title: Network-specific cortico-thalamic dysconnection in schizophrenia revealed by intrinsic functional connectivity analyses.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Cortico-thalamic connections are thought to be abnormal in schizophrenia due to their important roles in sensory relay and higher cognitive control, both of which are affected by this devastating illness. This study tested the cortico-thalamic dysconnection hypothesis in schizophrenia and further explored cortico-thalamic network properties using functional connectivity MRI (fcMRI).
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty-eight participants with schizophrenia and 48 healthy controls underwent resting fMRI scans and clinical evaluations. Six a priori cortical regions of interests (ROIs) were used to derive the six networks: dorsal default mode network (dDMN), fronto-parietal network (FPN), cingulo-opercular network (CON), primary sensorimotor network (SM1), primary auditory network (A1) and primary visual network (V1). The cortico-thalamic connectivity for each network was calculated for each participant and then compared between groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed significant group×network interactions (F(5, 90)=9.5, P<0.001), which were driven by a significant increase in FC within the SM1 (t(94)=4.1, P<0.001) and A1 (t(94)=4.2, P<0.001) networks in schizophrenics, as well as a significant decrease within the CON (t(94)=-2.8, P=0.04). The cortico-thalamic dysconnection did not correlate with symptom severity, representing a state independent abnormality.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The network analysis indicates that cortico-thalamic dysconnection in schizophrenia involves multiple networks and shows network specific changes. The findings provide support for dysfunctional thalamus-related networks in schizophrenia and further elaborate their network properties.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Research and Education, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei 112, Taiwan; Department of Psychiatry, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei 112, Taiwan; Institute of Philosophy of Mind and Cognition, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan; Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Pei-Chi
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Tu
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei 112, Taiwan; Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Ying-Chiao
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei 112, Taiwan; Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Ying-Shiue
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei 112, Taiwan; Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Ju-Wei
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Hsu
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei 112, Taiwan; Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Cheng-Ta
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei 112, Taiwan; Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan. Electronic address: tpsu@vghtpe.gov.tw.
authors.forename: Tung-Ping
authors.initials: TP
authors.lastname: Su
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001931:Brain Mapping; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000187:drug effects / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007406:Interview, Psychological; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000187:drug effects / Q000503:physiopathology; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012146:Rest; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013788:Thalamus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000503:physiopathology*
chemical_list: D014150:Antipsychotic Agents
keywords: Cortico-thalamic connection; Functional connectivity; Schizophrenia