Resting-state cerebellar-cerebral networks are differently affected in first-episode, drug-naive schizophrenia patients and unaffected siblings

Sci Rep. 2015 Nov 26:5:17275. doi: 10.1038/srep17275.

Abstract

Dysconnectivity hypothesis posits that schizophrenia is a disorder with dysconnectivity of the cortico-cerebellar-thalamic-cortical circuit (CCTCC). However, it remains unclear to the changes of the cerebral connectivity with the cerebellum in schizophrenia patients and unaffected siblings. Forty-nine patients with first-episode, drug-naive schizophrenia patients, 46 unaffected siblings of schizophrenia patients and 46 healthy controls participated in the study. Seed-based resting-state functional connectivity approach was employed to analyze the data. Compared with the controls, the patients and the siblings share increased default-mode network (DMN) seed - right Crus II connectivity. The patients have decreased right dorsal attention network (DAN) seed - bilateral cerebellum 4,5 connectivity relative to the controls. By contrast, the siblings exhibit increased FC between the right DAN seed and the right cerebellum 6 and right cerebellum 4,5 compared to the controls. No other abnormal connectivities (executive control network and salience network) are observed in the patients/siblings relative to the controls. There are no correlations between abnormal cerebellar-cerebral connectivities and clinical variables. Cerebellar-cerebral connectivity of brain networks within the cerebellum are differently affected in first-episode, drug-naive schizophrenia patients and unaffected siblings. Increased DMN connectivity with the cerebellum may serve as potential endophenotype for schizophrenia.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Attention
  • Case-Control Studies
  • Cerebellum / physiopathology*
  • Cerebrum / physiopathology*
  • Demography
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging
  • Male
  • Nerve Net / physiopathology*
  • ROC Curve
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Rest*
  • Schizophrenia / physiopathology*
  • Siblings*
  • Young Adult