Formal thought disorder is related to aberrations in language-related white matter tracts in patients with schizophrenia.

Cavelti, Marialuisa; Winkelbeiner, Stephanie; Federspiel, Andrea; Walther, Sebastian; Stegmayer, Katharina; Giezendanner, Stéphanie; Laimböck, Karin; Dierks, Thomas; Strik, Werner; Horn, Helge Joachim; Homan, Philipp (2018). Formal thought disorder is related to aberrations in language-related white matter tracts in patients with schizophrenia. Psychiatry research: Neuroimaging, 279, pp. 40-50. Elsevier 10.1016/j.pscychresns.2018.05.011

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This study examined the hypothesis that a fronto-temporal disconnection in the language network underpins formal thought disorder (FTD) in schizophrenia. Forty-nine patients with a schizophrenia spectrum disorder (27 with mild FTD, 22 with severe FTD) and 26 healthy controls (HC) were included. Overall psychopathology and FTD were assessed by the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale and the Thought, Language, and Communication scale, respectively. White matter (WM) microstructure was analysed using Tract-Based Spatial Statistics. In patients, severity of overall FTD (TLC Sum Score) was predicted by decreased fractional anisotropy (FA) in the right superior longitudinal fasciculus (SLF), and severity of negative FTD (TLC Emptiness subscale) was predicted by increased FA in the left SLF and arcuate fasciculus (AF). Notably, these results were no longer significant after correction for multiple comparisons. Compared with HC, patients showed lower FA in all the investigated language-related WM tracts as well as across the whole WM skeleton. No difference in FA was found between patients with severe and patients with mild FTD. Our results are compatible with earlier studies reporting impairments in widely spread WM tracts including those related to language processing in patients with schizophrenia.

Item Type:

Journal Article (Original Article)

Division/Institute:

04 Faculty of Medicine > University Psychiatric Services > University Hospital of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy > Translational Research Center
04 Faculty of Medicine > University Psychiatric Services

Graduate School:

Graduate School for Health Sciences (GHS)

UniBE Contributor:

Cavelti, Marialuisa (A), Homan, Stephanie Andrea, Federspiel, Andrea, Walther, Sebastian, Stegmayer, Katharina Deborah Lena, Giezendanner, Stéphanie, Laimböck, Karin, Dierks, Thomas, Strik, Werner, Horn, Helge Joachim, Homan, Philipp

ISSN:

0925-4927

Publisher:

Elsevier

Language:

English

Submitter:

Stephanie Winkelbeiner

Date Deposited:

31 Oct 2018 12:54

Last Modified:

29 Mar 2023 23:36

Publisher DOI:

10.1016/j.pscychresns.2018.05.011

PubMed ID:

29861197

Uncontrolled Keywords:

Arcuate fasciculus (AF) Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) Fractional anisotropy (FA) inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus (IFOF) inferior longitudinal fasciculus (ILF) psychosis superior longitudinal fasciculus (SLF) uncinate fasciculus (UF)

BORIS DOI:

10.7892/boris.120744

URI:

https://boris.unibe.ch/id/eprint/120744

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