Disorganization of Semantic Brain Networks in Schizophrenia Revealed by fMRI

Objectives Schizophrenia is a mental illness that presents with thought disorders including delusions and disorganized speech. Thought disorders have been regarded as a consequence of the loosening of associations between semantic concepts since the term schizophrenia was first coined by Bleuler. However, a mechanistic account of this cardinal disturbance in terms of functional dysconnection has been lacking. To evaluate how aberrant semantic connections are expressed through brain activity, we characterized large-scale network structures of concept representations using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Study Design We quantified various concept representations in patients' brains from fMRI activity evoked by movie scenes using encoding modeling. We then constructed semantic brain networks by evaluating the similarity of these semantic representations and conducted graph theory-based network analyses. Study Results Neurotypical networks had small-world properties similar to those of natural languages, suggesting small-worldness as a universal property in semantic knowledge networks. Conversely, small-worldness was significantly reduced in networks of schizophrenia patients and was correlated with psychological measures of delusions. Patients' semantic networks were partitioned into more distinct categories and had more random within-category structures than those of controls. Conclusions The differences in conceptual representations manifest altered semantic clustering and associative intrusions that underlie thought disorders. This is the first study to provide pathophysiological evidence for the loosening of associations as reflected in randomization of semantic networks in schizophrenia. Our method provides a promising approach for understanding the neural basis of altered or creative inner experiences of individuals with mental illness or exceptional abilities, respectively.

Automated summary

This study used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to evaluate the large-scale network structures of concept representations in patients with schizophrenia and found that their semantic networks exhibited differences and were associated with thought disorders. This provides pathophysiological evidence for the loosening of associations in schizophrenia.