scholarly journals White-matter free-water diffusion MRI in schizophrenia: a systematic review and meta-analysis

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Inês Carreira Figueiredo ◽  
Faith Borgan ◽  
Ofer Pasternak ◽  
Federico E. Turkheimer ◽  
Oliver D. Howes
Keyword(s):  
White Matter ◽  
Healthy Volunteers ◽  
Diffusion Mri ◽  
Clinical Symptoms ◽  
Free Water ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Water Levels ◽  
First Episode ◽  
Whole Brain ◽  
Illness Duration

AbstractWhite-matter abnormalities, including increases in extracellular free-water, are implicated in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. Recent advances in diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) enable free-water levels to be indexed. However, the brain levels in patients with schizophrenia have not yet been systematically investigated. We aimed to meta-analyse white-matter free-water levels in patients with schizophrenia compared to healthy volunteers. We performed a literature search in EMBASE, MEDLINE, and PsycINFO databases. Diffusion MRI studies reporting free-water in patients with schizophrenia compared to healthy controls were included. We investigated the effect of demographic variables, illness duration, chlorpromazine equivalents of antipsychotic medication, type of scanner, and clinical symptoms severity on free-water measures. Ten studies, including five of first episode of psychosis have investigated free-water levels in schizophrenia, with significantly higher levels reported in whole-brain and specific brain regions (including corona radiata, internal capsule, superior and inferior longitudinal fasciculus, cingulum bundle, and corpus callosum). Six studies, including a total of 614 participants met the inclusion criteria for quantitative analysis. Whole-brain free-water levels were significantly higher in patients relative to healthy volunteers (Hedge’s g = 0.38, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.07–0.69, p = 0.02). Sex moderated this effect, such that smaller effects were seen in samples with more females (z = −2.54, p < 0.05), but antipsychotic dose, illness duration and symptom severity did not. Patients with schizophrenia have increased free-water compared to healthy volunteers. Future studies are necessary to determine the pathological sources of increased free-water, and its relationship with illness duration and severity.

Conceptual disorganization and redistribution of resting state cortical hubs in untreated first episode psychosis: A 7T MRI study

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Avyarthana Dey ◽  
Kara Dempster ◽  
Michael Mackinley ◽  
Peter Jeon ◽  
Tushar Das ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Negative Symptoms ◽  
Superior Temporal Gyrus ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
First Episode Psychosis ◽  
Cortical Reorganization ◽  
First Episode ◽  
Formal Thought Disorder ◽  
Whole Brain ◽  
Episode Psychosis ◽  
Positive And Negative Symptoms

Background:Network level dysconnectivity has been studied in positive and negative symptoms of schizophrenia. Conceptual disorganization (CD) is a symptom subtype which predicts impaired real-world functioning in psychosis. Systematic reviews have reported aberrant connectivity in formal thought disorder, a construct related to CD. However, no studies have investigated whole-brain functional correlates of CD in psychosis. We sought to investigate brain regions explaining the severity of CD in patients with first-episode psychosis (FEPs) compared with healthy controls (HCs).Methods:We computed whole-brain binarized degree centrality maps of 31 FEPs, 25 HCs and characterized the patterns of network connectivity in the two groups. In FEPs, we related these findings to the severity of CD. We also studied the effect of positive and negative symptoms on altered network connectivity.Results:Compared to HCs, reduced hubness of a right superior temporal gyrus (rSTG) cluster was observed in the FEPs. In patients exhibiting high CD, increased hubness of a medial superior parietal (mSPL) cluster was observed, compared to patients exhibiting low CD. These two regions were strongly correlated with CD scores but not with other symptom scores.Discussion:Our observations are congruent with previous findings of reduced but not increased hubness. We observed increased hubness of mSPL suggesting that cortical reorganization occurs to provide alternate routes for information transfer.Conclusion:These findings provide insight into the underlying neural processes mediating the presentation of symptoms in untreated FEP. A longitudinal tracking of the symptom course will be useful to assess the mechanisms underlying these compensatory changes.

