure-function coupling within WM regions, involving the corticospinal tract and the superior longitudinal fasciculus. Additionally, the structure-function coupling in the WM tracts was found to be significantly correlated with psychotic symptoms and illness duration in schizophrenia, suggesting that abnormal signal transfer of neuronal fib...