Diffusion tensor imaging in schizophrenia: Relationship to symptoms

Abstract

In this diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) study, the authors investigated white matter integrity in schizophrenia and the relationships between white matter alterations and specific symptoms of the disorder. We compared DTI images of 25 schizophrenia patients and 25 matched healthy controls and performed voxel-wise correlational analyses using the patient's DTI data and their severity scores of positive and negative symptoms. We found diffuse deficits in multiple types of white matter tracts in schizophrenia, and an inverse relationship of DTI fractional anisotropy (FA) values with positive symptom scores in association fibers, supporting a "disconnection" hypothesis of positive symptoms in schizophrenia.

Application of principal component analysis to distinguish patients with schizophrenia from healthy controls based on fractional anisotropy measurements

“…This study has similarities with a previous DTI study on schizophrenia (Skelly et al, 2008). The prominent fibers tracts for classification in this study were superior longitudinal fasciculus, anterior thalamic radiation, inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus, forceps major, cortico spinal tract, and inferior longitudinal fasciculus.…”

“…These results of the two studies are not identical but do have a pattern. In our study superior longitudinal fasciculus was prominent for distinguishing patients from health controls while this was not the case with Skelly et al (2008) study, but it did have significant correlation with PANSS scores. Some of the association fibers were common to both the studies and support the theory that there is greater probability of disconnection between different brain regions in schizophrenia.…”

“…This part of the study is similar to the work done by Skelly et al (2008). The emphasis in this study is on finding white matter tracts that are important in discriminating schizophrenia subjects from healthy controls.…”

“…The prominent fibers tracts for classification in this study were superior longitudinal fasciculus, anterior thalamic radiation, inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus, forceps major, cortico spinal tract, and inferior longitudinal fasciculus. The previous study (Skelly et al, 2008) showed FA deficits in white matter consisting of projection fibers (posterior limb of internal capsule), association fibers in the cingulum, the inferior longitudinal fasciculus, anterior thalamic radiation, and commissural fibers of the forceps minor. The superior longitudinal fasciculus was significant in its correlation to the PANSS scores.…”

Complementary diffusion tensor imaging study of the corpus callosum in patients with first-episode and chronic schizophrenia

“…[37][38][39] In this study, we found that fractional anisotropy in the genu of the corpus callosum was negatively correlated with total PANSS score and positively correlated with GAS scores in patients with schizophrenia; these results were consistent with those of a prior study. 40 A study of patients with chronic schizophrenia also reported similar results: specifically, that fractional anisotropy decreased in the areas of the corpus callosum interconnecting with frontal regions and that the integrity of the anterior corpus callosum was significantly correlated with negative and positive symptoms. 41 Mitelman and colleagues 35,42,43 found that patients with schizophrenia and poor outcomes showed greater decline in fractional anisotropy and smaller corpus callosum size compared with patients with good outcomes.…”