Dysbalanced Resting-State Functional Connectivity Within the Praxis Network Is Linked to Gesture Deficits in Schizophrenia

Abstract

<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title> <jats:p>Patients with schizophrenia frequently present deficits in gesture production and interpretation, greatly affecting their communication skills. As these gesture deficits can be found early in the course of illness and as they can predict later outcomes, exploring their neural basis may lead to a better understanding of schizophrenia. While gesturing has been reported to rely on a left lateralized network of brain regions, termed praxis network, in healthy subjects and lesioned patients, studies in patients with schizophrenia are sparse. It is currently unclear whether within-network connectivity at rest is linked to gesture deficit. Here, we compared the functional connectivity between regions of the praxis network at rest between 46 patients and 44 healthy controls. All participants completed a validated test of hand gesture performance before resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was acquired. Patients performed gestures poorer than controls in all categories and domains. In patients, we also found significantly higher resting-state functional connectivity between left precentral gyrus and bilateral superior and inferior parietal lobule. Likewise, patients had higher connectivity from right precentral gyrus to left inferior and bilateral superior parietal lobule (SPL). In contrast, they exhibited lower connectivity between bilateral superior temporal gyrus (STG). Connectivity between right precentral gyrus and left SPL, as well as connectivity between bilateral STG, correlated with gesture performance in healthy controls. We failed to detect similar correlations in patients. We suggest that altered resting-state functional connectivity within the praxis network perturbs correct gesture planning in patients, reflecting the gesture deficit often seen in schizophrenia.</jats:p>

Limbic links to paranoia: increased resting-state functional connectivity between amygdala, hippocampus and orbitofrontal cortex in schizophrenia patients with paranoia

“…The current study included 89 patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders according to DSM-5 criteria (schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, brief psychotic disorder, schizophreniform disorder) and 76 healthy controls (Table 1, Part A, Part C) from three different studies that used functional neuroimaging and comprehensive assessment of symptoms in patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders [OCoPS-P (Overcoming Psychomotor Slowing in Psychosis) ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03921450 [22] 10 patients, 17 controls; GNI (neural correlates of gesture deficits in schizophrenia) [23,24] 46 patients, 44 controls; IPSS (interpersonal space study in schizophrenia) 30 patients, 14 controls]. We recruited patients at the in-and out-patient departments of the University Hospital of Psychiatry, Bern, and healthy controls via advertisement.…”

Hypoconnectivity networks in schizophrenia patients: a voxelwise meta-analysis of rs-fMRI

“…In addition, hypoactivation in this area has been shown in relatives of people with schizophrenia compared to the control group (Scognamiglio and Houenou, 2014). It should be noted that dysfunctions in praxis networks in patients with schizophrenia, which includes the right precentral gyrus, correlate with de cits in the gesticulation of these patients (Wüthrich et al, 2020).…”

Brain Stimulation and Group Therapy to Improve Gesture and Social Skills in Schizophrenia—The Study Protocol of a Randomized, Sham-Controlled, Three-Arm, Double-Blind Trial

“…Additionally, we hypothesize that the expected improvement of gesture performance will have positive effects on functional outcome, as both have been reported to be linked in schizophrenia ( 20 ). At the neural level, we hypothesize that the brain activity of patients will converge to the brain activity of healthy controls after both interventions, especially within the praxis network ( 39 , 40 ).…”

“…Neuroimaging demonstrated structural and functional alterations in the praxis network in schizophrenia patients with gesture deficits ( 34 – 38 ). Specifically, two areas of the praxis network are linked to gesture deficits in schizophrenia: the inferior parietal lobule (IPL) and the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) ( 39 , 40 ). The IPL has been related to motor functioning, as well as cognitive and visuospatial processing ( 41 – 43 ).…”