Posterior cingulated cortex functional connectivity in deficit schizophrenia: a resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging study

Abstract

Objective To explore the discrepancies of the network of resting brain functional connectivity related to posterior cingulated cortex （PCC） between deficit schizophrenia patients and normal control. Methods Thirty male patients of deficit schizophrenia, nondeficit schizophrenia and 30 healthy controls were enrolled, and the age, education level and sex were matched between three groups. Resting state fMRI was performed on all the subjects. Correlation analysis between PCC and all the other voxels in the brain was performed with a voxel-wise manner and the changes of network of PCC functional connectivity between three groups were compared. Results There were valid data of 27 patients in deficit group,26 patients in nondeficit group, 25 persons in control group. The scores of SANS (26.7±2.4)and SDS (11.2±2.7) in deficit group were higher than that in nondeficit group (14.3±1.2，4.1±2.6;t=23.667，9.812，P<0.01）.（2）In three groups, areas showing significant functional connectivity to PCC included left and right middle frontal gyrus, left and right superior frontal gyrus, left inferior frontal gyrus, left and right cerebellum, left and right posterior lobe of cerebellum, left inferior temporal gyrus, right middle temporal gyrus, left caudate nucleus, left and right limbic lobe(parahippocampal gyrus), left cuneate lobe, left and right precuneus. （3）The weaker functional connectivity to PCC in deficit schizophrenia patients than normal control included areas of left and right middle frontal gyrus, left and right cerebellum, left limbic lobe, left thalamus, right parietal lobe, the left anterior cingulated cortex, while stronger connectivity in areas of left precuneus and left parietal lobule. （4）The weaker functional connectivity to PCC in deficit schizophrenia patients than non-deficit schizophrenia patients included areas of right parietal lobule and left precuneus, while stronger connectivity were in areas of left and right inferior frontal gyrus, left superior frontal gyrus, left temporal lobe. Conclusions Deficit schizophrenia may exist specific PCC functional connectivity network mode, and the weakened brain regions connection be in left limbic lobe,left and right middle frontal gyrus and so on. It suggests that deficit schizophrenia may be an independent disease subtype. Key words: Schizophrenia; Magnetic resonance imaging; Brain function connection