Altered structural connectivity and trait anhedonia in patients with schizophrenia

Abstract

This study tested association between anhedonia scores and white matter integrity in order to investigate the neural basis of trait anhedonia in schizophrenia. A total of 31 patients with schizophrenia and 33 healthy controls underwent diffusion weighted imaging and scoring of trait anhedonia using the Physical Anhedonia Scale. Using tract-based spatial statistics, we found that fractional anisotropy values of some white matter regions were differently correlated with Physical Anhedonia Scale scores between the two groups. The white matter regions that were more significantly correlated with trait anhedonia in patients than in controls included the left side of the cingulum, splenium of the corpus callosum, inferior longitudinal fasciculus, superior longitudinal fasciculus I and II, anterior thalamic radiation, and optic radiation. Of these regions, fractional anisotropy values in the cingulum and superior longitudinal fasciculus II were positively correlated with trait anhedonia in patients with schizophrenia. These findings suggest that alterations in structural connectivity within large-scale brain networks, including the default mode and central executive networks, may contribute to the development of trait anhedonia in patients with schizophrenia.

Keywords: Cingulum; Diffusion tensor imaging; Schizophrenia; Superior longitudinal fasciculus; Trait anhedonia.