Cingulate fasciculus integrity disruption in schizophrenia: a magnetic resonance diffusion tensor imaging study

Abstract

Evidence suggests that a disruption in limbic system network integrity and, in particular, the cingulate gyrus (CG), may play a role in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia; however, the cingulum bundle (CB), the white matter tract furnishing both input and output to CG, and the most prominent white matter fiber tract in the limbic system, has not been evaluated in schizophrenia using the new technology of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). We used line scan DTI to evaluate diffusion in the CB in 16 male schizophrenia patients and 18 male control subjects, group-matched for age, parental socioeconomic status, and handedness. We acquired 4-mm-thick coronal slices through the entire brain. Maps of fractional anisotropy (FA) were generated to quantify diffusion within the left and right CB on eight slices that included the central portion of the CB. Results showed group differences, bilaterally, in area and mean FA for CB, where patients showed smaller area and less anisotropy than controls. For patients, decreased left CB correlated significantly with attention and working memory measures as assessed by the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test. These data provide strong evidence for CB disruptions in schizophrenia, which may be related to disease-related attention and working memory abnormalities.

Age-related deficits in fronto-temporal connections in schizophrenia: A diffusion tensor imaging study

“…In previous investigations (Kubicki et al, 2002b;Kubicki et al, 2003) we showed reduced FA in the region of interest studies of cingulum bundle (CB) and uncinate fasciculus (UF) in schizophrenia. Most recently our group has begun to investigate fronto-temporal abnormalities in schizophrenia using fiber tractography, a method that makes possible the computation of diffusion tensor values along the whole course of the fiber bundles, as opposed to a region of interest approach, where only a small portion of the fiber bundle can be measured.…”

“…Mean ages were 39.8 years (SD=9) for patients, and 41.7 (SD=9.3) for controls (F=0.38, df=58, P=0.15). Detailed diagnostic information and inclusion and exclusion criteria are described elsewhere (Kubicki et al, 2003). The local IRB committee at the VA and BWH approved the study and written informed consent was obtained from all subjects.…”

“…The MRI Protocol, as well as details of the DTI processing is described elsewhere (Kubicki et al, 2003). Additionally, a more complete description of the fiber tracking procedures can be found in Park et al (Park et al, (2004).…”

Asymmetry analysis of cingulum based on scale‐invariant parameterization by diffusion tensor imaging

“…There have been a few works thus far in which cingulum was studied with DTI and a difference of cingulum anisotropy asymmetry was found between control subjects and schizophrenic patients [Kubicki et al, 2003;Wang et al, 2004]. Uncertainty might be increased, however, by manually specifying regions of interest (ROIs) for anterior and posterior parts of cingulum, respectively, in several slices [Wang et al, 2004].…”

“…Uncertainty might be increased, however, by manually specifying regions of interest (ROIs) for anterior and posterior parts of cingulum, respectively, in several slices [Wang et al, 2004]. Kubicki et al [2003] took the cingulum as a whole. To our knowledge, there is no study on the asymmetry of different parts along the cingulum.…”