title: The use of dynamic susceptibility contrast (DSC) MRI to automatically classify patients with first episode psychosis.
abstract: Hemodynamic changes in the brain have been reported in major psychosis in respect to healthy controls, and could unveil the basis of structural brain modifications happening in patients. The study of first episode psychosis is of particular interest because the confounding role of chronicity and medication can be excluded. The aim of this work is to automatically discriminate first episode psychosis patients and normal controls on the basis of brain perfusion employing a support vector machine (SVM) classifier. 35 normal controls and 35 first episode psychosis underwent dynamic susceptibility contrast magnetic resonance imaging, and cerebral blood flow and volume, along with mean transit time were obtained. We investigated their behavior in the whole brain and in selected regions of interest, in particular the left and right frontal, parietal, temporal and occipital lobes, insula, caudate and cerebellum. The distribution of values of perfusion indexes were used as features in a support vector machine classifier. Mean values of blood flow and volume were slightly lower in patients, and the difference reached statistical significance in the right caudate, left and right frontal lobes, and in left cerebellum. Linear SVM reached an accuracy of 83% in the classification of patients and normal controls, with the highest accuracy associated with the right frontal lobe and left parietal lobe. In conclusion, we found evidence that brain perfusion could be used as a potential marker to classify patients with psychosis, who show reduced blood flow and volume in respect to normal controls.
authors.affiliation: UOC Psychiatry, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Integrata Verona (AOUI), Italy; InterUniversity Centre for Behavioural Neurosciences (ICBN), University of Verona, Verona, Italy.
authors.forename: Letizia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Squarcina
authors.affiliation: InterUniversity Centre for Behavioural Neurosciences (ICBN), University of Verona, Verona, Italy; Department of Public Health and Community Medicine, Section of Clinical Psychology, University of Verona, Verona, Italy.
authors.forename: Cinzia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Perlini
authors.affiliation: Department of Informatics, University of Verona, Verona, Italy; Scientific Institute IRCCS "E. Medea", Bosisio Parini (Lc), Italy.
authors.forename: Denis
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Peruzzo
authors.affiliation: Department of Informatics, University of Verona, Verona, Italy.
authors.forename: Umberto
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Castellani
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental & Clinical Medical Sciences (DISM), InterUniversity Center for Behavioral Neurosciences, University of Udine, Udine, Italy.
authors.forename: Veronica
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Marinelli
authors.affiliation: UOC Psychiatry, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Integrata Verona (AOUI), Italy; InterUniversity Centre for Behavioural Neurosciences (ICBN), University of Verona, Verona, Italy.
authors.forename: Marcella
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bellani
authors.affiliation: InterUniversity Centre for Behavioural Neurosciences (ICBN), University of Verona, Verona, Italy; Department of Public Health and Community Medicine, Section of Psychiatry, University of Verona, Verona, Italy.
authors.forename: Gianluca
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rambaldelli
authors.affiliation: UOC Psychiatry, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Integrata Verona (AOUI), Italy; Department of Public Health and Community Medicine, Section of Psychiatry, University of Verona, Verona, Italy.
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lasalvia
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health and Community Medicine, Section of Psychiatry, University of Verona, Verona, Italy.
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tosato
authors.affiliation: UOC Psychiatry, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Integrata Verona (AOUI), Italy.
authors.forename: Katia
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: De Santi
authors.affiliation: Department of Morphological and Biomedical Sciences, Section of Radiology, University of Verona, Italy.
authors.forename: Federica
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Spagnolli
authors.affiliation: Department of Morphological and Biomedical Sciences, Section of Radiology, University of Verona, Italy.
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Cerini
authors.affiliation: UOC Psychiatry, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Integrata Verona (AOUI), Italy; Department of Public Health and Community Medicine, Section of Psychiatry, University of Verona, Verona, Italy.
authors.forename: Mirella
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ruggeri
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosciences and Mental Health, Psychiatric Clinic, Fondazione IRCCS Cà Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, University of Milan, Milan, Italy; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, TX, USA. Electronic address: paolo.brambilla1@unimi.it.
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Brambilla
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001931:Brain Mapping / Q000379:methods; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002560:Cerebrovascular Circulation / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005682:Gadolinium / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D006801:Humans; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000145:classification* / Q000175:diagnosis*; D060388:Support Vector Machine; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D005682:Gadolinium
keywords: Machine learning; Perfusion; SVM