Diffusion tensor imaging-based evaluation of white-matter tract alterations in schizophrenic patients with personality-related comorbidities

IF 2.3 3区心理学 Q2 BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES

Behavioural Brain Research Pub Date : 2025-09-11 DOI:10.1016/j.bbr.2025.115815

Mahsa Asadi Anar , Daniel shafiei , Kourosh Mousa Zadeh , Farbod khosravi , Shaghayegh Karami , Saba Mehrtabar , Melika Arab Bafrani , Seyyed Kiarash Sadat Rafiei , Hadis Seif , Pouya Asgari , Mohammad Saeed Soleimani Meigoli , Nazanin Mohammadzadeh Kosari , Mahdi khajavi

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Background

Schizophrenia (SZ) is a complex neuropsychiatric disorder frequently accompanied by personality-related traits such as impulsivity and psychosis proneness. Emerging evidence implicates white matter (WM) dysconnectivity in the pathophysiology of SZ. This study aimed to evaluate microstructural alterations across key WM tracts using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and explore their associations with personality dimensions.We analyzed DTI data from 45 patients with SZ and 114 matched healthy controls from the UCLA Consortium for Neuropsychiatric Phenomics dataset. Fractional anisotropy (FA) and complementary diffusivity metrics,mean diffusivity (MD), radial diffusivity (RD), and axial diffusivity (AD),were extracted from 21 predefined WM tracts. Dimensional personality traits were assessed using validated psychometric instruments including the BIS-11, TCI, MPQ, and Chapman Scales. Group differences and tract-personality correlations were examined using ANCOVA and permutation-based statistics with Bonferroni correction.

Results

SZ patients showed significant reductions in FA and elevations in MD and RD in the right inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus, left optic radiation, and left posterior thalamic radiation (p < 0.05, corrected), implicating both demyelination and generalized microstructural disorganization. These abnormalities were significantly correlated with heightened impulsivity, impaired self-regulation, and increased psychosis proneness.

Conclusions

Our findings highlight distributed WM microstructural deficits in schizophrenia that extend beyond FA alterations and are linked to clinically relevant personality traits. The integration of multidimensional DTI analysis with personality profiling may enhance mechanistic understanding of psychiatric comorbidity in SZ and support future biomarker development for stratified intervention strategies.

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基于弥散张量成像评估伴有人格相关合并症的精神分裂症患者白质束改变。

背景：精神分裂症（SZ）是一种复杂的神经精神障碍，常伴有冲动性和精神病倾向等人格相关特征。新出现的证据暗示白质（WM）连接障碍在SZ的病理生理。本研究旨在利用弥散张量成像（DTI）评估关键WM束的微观结构变化，并探讨其与人格维度的关系。我们分析了来自加州大学洛杉矶分校神经精神表型组学联盟数据集的45名SZ患者和114名匹配的健康对照者的DTI数据。从21个预定义的WM束中提取分数各向异性（FA）和互补扩散系数指标，即平均扩散系数（MD）、径向扩散系数（RD）和轴向扩散系数（AD）。使用经过验证的心理测量工具，包括BIS-11、TCI、MPQ和Chapman量表，对维度人格特征进行评估。使用ANCOVA和基于排列的统计，并进行Bonferroni校正，检验群体差异和通道-人格相关性。结果：SZ患者右侧额枕下束FA显著降低，MD和RD显著升高，左侧视神经辐射、左侧丘脑后束辐射均显著升高（p < 0.05，校正后），提示脱髓鞘脱髓鞘和全身性微结构紊乱。这些异常与冲动增强、自我调节受损和精神病倾向增加显著相关。结论：我们的研究结果强调了精神分裂症中分布的WM微结构缺陷，其范围超出了FA改变，并与临床相关的人格特征有关。多维DTI分析与人格分析的整合可能会增强对SZ精神共病的机制理解，并为未来分层干预策略的生物标志物开发提供支持。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Behavioural Brain Research 医学-行为科学

CiteScore

5.60

自引率

0.00%

发文量

383

审稿时长

61 days

期刊介绍： Behavioural Brain Research is an international, interdisciplinary journal dedicated to the publication of articles in the field of behavioural neuroscience, broadly defined. Contributions from the entire range of disciplines that comprise the neurosciences, behavioural sciences or cognitive sciences are appropriate, as long as the goal is to delineate the neural mechanisms underlying behaviour. Thus, studies may range from neurophysiological, neuroanatomical, neurochemical or neuropharmacological analysis of brain-behaviour relations, including the use of molecular genetic or behavioural genetic approaches, to studies that involve the use of brain imaging techniques, to neuroethological studies. Reports of original research, of major methodological advances, or of novel conceptual approaches are all encouraged. The journal will also consider critical reviews on selected topics.