title: Decreased default-mode network homogeneity in unaffected siblings of schizophrenia patients at rest.
abstract: The dysconnectivity hypothesis proposes that abnormal resting state connectivity within the default-mode network (DMN) plays a key role in schizophrenia. Little is known, however, about alterations of the network homogeneity (NH) of the DMN in unaffected siblings of patients with schizophrenia. Unaffected siblings have unique advantages as subjects of neuroimaging studies independent of the clinical and treatment issues that complicate studies of the patients themselves. In the present study, we investigated NH of the DMN in unaffected siblings of schizophrenia. Participants comprised 46 unaffected siblings of schizophrenia patients and 50 age-, sex-, and education-matched healthy controls who underwent resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Automated NH and group independent component analysis (ICA) approaches were used to analyze the data. Compared with healthy controls, the unaffected siblings of schizophrenia patients showed decreased DMN homogeneity in the left precuneus. No significantly increased DMN homogeneity was found in the sibling group relative to the control group. Our results suggest that there is decreased NH of the DMN in unaffected siblings of schizophrenia patients and indicate that the alternative perspective of examining the DMN NH in patients׳ siblings may improve understanding of the nature of schizophrenia.
authors.affiliation: Mental Health Center, the First Affiliated Hospital, Guangxi Medical University, Guangxi, Nanning 530021, China. Electronic address: guowenbin76@163.com.
authors.forename: Wenbin
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory for NeuroInformation of Ministry of Education, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, China.
authors.forename: Feng
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Mental Health Center, the First Affiliated Hospital, Guangxi Medical University, Guangxi, Nanning 530021, China.
authors.forename: Dapeng
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Yao
authors.affiliation: Mental Health Center, the First Affiliated Hospital, Guangxi Medical University, Guangxi, Nanning 530021, China.
authors.forename: Jiajing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.affiliation: Mental Health Center, the First Affiliated Hospital, Guangxi Medical University, Guangxi, Nanning 530021, China.
authors.forename: Qinji
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Su
authors.affiliation: Mental Health Center, the First Affiliated Hospital, Guangxi Medical University, Guangxi, Nanning 530021, China.
authors.forename: Zhikun
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Mental Health Center, the First Affiliated Hospital, Guangxi Medical University, Guangxi, Nanning 530021, China.
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Mental Health Center, the First Affiliated Hospital, Guangxi Medical University, Guangxi, Nanning 530021, China.
authors.forename: Liuyu
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.affiliation: School of Mental Health, Jining Medical University, Shandong, Jining 272067, China.
authors.forename: Jinguo
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhai
authors.affiliation: Mental Health Center, the First Affiliated Hospital, Guangxi Medical University, Guangxi, Nanning 530021, China.
authors.forename: Changqing
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Xiao
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001931:Brain Mapping / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D009415:Nerve Net / Q000503:physiopathology*; D010296:Parietal Lobe / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000503:physiopathology*; D035781:Siblings; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Default mode network; Independent component analysis; Network homogeneity; Schizophrenia; Unaffected siblings