Background
Cognitive control impairments in schizophrenia are thought to arise from dysfunction
of interconnected networks of brain regions, but interrogating the functional dynamics
of large-scale brain networks during cognitive task performance has proved difficult.
We used functional magnetic resonance imaging to generate event-related whole-brain
functional connectivity networks in participants with first-episode schizophrenia
and healthy control subjects performing a cognitive control task.
Methods
Functional connectivity during cognitive control performance was assessed between
each pair of 78 brain regions in 23 patients and 25 control subjects. Network properties
examined were region-wise connectivity, edge-wise connectivity, global path length,
clustering, small-worldness, global efficiency, and local efficiency.
Results
Patients showed widespread functional connectivity deficits in a large-scale network
of brain regions, which primarily affected connectivity between frontal cortex and
posterior regions and occurred irrespective of task context. A more circumscribed
and task-specific connectivity impairment in frontoparietal systems related to cognitive
control was also apparent. Global properties of network topology in patients were
relatively intact.
Conclusions
The first episode of schizophrenia is associated with a generalized connectivity impairment
affecting most brain regions but that is particularly pronounced for frontal cortex.
Superimposed on this generalized deficit, patients show more specific cognitive-control-related
functional connectivity reductions in frontoparietal regions. These connectivity deficits
occur in the context of relatively preserved global network organization.
Key Words
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: April 25, 2011
Accepted:
February 10,
2011
Received in revised form:
January 11,
2011
Received:
October 5,
2010
Identification
Copyright
© 2011 Society of Biological Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
