title: Investigation of white matter abnormalities in first episode psychosis patients with persistent negative symptoms.
abstract: Aberrant white matter structures in fronto-temporal regions have previously been identified in patients with schizophrenia. However, scant research has focused on white matter integrity in patients presenting with a first episode of psychosis (FEP) with persistent negative symptoms (PNS). This study aimed to explore microstructure in the neurocircuitry proposed to be involved in PNS, by using a region-of-interest approach. Secondly, the relationship between individual negative symptoms and white matter were explored. Fractional anisotropy (FA) was measured in the fornix and three other tracts bilaterally including the uncinate fasciculus, superior longitudinal fasciculus and the cingulum bundle. Twelve patients with PNS were compared to a non-PNS group (52) and a healthy control group (51). Results showed that the PNS group had significantly lower FA values in the fornix when compared to healthy controls and that the non-PNS group had significantly lower FA values in the right uncinate fasciculus compared to healthy controls. Significant correlations were observed between SANS global score for anhedonia-asociality and lower FA values in the right cingulum bundle. Our results suggest that fronto-temporal white matter might be more closely related to PNS and that this relationship may possibly be mediated by greater anhedonia in PNS patients.
authors.affiliation: Prevention and Early Intervention Program for Psychoses (PEPP-Montreal), Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Department of Neurology & Neurosurgery, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
authors.forename: Cindy L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Hovington
authors.affiliation: Prevention and Early Intervention Program for Psychoses (PEPP-Montreal), Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bodnar
authors.affiliation: Kimel Family Translational Imaging-Genetics Research Laboratory, The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Canada; Department of Psychiatry and Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.
authors.forename: M Mallar
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Chakravarty
authors.affiliation: Prevention and Early Intervention Program for Psychoses (PEPP-Montreal), Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
authors.forename: Ridha
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Joober
authors.affiliation: Prevention and Early Intervention Program for Psychoses (PEPP-Montreal), Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Department of Neurology & Neurosurgery, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
authors.forename: Ashok K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Malla
authors.affiliation: Prevention and Early Intervention Program for Psychoses (PEPP-Montreal), Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Department of Neurology & Neurosurgery, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Electronic address: martin.lepage@mcgill.ca.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lepage
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D016880:Anisotropy; D056324:Diffusion Tensor Imaging / Q000639:trends; D005260:Female; D020712:Fornix, Brain / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D009415:Nerve Net / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000523:psychology; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000378:metabolism; D013702:Temporal Lobe / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D013997:Time Factors; D066127:White Matter / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Anhedonia; Avolition; Negative symptoms, first episode psychosis; Persistent negative symptoms; White matter