Cerebellar abnormalities in first-episode, drug-naive schizophrenia at rest

Psychiatry Res Neuroimaging. 2018 Jun 30:276:73-79. doi: 10.1016/j.pscychresns.2018.03.010. Epub 2018 Mar 29.

Abstract

The cerebellum plays a crucial role in higher cortical functions through a cerebellar-cerebral circuit. However, the specific mechanisms through which the cerebellum contributes to the neurobiology of schizophrenia remain unclear. Forty-nine first-episode, drug-naive patients with schizophrenia and 50 healthy controls underwent structural and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI). The MRI data were analyzed using voxel-based morphometry, amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (ALFF), cerebellum homogeneity (CH), and seed-based functional connectivity (FC). Patients with schizophrenia did not have anatomical and CH alterations in the cerebellum compared with healthy controls. However, they exhibited decreased ALFF in the right Crus I and abnormal cerebellar FC with brain regions within the dorsal attention network, default-mode network, and ventral attention network. The findings indicate that cerebellar abnormalities in first-episode schizophrenia are mainly in the cerebellar-cerebral connectivities, which may contribute to the neurobiology of schizophrenia.

Keywords: Cerebellum; Cerebellum homogeneity; Functional connectivity; Network; Schizophrenia.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Attention
  • Brain / diagnostic imaging
  • Brain / physiopathology
  • Brain Mapping
  • Case-Control Studies
  • Cerebellum / diagnostic imaging*
  • Cerebellum / physiopathology
  • Cerebrum / diagnostic imaging
  • Cerebrum / physiopathology
  • Female
  • Functional Neuroimaging
  • Humans
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging
  • Male
  • Neural Pathways / diagnostic imaging
  • Neural Pathways / physiopathology
  • Rest
  • Schizophrenia / diagnostic imaging*
  • Schizophrenia / physiopathology
  • Young Adult