title: Functional magnetic resonance imaging reveals abnormal brain connectivity in EGR3 gene transfected rat model of schizophrenia.
abstract: Schizophrenia is characterized by the disorder of "social brain". However, the alternation of connectivity density in brain areas of schizophrenia patients remains largely unknown. In this study, we successfully created a rat model of schizophrenia by the transfection of EGR3 gene into rat brain. We then investigated the connectivity density of schizophrenia susceptible regions in rat brain using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in combination with multivariate Granger causality (GC) model. We found that the average signal strength in prefrontal lobe and hippocampus of schizophrenia model group was significantly higher than the control group. Bidirectional Granger causality connection was observed between hippocampus and thalamic in schizophrenia model group. Both connectivity density and Granger causality connection were changed in prefrontal lobe, hippocampus and thalamus after risperidone treatment. Our results indicated that fMRI in combination with GC connection analysis may be used as an important method in diagnosis of schizophrenia and evaluation the effect of antipsychotic treatment. These findings support the connectivity disorder hypothesis of schizophrenia and increase our understanding of the neural mechanisms of schizophrenia.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Beijing Shunyi Hospital, Beijing 101300, China.
authors.forename: Tianbin
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Song
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Nuclear Radiation and Nuclear Energy Technology, Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China; Beijing Engineering Research Center of Radiographic Techniques and Equipment, Beijing 100049, China.
authors.forename: Binbin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Nie
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Beijing 100029, China.
authors.forename: Ensen
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.affiliation: Department of Ultrasound, Aerospace Central Hospital, Beijing 100049, China.
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Che
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Beijing 100029, China.
authors.forename: Shilong
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Beijing 100029, China.
authors.forename: Yuli
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Nuclear Radiation and Nuclear Energy Technology, Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China; Beijing Engineering Research Center of Radiographic Techniques and Equipment, Beijing 100049, China.
authors.forename: Baoci
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Shan
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio University Hospital, Kuopio, Finland; Department of Clinical Radiology, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio University Hospital, Kuopio, Finland.
authors.forename: Yawu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: School of Information and Electronics, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China. Electronic address: luosenlin126@126.com.
authors.forename: Senlin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Beijing 100029, China. Electronic address: maguolin1007@qq.com.
authors.forename: Guolin
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, CA 92103, USA.
authors.forename: Kefeng
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D051776:Early Growth Response Protein 3 / Q000235:genetics*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000235:genetics / Q000503:physiopathology*; D014162:Transfection
chemical_list: C497370:Egr3 protein, rat; D051776:Early Growth Response Protein 3
keywords: Connectivity; Granger causality model; Rat; Schizophrenia; fMRI