Amygdala signal abnormality and cognitive impairment in drug-naïve schizophrenia

Abstract

Background Recently studies had showed that the amygdala may take part in the cognitive impairment in schizophrenia (SC). However, the mechanism is still unclear, so we explored the relationship between the amygdala resting state magnetic resonance imaging (rsMRI) signal and cognitive function, to provide a reference for the follow-up study. Methods We collected 59 drug-naïve SCs and 46 healthy controls (HCs) from the Third People’s Hospital of Foshan. The rsMRI technique and automatic segmentation tool were used to extract the volume and functional indicators of the SC’s amygdala. The Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) was used to assess the severity of the disease, and the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS) was used to assess cognitive function. Pearson correlation analysis was used to compare the relationship between the structural and functional indicators of the amygdala and PANSS and RBANS. Results (1) There was no significant difference between SC and HC in age, gender and years of education. Compared with HC, the PANSS score of SC increased and the RBANS score decreased significantly. Meanwhile, the left amygdala volume decreased (t=-3.675, p < 0.001), and the Fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (FALFF) values of bilateral amygdala increased (tL=3.916, p < 0.001; tR=3.131, p = 0.002). (2) The volumes of the left amygdala were negatively correlated with the PANSS score (rL=-0.243, p = 0.039). While the FALFF values of the bilateral amygdala were positively correlated with the PANSS score (rL=0.257, p = 0.026; rR=0.259, p = 0.026). Bilateral amygdala volumes and FALFF values were positively correlated (rL=0.445, p < 0.001; rR=0.326, p = 0.006) and negatively correlated with RBANS score (rL=-0.284, p = 0.014; rR=-0.272, p = 0.020), respectively. Conclusion The abnormal volume and function of the amygdala play important roles in the disease process of SC, and are closely related to cognitive impairment.

Distinguishing functional and structural MRI abnormalities between bipolar and unipolar depression

“…The fALFF analysis was conducted following a previously established methodology ( 23 ). Essentially, the energy of each frequency within the low-frequency range (0.01 Hz < f < 0.1 Hz) was divided by the energy of each frequency across the entire frequency range to calculate the fALFF value for each voxel.…”

Abnormalities of the Amygdala in schizophrenia: a real world study

“…MRI scanning parameters of resting brain function: TR = 2000 ms, TE = 30 ms, FA = 90º, FOV = 240 mm*240 mm, matrix = 64*64, layer thickness = 4 mm, number of layers = 36, layer spacing = 1 mm, Continuous collection of 250 time point data. Like our previous research [ 13 , 17 ], SPM8 ( http://www.fil.ion.ucl.ac.uk/spm ), cat12 ( http://www.neuro.uni-jena.de/cat12 ), and the Data Processing Assistant for Resting-State fMRI DPARSF ( http://rfmri.org/dpabi ) software were used to preprocess MRI data. Brain structure MRI data were mainly used to measure the volume of amygdala gray matter (calculated according to the Automated Anatomical Labeling (AAL) atlas [ 18 ]).…”

“…In addition, some studies had also shown that there were structural and functional abnormalities in the amygdala in SC, such as a decrease in the volume of the amygdala and a reduction in neuronal activity [ 2 , 13 , 14 ]. These abnormalities might be related to the occurrence and manifestation of SC.…”

Selective disrupted gray matter volume covariance of amygdala subregions in schizophrenia

“…Studies utilizing resting state functional MRI studies have identified disturbances in the amygdala’s functional connectivity with other cerebral regions ( 20 – 23 ). Such structural and functional anomalies contribute to cognitive deficits in schizophrenia ( 24 , 25 ). Therefore, the disrupted amygdala connectivity may serve as a potential trigger for schizophrenia, and its intensive study contributes to our understanding of the pathophysiological mechanisms of schizophrenia ( 26 ).…”