UNRAVELING INTEGRATION-SEGREGATION IMBALANCES IN SCHIZOPHRENIA THROUGH TOPOLOGICAL HIGH-ORDER FUNCTIONAL CONNECTIVITY
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Background
The occurrence of brain disorders correlates with detectable dysfunctions in the specialization of brain connectomics. While extensive research has explored this relationship, there remains a lack of studies specifically examining the statistical correlation between psychotic brain networks using high-order networks, considering the limitations of low-order networks. Moreover, these dysfunctions are believed to be linked to information imbalances in brain functions. However, our understanding of how these imbalances give rise to specific psychotic symptoms remains limited.
Methods
This study aims to address this gap by investigating variations at the topological high-order level of the system with regard to specialization in both healthy individuals and those diagnosed with schizophrenia. Employing graph-theoretic brain network analysis, we systematically examine resting-state functional MRI data to delineate system-level distinctions in the connectivity patterns of brain networks.
Results
The findings indicate that topological high-order functional connectomics highlight differences in the connectome between healthy controls and schizophrenia, demonstrating increased cingulo-opercular task control and salience interactions, while the interaction between subcortical and default mode networks, dorsal attention and sensory/somatomotor mouth decreases in schizophrenia. Furthermore, we observed a reduction in the segregation of brain systems in healthy controls compared to individuals with schizophrenia, which means the balance between segregation and integration of brain networks is disrupted in schizophrenia, suggesting that restoring this balance may aid in the treatment of the disorder. Additionally, the increased segregation and decreased integration of brain systems in schizophrenia patients compared to healthy controls may serve as a novel indicator for early schizophrenia diagnosis.
Conclusions
We discovered that topological high-order functional connectivity highlights brain network interactions compared to low-order functional connectivity. Furthermore, we observed alterations in specific brain regions associated with schizophrenia, as well as changes in brain network information integration and segregation in individuals with schizophrenia.
