Spatiotemporal dynamics of functional connectivity and association with molecular architecture in schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a self-disorder characterized by disrupted brain dynamics and architectures of multiple molecules. This study aims to explore spatiotemporal dynamics and its association with psychiatric symptoms. Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging data were collected from 98 patients with schizophrenia. Brain dynamics included the temporal and spatial variations in functional connectivity density and association with symptom scores were evaluated. Moreover, the spatial association between dynamics and receptors/transporters according to prior molecular imaging in healthy subjects was examined. Patients demonstrated decreased temporal variation and increased spatial variation in perceptual and attentional systems. However, increased temporal variation and decreased spatial variation were revealed in higher order networks and subcortical networks in patients. Specifically, spatial variation in perceptual and attentional systems was associated with symptom severity. Moreover, case-control differences were associated with dopamine, serotonin and mu-opioid receptor densities, serotonin reuptake transporter density, dopamine transporter density, and dopamine synthesis capacity. Therefore, this study implicates the abnormal dynamic interactions between the perceptual system and cortical core networks; in addition, the subcortical regions play a role in the dynamic interaction among the cortical regions in schizophrenia. These convergent findings support the importance of brain dynamics and emphasize the contribution of primary information processing to the pathological mechanism underlying schizophrenia.

Automated summary

This study investigates the spatiotemporal dynamics of schizophrenia and its relationship with psychiatric symptoms. A total of 98 patients with schizophrenia underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging, and the variations in functional connectivity density were evaluated. The findings show that patients exhibit altered temporal and spatial variations in different brain networks, and the variations in perceptual and attentional systems are associated with symptom severity. Moreover, the differences between patients and healthy subjects are related to the densities of dopamine, serotonin and mu-opioid receptors, as well as the densities of serotonin reuptake transporter, dopamine transporter, and dopamine synthesis capacity. Overall, this study highlights the importance of brain dynamics in understanding the pathological mechanism of schizophrenia.