title: Abnormal Degree Centrality of Bilateral Putamen and Left Superior Frontal Gyrus in Schizophrenia with Auditory Hallucinations: A Resting-state Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Dysconnectivity hypothesis of schizophrenia has been increasingly emphasized. Recent researches showed that this dysconnectivity might be related to occurrence of auditory hallucination (AH). However, there is still no consistent conclusion. This study aimed to explore intrinsic dysconnectivity pattern of whole-brain functional networks at voxel level in schizophrenic with AH.
  
  
  METHODS
  Auditory hallucinated patients group (n = 42 APG), no hallucinated patients group (n = 42 NPG) and normal controls (n = 84 NCs) were analyzed by resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging. The functional connectivity metrics index (degree centrality [DC]) across the entire brain networks was calculated and evaluated among three groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  DC decreased in the bilateral putamen and increased in the left superior frontal gyrus in all the patients. However, in APG, the changes of DC were more obvious compared with NPG. Symptomology scores were negatively correlated with the DC of bilateral putamen in all patients. AH score of APG positively correlated with the DC in left superior frontal gyrus but negatively correlated with the DC in bilateral putamen.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings corroborated that schizophrenia was characterized by functional dysconnectivity, and the abnormal DC in bilateral putamen and left superior frontal gyrus might be crucial in the occurrence of AH.
authors.forename: Cheng
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Hui-Ling
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Shi-Hao
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Huan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Ji-Lin
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Zou
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Tian-Zi
authors.initials: TZ
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science and Magnetic Resonance Imaging Research Center, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China.
authors.forename: Yuan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: Neuropsychiatry Institution; Department of Psychiatry, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei 430060, China.
authors.forename: Gao-Hua
authors.initials: GH
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001931:Brain Mapping; D005260:Female; D006179:Gyrus Cinguli / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006212:Hallucinations / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D011699:Putamen / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D055815:Young Adult