Psychosis risk is associated with decreased resting-state functional connectivity between the striatum and the default mode network

Abstract

Psychosis is linked to aberrant salience or to viewing neutral stimuli as self-relevant, suggesting a possible impairment in selfrelevance processing. Psychosis is also associated with increased dopamine in the dorsal striatum, especially the anterior caudate (Kegeles et al., 2010). Critically, the anterior caudate is especially connected to (a) the cortical default mode network (DMN), centrally involved in self-relevance processing, and (b) to a lesser extent, the cortical frontoparietal network (FPN; Choi, Yeo, & Buckner, 2012). However, no previous study has directly examined striatal-cortical DMN connectivity in psychosis risk. In Study 1, we examined resting-state functional connectivity in psychosis risk (n = 18) and control (n = 19) groups between (a) striatal DMN and FPN subregions and (b) cortical DMN and FPN. The psychosis risk group exhibited decreased connectivity between the striatal subregions and the cortical DMN. In contrast, the psychosis risk group exhibited intact connectivity between the striatal subregions and the cortical FPN. Additionally, recent distress was also associated with decreased striatal-cortical DMN connectivity. In Study 2, to determine whether the decreased striatal-cortical DMN connectivity was specific to psychosis risk or was related to recent distress more generally, we examined the relationship between connectivity and distress in individuals diagnosed with nonpsychotic emotional distress disorders (N = 25). In contrast to Study 1, here we found that distress was associated with evidence of increased striatal-cortical DMN connectivity. Overall, the present results suggest that decreased striatal-cortical DMN connectivity is associated with psychosis risk and could contribute to aberrant salience.

Probabilistically Weighted Multilayer Networks disclose the link between default mode network instability and psychosis-like experiences in healthy adults

“…Thus, our results indicate that high levels of psychosis-like experiences (F2) in healthy adults correspond to a decreased stability over time of nodes within the DMN. These findings are in line with the role of the fragmentation of the DMN in the predisposition toward psychopathology involving psychosis and dysfunctional behavior 33,34,56,57 . Moreover, higher flexibility and less stable modular organization have already been shown in patients with schizophrenia 10,13 , whereas higher switching has been associated with impaired sleep and decreased behavioral performances 5,58 .…”

“…Aberrant connectional profiles, especially in regions related to the default mode network, seem to underlie many psychopathological conditions 33,34 , and these characteristics may depend on dysfunctional dynamic processes 10,35,36 . Thus, the implementation of a degree of control over the temporal domain is necessary to increase the ability to detect true transient module configurations during conscious experiences, which are naturally occurring both during task execution and during task-free states 37 .…”

Probabilistically Weighted Multilayer Networks Disclose the Link Between Default Mode Network Instability and Psychosis-Like Experiences in Healthy Adults

“…Thus, our results indicate that high levels of psychosis-like experiences (F2) in healthy adults correspond to a decreased stability over time of nodes within the DMN. These ndings are in line with the role of the fragmentation of the DMN in the predisposition toward psychopathology involving psychosis and dysfunctional behavior 33,34,56,57 . Moreover, higher exibility and less stable modular organization have already been shown in patients with schizophrenia 10,13 , whereas higher switching has been associated with impaired sleep and decreased behavioral performances 5,58 .…”

“…The e cient integration of information across networks is crucial both for the control of explicit, externally-directed actions 30,31 and for implicit, self-related information processing 32 . Aberrant connectional pro les, especially in regions related to the default mode network, seem to underlie many psychopathological conditions 33,34 , and these characteristics may depend on dysfunctional dynamic processes 10,35,36 . Thus, the implementation of a degree of control over the temporal domain is necessary to increase the ability to detect true transient module con gurations during conscious experiences, which are naturally occurring both during task execution and during task-free states 37 .…”

Reward Enhances Connectivity between the Ventral Striatum and the Default Mode Network

“…For example, individuals with schizophrenia show reduced resting-state functional connectivity between the DMN and the striatum (Wang et al, 2015). Similar effects have also been observed in individuals at risk for psychosis (Hua et al, 2019). Although altered DMN-striatal connectivity has also been observed in depression, the results are more mixed, with some studies suggesting hypoconnectivity (Bluhm et al, 2009), while other studies suggesting hyperconnectivity during resting state (Hwang et al, 2016).…”