精神分裂症患者及其一级亲属静息态脑功能网络的小世界属性研究

目的:探讨精神分裂症患者及其一级亲属静息态脑功能网络小世界属性特征的异同。方法:对符合DSM-IV诊断标准的33例精神分裂症患者、30例未患病一级亲属和34例健康对照进行静息态脑功能扫描,利用AAL模板将大脑划分为116个脑区并进行网络构建,比较三组被试的网络属性特征。结果:三组静息态脑功能网络均具有小世界属性,但患者组部分脑区节点属性(节点度和节点局部效率)显著异常(p<0.05, Bonferroni校正),主要位于右颞上回、左眶额皮质、左后扣带回和右小脑下叶;亲属组左后扣带回的节点度显著增加。结论:精神分裂症患者和一级亲属都存在左后扣带回节点属性异常,提示左后扣带回功能异常可能是精神分裂症的早期改变且受遗传易感性影响。

Altered small-world brain network in schizophrenia patients and the unaffected first-degree relatives

Objective:To investigate the differences of small-world properties of resting state functional network between schizophrenia patients(SZs) and their unaffected first-degree relatives(RELs). Methods:The 33 SZs diagnosed with DSM-IV, 30 RELs and 34 healthy controls(HCs) were scanned with resting state functional imaging. Functional connectivity metrics that were estimated by partial correlation analysis of 116 brain regions by automated anatomical labeling(AAL) was threshold to construct an undirected graph. Then we compared the small-world properties of resting state functional network among three groups. Results:We found all of the participants had healthy and efficient small-world network topology. Compared with HCs, SZs presented a significant abnormality in node properties, mainly in the left orbital frontal cortex, left posterior cingulated gyrus, right superior temporal cortex, and cerebellum. The increase in regional degree in cingulate gyrus was also found in RELs. Conclusion:Dysconnectivity in posterior cingulated gyrus may be detected early, even in subjects without clinical symptoms. In addition, overlapped changes in regional efficiency between SZs and their RELs suggest that the architecture of brain functional networks could be influenced by the genetic vulnerability to schizophrenia.