Amplitude of low-frequency oscillations in schizophrenia: A resting state fMRI study

Abstract

Recently, a great deal of interest has arisen in resting state fMRI as a measure of tonic brain function in clinical populations. Most studies have focused on the examination of temporal correlation between resting state fMRI low-frequency oscillations (LFOs). Studies on the amplitudes of these low-frequency oscillations are rarely reported. Here, we used amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (ALFF) and fractional ALFF (fALFF; the relative amplitude that resides in the low frequencies) to examine the amplitude of LFO in schizophrenia. Twenty-six healthy controls and 29 patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder participated. Our findings show that patients showed reduced low-frequency amplitude in proportion to the total frequency band investigated (i.e., fALFF) in the lingual gyrus, left cuneus, left insula/superior temporal gyrus, and right caudate and increased fALFF in the medial prefrontal cortex and the right parahippocampal gyrus. ALFF was reduced in patients in the lingual gyrus, cuneus, and precuneus and increased in the left parahippocampal gyrus. These results suggest LFO abnormalities in schizophrenia. The implication of these abnormalities for schizophrenic symptomatology is further discussed.

Relating Intrinsic Low-Frequency BOLD Cortical Oscillations to Cognition in Schizophrenia

“…A large sample study from the multi-site fMRI Biomedical Informatics Network (FBIRN) (Turner et al, 2013) reported widespread regions of decreased fractional ALFF (fALFF) in schizophrenia, including posterior cortex. These results converge with reports of decreased fALFF in schizophrenia in posterior cortical regions including occipital and precuneus/posterior cingulate cortices (PCC) (Hoptman et al, 2010;Yu et al, 2014). There is, however, considerable variation in the regional pattern and direction of LFO amplitude alterations reported in schizophrenia, possibly owing to clinical and methodological differences among the small number of extant studies.…”

“…Measures of LFO amplitude have received relatively little attention in the schizophrenia literature, despite demonstration of regionally specific LFO differences between schizophrenia patients and healthy controls (He et al, 2013;Hoptman et al, 2010;Huang et al, 2010;Lui et al, 2010;Turner et al, 2013;Yu et al, 2013Yu et al, , 2014. A large sample study from the multi-site fMRI Biomedical Informatics Network (FBIRN) (Turner et al, 2013) reported widespread regions of decreased fractional ALFF (fALFF) in schizophrenia, including posterior cortex.…”

Effects of methylphenidate on resting-state brain activity in normal adults: an fMRI study

“…Depression is characterized by a decline of mood and activity and looks like the opposite of ADHD. Compared to normal controls, schizophrenia patients show decreased ALFF in the lingual gyrus [76] . Similar results are also seen in Schneiderian symptoms, and the severity of the symptoms is negatively correlated with rCBF in the left lingual gyrus in resting PET.…”

Spontaneous brain activity observed with functional magnetic resonance imaging as a potential biomarker in neuropsychiatric disorders

“…A recent study using a multitaper spectral estimation found that the power spectral density of regional signals can identify changes in the oscillatory dynamics across conditions, and could characterize the nature and spatial extent of signal changes underlying changes in functional connectivity (Duff et al 2008). In disease condition, by measuring the ALFF and fALFF, Hoptman et al 2010 ave found reduced spontaneous neuronal activity in regions which show deficits in motor and low level sensory processing (the right precentral gyrus and lingular gyrus etc.) and show deficits in reward sensitivity (the right striatum), and increased activity in regions relevant to internally directed thought such as the medial frontal cortex and the hippocampus/ parahippocampus in schizophrenia.…”