Prefrontal cortical thinning links to negative symptoms in schizophrenia via the ENIGMA consortium. Issue 1 (26th May 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Walton, E.; Hibar, D. P.; van Erp, T. G. M.; Potkin, S. G.; Roiz-Santiañez, R.; Crespo-Facorro, B.; Suarez-Pinilla, P.; van Haren, N. E. M.; de Zwarte, S. M. C.; Kahn, R. S.; Cahn, W.; Doan, N. T.; Jørgensen, K. N.; Gurholt, T. P.; Agartz, I.; Andreassen, O. A.; Westlye, L. T.; Melle, I.; Berg, A. O.; Morch-Johnsen, L.; Færden, A.; Flyckt, L.; Fatouros-Bergman, H.; Jönsson, E. G.; Hashimoto, R.; Yamamori, H.; Fukunaga, M.; Jahanshad, N.; De Rossi, P.; Piras, F.; Banaj, N.; Spalletta, G.; Gur, R. E.; Gur, R. C.; Wolf, D. H.; Satterthwaite, T. D.; Beard, L. M.; Sommer, I. E.; Koops, S.; Gruber, O.; Richter, A.; Krämer, B.; Kelly, S.; Donohoe, G.; McDonald, C.; Cannon, D. M.; Corvin, A.; Gill, M.; Di Giorgio, A.; Bertolino, A.; Lawrie, S.; Nickson, T.; Whalley, H. C.; Neilson, E.; Calhoun, V. D.; Thompson, P. M.; Turner, J. A.; Ehrlich, S.;
• Is Part Of: Psychological medicine. Volume 48:Issue 1(2018)
• Page Start: 82
• Page End: 94
• Publication Date: 2017-05-26
• Subjects: Cortical thickness, -- ENIGMA, -- FreeSurfer, -- medial orbitofrontal cortex, -- MRI, -- negative symptoms, -- PANSS, -- SANS, -- schizophrenia; Psychiatry -- Periodicals; Medicine and psychology -- Periodicals; Clinical psychology -- Periodicals; 616.89
• DOI: 10.1017/S0033291717001283
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0033-2917

Abstract

Abstract : Background: Our understanding of the complex relationship between schizophrenia symptomatology and etiological factors can be improved by studying brain-based correlates of schizophrenia. Research showed that impairments in value processing and executive functioning, which have been associated with prefrontal brain areas [particularly the medial orbitofrontal cortex (MOFC)], are linked to negative symptoms. Here we tested the hypothesis that MOFC thickness is associated with negative symptom severity. Methods: This study included 1985 individuals with schizophrenia from 17 research groups around the world contributing to the ENIGMA Schizophrenia Working Group. Cortical thickness values were obtained from T1-weighted structural brain scans using FreeSurfer. A meta-analysis across sites was conducted over effect sizes from a model predicting cortical thickness by negative symptom score (harmonized Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms or Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale scores). Results: Meta-analytical results showed that left, but not right, MOFC thickness was significantly associated with negative symptom severity ( β std = −0.075; p = 0.019) after accounting for age, gender, and site. This effect remained significant ( p = 0.036) in a model including overall illness severity. Covarying for duration of illness, age of onset, antipsychotic medication or handedness weakened the association of negative symptoms with left MOFC thickness. As part of a secondary analysis including 10 other prefrontal regions further associations in the left lateral orbitofrontal gyrus and pars opercularis emerged. Conclusions: Using an unusually large cohort and a meta-analytical approach, our findings point towards a link between prefrontal thinning and negative symptom severity in schizophrenia. This finding provides further insight into the relationship between structural brain abnormalities and negative symptoms in schizophrenia.