Dynamic functional connectivity in schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorder: Convergence, divergence and classification.

BACKGROUND: Over the recent years there has been a growing debate regarding the extent and nature of the overlap in neuropathology between schizophrenia (SZ) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Dynamic functional network connectivity (dFNC) is a recent analysis method that explores temporal patterns of functional connectivity (FC). We compared resting-state dFNC in SZ, ASD and healthy controls (HC), characterized the associations between temporal patterns and symptoms, and performed a three-way classification analysis based on dFNC indices. METHODS: Resting-state fMRI was collected from 100 young adults: 33 SZ, 33 ASD, 34 HC. Independent component analysis (ICA) was performed, followed by dFNC analysis (window = 33 s, step = 1TR, k-means clustering). Temporal patterns were compared between groups, correlated with symptoms, and classified via cross-validated three-way discriminant analysis. RESULTS: Both clinical groups displayed an increased fraction of time (FT) spent in a state of weak, intra-network connectivity [p < .001] and decreased FT in a highly-connected state [p < .001]. SZ further showed decreased number of transitions between states [p < .001], decreased FT in a widely-connected state [p < .001], increased dwell time (DT) in the weakly-connected state [p < .001], and decreased DT in the highly-connected state [p = .001]. Social behavior scores correlated with DT in the widely-connected state in SZ [r = 0.416, p = .043], but not ASD. Classification correctly identified SZ at high rates (81.8%), while ASD and HC at lower rates. CONCLUSIONS: Results indicate a severe and pervasive pattern of temporal aberrations in SZ (specifically, being "stuck" in a state of weak connectivity), that distinguishes SZ participants from both ASD and HC, and is associated with clinical symptoms.

Measuring theory of mind in schizophrenia research: Cross-cultural validation.

Theory of mind (ToM) is the ability to understand mental states of others and it is crucial for building sensitivity to other persons or events. Measuring ToM is important for understanding and rehabilitating social cognitive impairments in persons with schizophrenia. The Social Attribution Task-Multiple Choice (SAT-MC) has been successfully employed to measure ToM between individuals with schizophrenia (SZ) and healthy controls (HC) in North America. Given that the SAT-MC uses geometric shapes, is nonverbal and less culturally loaded than other social cognition measures, it may serve for measuring ToM in schizophrenia across cultures. A total of 120 participants (30 per group; Korean SZ; Korean HC; North American SZ; North American HC) were selected from existing databases to examine the reliability and validity of the SAT-MC. Internal consistency, factor structure, measurement invariance, discriminant validity, and convergent/divergent validity were examined. The SAT-MC had good internal consistency regardless of the clinical and cultural group as evidence by Cronbach's α ≥ 0.78 in all groups. Confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the one-factor model with a good model fit (χ2 = 188.122, TLI = 0.958, CFI = 0.963, RMSEA = 0.045). The SAT-MC was sensitive to detect individual differences in ToM of SZ and HC, regardless of culture (p < 0.001), and significantly correlated with other social cognition tasks (Hinting and Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test) among Korean and North American patients. The SAT-MC is a reliable measure for evaluating ToM in both Koreans and North Americans with or without schizophrenia, supporting its potential utility in diverse language and cultures for schizophrenia research.

Financial victimization of adults with severe mental illness.

OBJECTIVE: People with severe mental illness are vulnerable to having other people directly take or misappropriate their disability payments. This study investigated the prevalence of different types of financial victimization and the client characteristics associated with being financially victimized. METHODS: Adults (N=122) receiving inpatient or intensive outpatient psychiatric treatment who received Social Security disability payments completed assessments about money management and victimization. A path model was used to estimate the association of victimization with participant characteristics. RESULTS: Seventy percent of participants experienced at least one type of financial victimization in the preceding 28 days; 35% ran out of money because of victimization. Victimization was significantly associated with being younger, having had more psychiatric hospitalizations, having more recent alcohol use, and, most robustly, having problems managing money (ß=.52, p<.01). CONCLUSIONS: Financial victimization of disability recipients in acute care settings is common and more likely among people with recent substance use and difficulty managing their funds.