AI Article Synopsis

  • The study investigates differences in white and grey matter structures in young males at ultra-high risk of psychosis compared to healthy controls using advanced imaging techniques.* -
  • Findings revealed increased radial diffusivity in certain white matter tracts and reduced cortical thickness in various brain regions among UHR subjects, suggesting potential structural abnormalities.* -
  • The researchers concluded that these alterations in brain connectivity and anatomy may contribute to the cognitive and social functioning deficits observed in individuals at risk for developing psychosis.*

Article Abstract

There is increasing evidence of white matter (WM) and grey matter pathology in subjects at ultra-high risk of psychosis (UHR), although a limited number of diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DW-MRI) and surface-based morphometry (SBM) studies have revealed anatomically inconsistent results. The present multimodal study applies tractography and SBM to analyze WM microstructure, whole-brain cortical anatomy, and potential interconnections between WM and grey matter abnormalities in UHR subjects. Thirty young male UHR patients and 30 healthy controls underwent DW-MRI and T1-weighted MRI. Fractional anisotropy; mean, radial, and axial diffusivity in 18 WM tracts; and vertex-based cortical thickness, area, and volume were analyzed. We found increased radial diffusivity in the left anterior thalamic radiation and reduced bilateral thickness across the frontal, temporal, and parietal cortices. No correlations between WM and grey matter abnormalities were identified. These results provide further evidence that WM microstructure abnormalities and cortical anatomical changes occur in the UHR state. Disruption of structural connectivity in the prefrontal-subcortical circuitry, likely caused by myelin pathology, and cortical thickness reduction affecting the networks presumably involved in processing and coordination of external and internal information streams may underlie the widespread deficits in neurocognitive and social functioning that are consistently reported in UHR subjects.

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Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.pscychresns.2019.05.002DOI Listing

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