title: Differential Patterns of Dysconnectivity in Mirror Neuron and Mentalizing Networks in Schizophrenia.
abstract: Impairments of social cognition are well documented in patients with schizophrenia (SCZ), but the neural basis remains poorly understood. In light of evidence that suggests that the "mirror neuron system" (MNS) and the "mentalizing network" (MENT) are key substrates of intersubjectivity and joint action, it has been suggested that dysfunction of these neural networks may underlie social difficulties in SCZ patients. Additionally, MNS and MENT might be associated differently with positive vs negative symptoms, given prior social cognitive and symptom associations. We assessed resting state functional connectivity (RSFC) in meta-analytically defined MNS and MENT networks in this patient group. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans were obtained from 116 patients and 133 age-, gender- and movement-matched healthy controls (HC) at 5 different MRI sites. Network connectivity was analyzed for group differences and correlations with clinical symptoms. Results demonstrated decreased connectivity within the MNS and also the MENT in patients compared to controls. Notably, dysconnectivity of the MNS was related to symptom severity, while no such relationship was observed for the MENT. In sum, these findings demonstrate that differential patterns of dysconnectivity exist in SCZ patients, which may contribute differently to the interpersonal difficulties commonly observed in the disorder.
authors.affiliation: Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany; Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital Cologne, Cologne, Germany;
authors.forename: Leonhard
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Schilbach
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy & Psychosomatics, RWTH University Aachen, Aachen, Germany; Jülich Aachen Research Alliance, JARA-BRAIN, Translational Brain Medicine, Jülich-Aachen, Germany; Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-1), Research Centre Juelich, Juelich, Germany; Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany; birgit.derntl@med.uni-tuebingen.de.
authors.forename: Birgit
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Derntl
authors.affiliation: BCN Neuroimaging Center, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands;
authors.forename: Andre
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Aleman
authors.affiliation: Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-1), Research Centre Juelich, Juelich, Germany;
authors.forename: Svenja
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Caspers
authors.affiliation: Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-1), Research Centre Juelich, Juelich, Germany;
authors.forename: Mareike
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Clos
authors.affiliation: Neuroscience Division, University Medical Center Utrecht & Rudolf Magnus Institute for Neuroscience, Utrecht, Netherlands;
authors.forename: Kelly M J
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Diederen
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany; Section for Experimental Psychopathology and Neuroimaging, Department of General Psychiatry, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany;
authors.forename: Oliver
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Gruber
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy & Psychosomatics, RWTH University Aachen, Aachen, Germany; Jülich Aachen Research Alliance, JARA-BRAIN, Translational Brain Medicine, Jülich-Aachen, Germany; Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany;
authors.forename: Lydia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kogler
authors.affiliation: BCN Neuroimaging Center, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands;
authors.forename: Edith J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Liemburg
authors.affiliation: Neuroscience Division, University Medical Center Utrecht & Rudolf Magnus Institute for Neuroscience, Utrecht, Netherlands;
authors.forename: Iris E
authors.initials: IE
authors.lastname: Sommer
authors.affiliation: Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-1), Research Centre Juelich, Juelich, Germany; Institute of Clinical Neuroscience and Medical Psychology, HHU Duesseldorf, Duesseldorf, Germany.
authors.forename: Veronika I
authors.initials: VI
authors.lastname: Müller
authors.affiliation: Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-1), Research Centre Juelich, Juelich, Germany; Institute of Clinical Neuroscience and Medical Psychology, HHU Duesseldorf, Duesseldorf, Germany.
authors.forename: Edna C
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Cieslik
authors.affiliation: Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-1), Research Centre Juelich, Juelich, Germany; Institute of Clinical Neuroscience and Medical Psychology, HHU Duesseldorf, Duesseldorf, Germany.
authors.forename: Simon B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Eickhoff
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D063132:Connectome / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D059167:Mirror Neurons / Q000502:physiology*; D009415:Nerve Net / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000503:physiopathology*; D056345:Theory of Mind / Q000502:physiology*
keywords: functional connectivity; mentalizing network; mirror neuron system; model-based analysis; resting state fMRI; schizophrenia