Structural connectivity in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder: Effects of chronicity and antipsychotic treatment

Publication date: Available online 18 February 2019Source: Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological PsychiatryAuthor(s): Benjamín Cea-Cañas, Rodrigo de Luis, Alba Lubeiro, Javier Gomez-Pilar, Eva Sotelo, Pilar del Valle, Marta Gómez-García, Adrián Alonso-Sánchez, Vicente MolinaAbstractPrevious studies based on graph theory parameters applied to diffusion tensor imaging support an alteration of the global properties of structural connectivity network in schizophrenia. However, the specificity of this alteration and its possible relation with chronicity and treatment have received small attention. We have assessed small-world (SW) and connectivity strength indexes of the structural network built using fractional anisotropy values of the white matter tracts connecting 84 cortical and subcortical regions in 25 chronic and 18 first episode (FE) schizophrenia and 24 bipolar patients and 28 healthy controls. Chronic schizophrenia and bipolar patients showed significantly smaller SW and connectivity strength indexes in comparison with controls and FE patients. SW reduction was driven by increased averaged path-length (PL) values. Illness duration but not treatment doses were negatively associated with connectivity strength, SW and PL in patients. Bipolar patients exposed to antipsychotics did not differ in SW or connectivity strength from bipolar patients without such an exposure. Executive functions and social cognition were related to SW index in the schizophrenia ...
Source: Progress in Neuro Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry - Category: Psychiatry Source Type: research