Characterizing Extracellular White Matter Pathologies Using Free Water Imaging Across the Schizophrenia Illness Course: A Multi-Site Harmonized Diffusion MRI Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 89 (9) ◽  
pp. S85
Author(s):  
Suheyla Cetin-Karayumak ◽  
Ofer Pasternak ◽  
Fan Zhang ◽  
Johanna Seitz ◽  
Doron Elad ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
White Matter ◽  
Diffusion Mri ◽  
Free Water ◽  
Mri Study

scholarly journals Increased extracellular fluid is associated with white matter fiber degeneration in CADASIL: in vivo evidence from diffusion magnetic resonance imaging

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xinfeng Yu ◽  
Xinzhen Yin ◽  
Hui Hong ◽  
Shuyue Wang ◽  
Yeerfan Jiaerken ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
White Matter ◽  
Diffusion Tensor ◽  
Small Vessel Disease ◽  
Extracellular Fluid ◽  
Free Water ◽  
Inverse Correlation ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Fiber Density ◽  
Four Levels

Abstract Background White matter hyperintensities (WMHs) are one of the hallmarks of cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD), but the pathological mechanisms underlying WMHs remain unclear. Recent studies suggest that extracellular fluid (ECF) is increased in brain regions with WMHs. It has been hypothesized that ECF accumulation may have detrimental effects on white matter microstructure. To test this hypothesis, we used cerebral autosomal-dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy (CADASIL) as a unique CSVD model to investigate the relationships between ECF and fiber microstructural changes in WMHs. Methods Thirty-eight CADASIL patients underwent 3.0 T MRI with multi-model sequences. Parameters of free water (FW) and apparent fiber density (AFD) obtained from diffusion-weighted imaging (b = 0 and 1000 s/mm2) were respectively used to quantify the ECF and fiber density. WMHs were split into four subregions with four levels of FW using quartiles (FWq1 to FWq4) for each participant. We analyzed the relationships between FW and AFD in each subregion of WMHs. Additionally, we tested whether FW of WMHs were associated with other accompanied CSVD imaging markers including lacunes and microbleeds. Results We found an inverse correlation between FW and AFD in WMHs. Subregions of WMHs with high-level of FW (FWq3 and FWq4) were accompanied with decreased AFD and with changes in FW-corrected diffusion tensor imaging parameters. Furthermore, FW was also independently associated with lacunes and microbleeds. Conclusions Our study demonstrated that increased ECF was associated with WM degeneration and the occurrence of lacunes and microbleeds, providing important new insights into the role of ECF in CADASIL pathology. Improving ECF drainage might become a therapeutic strategy in future.

scholarly journals Multi-scale analysis of schizophrenia risk genes, brain structure, and clinical symptoms reveals integrative clues for subtyping schizophrenia patients

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 678-687
Author(s):  
Liang Ma ◽  
Edmund T Rolls ◽  
Xiuqin Liu ◽  
Yuting Liu ◽  
Zeyu Jiao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Symptoms ◽  
Brain Structures ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
First Episode ◽  
Grey Matter Volume ◽  
Scale Analysis ◽  
Risk Genes ◽  
Multi Scale ◽  
Scale Scores ◽  
Multi Scale Analysis

AbstractAnalysis linking directly genomics, neuroimaging phenotypes and clinical measurements is crucial for understanding psychiatric disorders, but remains rare. Here, we describe a multi-scale analysis using genome-wide SNPs, gene expression, grey matter volume (GMV), and the positive and negative syndrome scale scores (PANSS) to explore the etiology of schizophrenia. With 72 drug-naive schizophrenic first episode patients (FEPs) and 73 matched heathy controls, we identified 108 genes, from schizophrenia risk genes, that correlated significantly with GMV, which are highly co-expressed in the brain during development. Among these 108 candidates, 19 distinct genes were found associated with 16 brain regions referred to as hot clusters (HCs), primarily in the frontal cortex, sensory-motor regions and temporal and parietal regions. The patients were subtyped into three groups with distinguishable PANSS scores by the GMV of the identified HCs. Furthermore, we found that HCs with common GMV among patient groups are related to genes that mostly mapped to pathways relevant to neural signaling, which are associated with the risk for schizophrenia. Our results provide an integrated view of how genetic variants may affect brain structures that lead to distinct disease phenotypes. The method of multi-scale analysis that was described in this research, may help to advance the understanding of the etiology of schizophrenia.

