White matter structure in schizophrenia and autism: Abnormal diffusion across the brain in schizophrenia

NEUROPSYCHOLOGIA

卷:135

Article

Haigh, Sarah M.^1,2,3,4  Eack, Shaun M.^5,7  Keller, Timothy¹  Minshew, Nancy J.^5,6  Behrmann, Marlene^1,2 

[1] Carnegie Mellon Univ, Dept Psychol, 1664 N Virginia St, Reno, NV 89557 USA

[2] Carnegie Mellon Univ, Ctr Neural Basis Cognit, Reno, NV 89557 USA

[3] Univ Nevada, Dept Psychol, Reno, NV 89557 USA

[4] Univ Nevada, Ctr Integrat Neurosci, Reno, NV 89557 USA

[5] Univ Pittsburgh, Sch Med, Dept Psychiat, Pittsburgh, PA 15260 USA

[6] Univ Pittsburgh, Dept Neurol, Pittsburgh, PA 15260 USA

[7] Univ Pittsburgh, Sch Social Work, Pittsburgh, PA 15260 USA

关键词: Autism;    Schizophrenia;    DTI;    White matter;    Mean diffusivity;    TBSS;   

DOI  :  10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2019.107233

来源: Elsevier

【 摘 要 】

Background: Schizophrenia and autism share many behavioral and neurological similarities, including altered white matter tract structure. However, because schizophrenia and autism are rarely compared directly, it is difficult to establish whether white matter abnormalities are disorder-specific or are common across these disorders that share some symptomatology. Methods: In the current study, we compared white matter water diffusion using tensor imaging in 25 adults with autism, 15 adults with schizophrenia, all with IQ scores above 88, and 19 neurotypical adults. Results: Although the three groups evinced no statistically significant differences in measures of fractional anisotropy (FA), the schizophrenia group showed significantly greater mean diffusivity (MD; Cohen's d > 0.77), due to greater radial diffusivity (RD; Cohen's d > 0.92), compared to both the autism and control groups. This effect was evident across the brain rather than specific to a particular tract. Conclusions: The greater MD and RD in schizophrenia appears to be diagnosis-specific. The altered diffusion may reflect subtle abnormalities in myelination, which could be a potential mechanism underlying the widespread behavioral deficits associated with schizophrenia.

【 授权许可】

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