title: The social brain network in 22q11.2 deletion syndrome: a diffusion tensor imaging study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Chromosome 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11.2DS) is a neurogenetic disorder that is associated with a 25-fold increase in schizophrenia. Both individuals with 22q11.2DS and those with schizophrenia present with social cognitive deficits, which are putatively subserved by a network of brain regions that are involved in the processing of social cognitive information. This study used two-tensor tractography to examine the white matter tracts believed to underlie the social brain network in a group of 57 young adults with 22q11.2DS compared to 30 unaffected controls.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Results indicated that relative to controls, participants with 22q11.2DS showed significant differences in several DTI metrics within the inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus, cingulum bundle, thalamo-frontal tract, and inferior longitudinal fasciculus. In addition, participants with 22q11.2DS showed significant differences in scores on measures of social cognition, including the Social Responsiveness Scale and Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire. Further analyses among individuals with 22q11.2DS demonstrated an association between DTI metrics and positive and negative symptoms of psychosis, as well as differentiation between individuals with 22q11.2DS and overt psychosis, relative to those with positive prodromal symptoms or no psychosis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Findings suggest that white matter disruption, specifically disrupted axonal coherence in the right inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus, may be a biomarker for social cognitive difficulties and psychosis in individuals with 22q11.2DS.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, SUNY Upstate Medical University, 750 E. Adams St., Syracuse, NY, 13210, USA.
authors.forename: Amy K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Olszewski
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Zora
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Kikinis
authors.affiliation: Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Christie S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Gonzalez
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, SUNY Upstate Medical University, 750 E. Adams St., Syracuse, NY, 13210, USA.
authors.forename: Ioana L
authors.initials: IL
authors.lastname: Coman
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.|Departments of Psychiatry and Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Nikolaos
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Makris
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Xue
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Gong
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Yogesh
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Rathi
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Anni
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Kevin M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Antshel
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, SUNY Upstate Medical University, 750 E. Adams St., Syracuse, NY, 13210, USA.
authors.forename: Wanda
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Fremont
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.|Department of Radiology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Marek R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Kubicki
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Sylvain
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bouix
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.|VA Boston Healthcare System, Harvard Medical School, Brockton, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Martha E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Shenton
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, SUNY Upstate Medical University, 750 E. Adams St., Syracuse, NY, 13210, USA. katesw@upstate.edu.
authors.forename: Wendy R
authors.initials: WR
authors.lastname: Kates
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001921:Brain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004062:DiGeorge Syndrome / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D056324:Diffusion Tensor Imaging / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D009415:Nerve Net / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D012920:Social Behavior Disorders / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: 22q11.2 deletion syndrome; Social brain network; Social cognition; Two-tensor tractography; White matter tracts