White Matter Microstructure Alterations in Early Psychosis and Schizophrenia
Listed in
This article is not in any list yet, why not save it to one of your lists.Abstract
Studies on schizophrenia feature diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (dMRI) to investigate white matter (WM) anomalies. The heterogeneity in the possible interpretations of typical Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) metrics highlights the importance of increasing their specificity. Here, we characterize WM pathology in early psychosis (EP) and schizophrenia (SZ) with increased specificity using advanced dMRI: Diffusion Kurtosis Imaging and the biophysical model White Matter Tract Integrity – Watson (WMTI-W). This enables us to better characterize WM abnormalities and relate them to the patient’s clinical characteristics and symptomatology. dMRI-derived microstructure features were extracted from all of WM and from individual tracts in 275 individuals. 93 subjects diagnosed with EP and 47 with SZ were compared respectively to 135 age-range matched healthy controls (HC). The relationships between the microstructure in WM and age at onset, aging trajectories, duration of illness, medication and various clinical scales were investigated in each patient group. WM diffusivities were higher, while kurtosis was lower in EP vs HC and in SZ vs HC. Differences were more pronounced in EP than SZ. WMTI-W model parameters suggest alterations to the extra-axonal compartment in EP and SZ as compared to HC. dMRI patterns in EP and SZ highly suggest WM deterioration in comparison to HC. The microstructure metrics involved point towards extra-axonal alterations, consistent with abnormal myelin integrity and WM deterioration. The direct link to symptomatology is however limited.