scholarly journals Focal changes in brain energy and phospholipid metabolism in first-episode schizophrenia

2004 ◽  
Vol 184 (5) ◽  
pp. 409-415 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Eric Jensen ◽  
Jodi Miller ◽  
Peter C. Williamson ◽  
Richard W J. Neufeld ◽  
Ravi S. Menon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Healthy Volunteers ◽  
Imaging Techniques ◽  
High Energy ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
First Episode ◽  
Resonance Spectroscopy ◽  
Membrane Breakdown ◽  
First Episode Schizophrenia

BackgroundMembrane phospholipid and high-energy abnormalities measured with phosphorus magnetic resonance spectroscopy (31P-MRS) have been reported in patients with schizophrenia in several brain regions.AimsUsing improved imaging techniques, previously inaccessible brain regions were examined in patients with first-episode schizophrenia and healthy volunteers with 4.0 T 31P-MRS.MethodBrain spectra were collected in vivo from 15 patients with first-episode schizophrenia and 15 healthy volunteers from 15 cm3 effective voxels in the thalamus, cerebellum, hippocampus, anterior/posterior cingulate, prefrontal cortex and parieto-occipital cortex.ResultsPeople with first-episode schizophrenia showed increased levels of glycerophosphocholine in the anterior cingulate. Inorganic phosphate, phosphocreatine and adenosine triphosphate concentrations were also increased in the anterior cingulate in this group.ConclusionsThe increased phosphodiester and high-energy phosphate levels in the anterior cingulate of brains of people with first-episode schizophrenia may indicate neural overactivity in this region during the early stages of the illness, resulting in increased excitotoxic neural membrane breakdown.

White-matter microstructure in previously drug-naive patients with schizophrenia after 6 weeks of treatment

2013 ◽  
Vol 43 (11) ◽  
pp. 2301-2309 ◽  
Author(s):  
Q. Wang ◽  
C. Cheung ◽  
W. Deng ◽  
M. Li ◽  
C. Huang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
White Matter ◽  
Early Phase ◽  
Clinical Symptoms ◽  
Diffusion Tensor ◽  
Disease Process ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
First Episode ◽  
Drug Naïve ◽  
The Right ◽  
First Episode Schizophrenia

BackgroundIt is not clear whether the progressive changes in brain microstructural deficits documented in previous longitudinal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies might be due to the disease process or to other factors such as medication. It is important to explore the longitudinal alterations in white-matter (WM) microstructure in antipsychotic-naive patients with first-episode schizophrenia during the very early phase of treatment when relatively ‘free’ from chronicity.MethodThirty-five patients with first-episode schizophrenia and 22 healthy volunteers were recruited. High-resolution diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) was obtained from participants at baseline and after 6 weeks of treatment. A ‘difference map’ for each individual was calculated from the 6-week follow-up fractional anisotropy (FA) of DTI minus the baseline FA. Differences in Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) scores and Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) scores between baseline and 6 weeks were also evaluated and expressed as a 6-week/baseline ratio.ResultsCompared to healthy controls, there was a significant decrease in absolute FA of WM around the bilateral anterior cingulate gyrus and the right anterior corona radiata of the frontal lobe in first-episode drug-naive patients with schizophrenia following 6 weeks of treatment. Clinical symptoms improved during this period but the change in FA did not correlate with the changes in clinical symptoms or the dose of antipsychotic medication.ConclusionsDuring the early phase of treatment, there is an acute reduction in WM FA that may be due to the effects of antipsychotic medications. However, it is not possible to entirely exclude the effects of underlying progression of illness.

