Stage-dependent patterns of cognitive network connectivity in early psychosis

XiaoChen Tang; YanYan Wei; JiaoYan Pang; LiHua Xu; HuiRu Cui; MingLiang Ju; HaiChun Liu; Qiang Hu; LingYun Zeng; YingYing Tang; ZhengHui Yi; ChunBo Li; JiJun Wang; TianHong Zhang

doi:10.1038/s41467-025-66894-3

Stage-dependent patterns of cognitive network connectivity in early psychosis

Nat Commun. 2025 Nov 27;16(1):11694. doi: 10.1038/s41467-025-66894-3.

Authors

XiaoChen Tang^#^{1

2

3}, YanYan Wei^#^{1

2}, JiaoYan Pang⁴, LiHua Xu^{1

2}, HuiRu Cui^{1

2}, MingLiang Ju¹, HaiChun Liu⁵, Qiang Hu⁶, LingYun Zeng⁷, YingYing Tang¹, ZhengHui Yi¹, ChunBo Li¹, JiJun Wang^{8

9

10}, TianHong Zhang^{11

12

13}

Affiliations

¹ Shanghai Key Laboratory of Psychotic Disorders, Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
² Neuromodulation Center, Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
³ School of Psychology, Shanghai Normal University, Shanghai, China.
⁴ School of Government, Shanghai University of Political Science and Law, Shanghai, China.
⁵ Department of Automation, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.
⁶ Department of Psychiatry, ZhenJiang Mental Health Center, Zhenjiang, China.
⁷ Department of Psychiatric Rehabilitation, Shenzhen Kangning Hospital, ShenZhen, China.
⁸ Shanghai Key Laboratory of Psychotic Disorders, Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China. jijunwang27@163.com.
⁹ Neuromodulation Center, Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China. jijunwang27@163.com.
¹⁰ Department of Psychiatry, Nantong Fourth People's Hospital & Nantong Brain Hospital, Nantong, China. jijunwang27@163.com.
¹¹ Shanghai Key Laboratory of Psychotic Disorders, Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China. zhang_tianhong@126.com.
¹² Neuromodulation Center, Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China. zhang_tianhong@126.com.
¹³ Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Intelligent Psychological Evaluation and Intervention, Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China. zhang_tianhong@126.com.

^# Contributed equally.

Abstract

Cognitive impairments in early psychosis are common, yet prior studies have focused mainly on domain-specific deficits rather than inter-domain relationships. Analyzing cognitive network connectivity may uncover insights into early psychosis mechanisms. Cognitive functions were assessed from 2,518 participants, including 988 first-episode schizophrenia (FES), 767 clinical high-risk (CHR), and 763 healthy controls (HC), using the Chinese version of the Measurement and Treatment Research to Improve Cognition in Schizophrenia Consensus Cognitive Battery (MCCB). Results revealed a stage-dependent "dedifferentiation" pattern: mean inter-domain correlation increased from HC (0.28) to CHR (0.33) to FES (0.40). Confirmatory factor analysis revealed a common "g" factor across groups, with significantly reduced strength in FES compared to CHR and HC. The reduction in the "g" factor was associated with increased connectivity and stronger inter-domain correlations. These findings highlight cognitive network dedifferentiation and "g" factor decline as key features of early psychosis.

MeSH terms

Adolescent
Adult
Case-Control Studies
Cognition* / physiology
Cognitive Dysfunction* / physiopathology
Female
Humans
Male
Neuropsychological Tests
Psychotic Disorders* / physiopathology
Psychotic Disorders* / psychology
Schizophrenia* / physiopathology
Young Adult

Abstract

MeSH terms

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