scholarly journals Anterior cingulate grey-matter deficits and cannabis use in first-episode schizophrenia

2007 ◽  
Vol 190 (3) ◽  
pp. 230-236 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philip R. Szeszko ◽  
Delbert G. Robinson ◽  
Serge Sevy ◽  
Sanjiv Kumra ◽  
Claudia I. Rupp ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
White Matter ◽  
Healthy Volunteers ◽  
Grey Matter ◽  
Magnetic Resonance Images ◽  
Cannabis Use ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
First Episode ◽  
History Of ◽  
First Episode Schizophrenia ◽  
First Episode Of Schizophrenia

BackgroundDespite the high prevalence of cannabis use in schizophrenia, few studies have examined the potential relationship between cannabis exposure and brain structural abnormalities in schizophrenia.AimsTo investigate prefrontal grey and white matter regions in patients experiencing a first episode of schizophrenia with an additional diagnosis of cannabis use or dependence (n=20) compared with similar patients with no cannabis use (n=31) and healthy volunteers (n=56).MethodVolumes of the superior frontal gyrus, anterior cingulate gyrus and orbital frontal lobe were outlined manually from contiguous magnetic resonance images and automatically segmented into grey and white matter.ResultsPatients who used cannabis had less anterior cingulate grey matter compared with both patients who did not use cannabis and healthy volunteers.ConclusionsA defect in the anterior cingulate is associated with a history of cannabis use among patients experiencing a first episode of schizophrenia and could have a role in poor decision-making and in choosing more risky outcomes.

White matter integrity of the whole brain is disrupted in first-episode remitted geriatric depression

Neuroreport ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 18 (17) ◽  
pp. 1845-1849 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yonggui Yuan ◽  
Zhijun Zhang ◽  
Feng Bai ◽  
Hui Yu ◽  
Yongmei Shi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
White Matter ◽  
White Matter Integrity ◽  
First Episode ◽  
Geriatric Depression ◽  
Whole Brain

Correlation of white matter integrity and autism clinical symptomatology: A whole-brain diffusion MRI study

2012 ◽  
Vol 60 (5) ◽  
pp. S197
Author(s):  
A. Bargiacchi ◽  
A. Cachia ◽  
L. Lemaitre ◽  
N. Chabane ◽  
N. Boddaert ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
White Matter ◽  
Diffusion Mri ◽  
White Matter Integrity ◽  
Whole Brain ◽  
Clinical Symptomatology ◽  
Mri Study

scholarly journals The R1-weighted connectome: complementing brain networks with a myelin-sensitive measure

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-15
Author(s):  
Tommy Boshkovski ◽  
Ljupco Kocarev ◽  
Julien Cohen-Adad ◽  
Bratislav Mišić ◽  
Stéphane Lehéricy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
White Matter ◽  
Diffusion Mri ◽  
Brain Connectivity ◽  
Structural Connectivity ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Added Value ◽  
Modular Organization ◽  
Sensitive Measure ◽  
Higher Order Functions ◽  
Insight Into

Myelin plays a crucial role in how well information travels between brain regions. Complementing the structural connectome, obtained with diffusion MRI tractography, with a myelin-sensitive measure could result in a more complete model of structural brain connectivity and give better insight into white-matter myeloarchitecture. In this work we weight the connectome by the longitudinal relaxation rate (R1), a measure sensitive to myelin, and then we assess its added value by comparing it with connectomes weighted by the number of streamlines (NOS). Our analysis reveals differences between the two connectomes both in the distribution of their weights and the modular organization. Additionally, the rank-based analysis shows that R1 can be used to separate transmodal regions (responsible for higher-order functions) from unimodal regions (responsible for low-order functions). Overall, the R1-weighted connectome provides a different perspective on structural connectivity taking into account white matter myeloarchitecture.

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