Dopaminergic dysfunction and excitatory/inhibitory imbalance in treatment-resistant schizophrenia and novel neuromodulatory treatment.

Antipsychotic drugs are the mainstay in the treatment of schizophrenia. However, one-third of patients do not show adequate improvement in positive symptoms with non-clozapine antipsychotics. Additionally, approximately half of them show poor response to clozapine, electroconvulsive therapy, or other augmentation strategies. However, the development of novel treatment for these conditions is difficult due to the complex and heterogenous pathophysiology of treatment-resistant schizophrenia (TRS). Therefore, this review provides key findings, potential treatments, and a roadmap for future research in this area. First, we review the neurobiological pathophysiology of TRS, particularly the dopaminergic, glutamatergic, and GABAergic pathways. Next, the limitations of existing and promising treatments are presented. Specifically, this article focuses on the therapeutic potential of neuromodulation, including electroconvulsive therapy, repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation, transcranial direct current stimulation, and deep brain stimulation. Finally, we propose multivariate analyses that integrate various perspectives of the pathogenesis, such as dopaminergic dysfunction and excitatory/inhibitory imbalance, thereby elucidating the heterogeneity of TRS that could not be obtained by conventional statistics. These analyses can in turn lead to a precision medicine approach with closed-loop neuromodulation targeting the detected pathophysiology of TRS.

Glutamatergic and GABAergic metabolite levels in schizophrenia-spectrum disorders: a meta-analysis of 1H-magnetic resonance spectroscopy studies.

BACKGROUND: The glutamate (Glu) and gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA) hypotheses of schizophrenia were proposed in the 1980s. However, current findings on those metabolite levels in schizophrenia have been inconsistent, and the relationship between their abnormalities and the pathophysiology of schizophrenia remains unclear. To summarize the nature of the alterations of glutamatergic and GABAergic systems in schizophrenia, we conducted meta-analyses of proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) studies examining these metabolite levels. METHODS: A systematic literature search was conducted using Embase, Medline, PsycINFO, and PubMed. Original studies that compared four metabolite levels (Glu, glutamine [Gln], Glx [Glu+Gln], and GABA), as measured by 1H-MRS, between individuals at high risk for psychosis, patients with first-episode psychosis, or patients with schizophrenia and healthy controls (HC) were included. A random-effects model was used to calculate the effect sizes for group differences in these metabolite levels of 18 regions of interest between the whole group or schizophrenia group and HC. Subgroup analysis and meta-regression were performed based on the status of antipsychotic treatment, illness stage, treatment resistance, and magnetic field strength. RESULTS: One-hundred-thirty-four studies met the eligibility criteria, totaling 7993 participants with SZ-spectrum disorders and 8744 HC. 14 out of 18 ROIs had enough numbers of studies to examine the group difference in the metabolite levels. In the whole group, Glx levels in the basal ganglia (g = 0.32; 95% CIs: 0.18-0.45) were elevated. Subgroup analyses showed elevated Glx levels in the hippocampus (g = 0.47; 95% CIs: 0.21-0.73) and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (g = 0.25; 95% CIs: 0.05-0.44) in unmedicated patients than HC. GABA levels in the MCC were decreased in the first-episode psychosis group compared with HC (g = -0.40; 95% CIs: -0.62 to -0.17). Treatment-resistant schizophrenia (TRS) group had elevated Glx and Glu levels in the MCC (Glx: g = 0.7; 95% CIs: 0.38-1.01; Glu: g = 0.63; 95% CIs: 0.31-0.94) while MCC Glu levels were decreased in the patient group except TRS (g = -0.17; 95% CIs: -0.33 to -0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Increased glutamatergic metabolite levels and reduced GABA levels indicate that the disruption of excitatory/inhibitory balance may be related to the pathophysiology of schizophrenia-spectrum disorders.

Investigating structural subdivisions of the anterior cingulate cortex in schizophrenia, with implications for treatment resistance and glutamatergic levels.

BACKGROUND: Abnormalities in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) are thought to play an important role in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. Given regional variations in ACC structure, the present study aimed to examine ACC structural subdivisions and their relationships to treatment resistance and glutamatergic levels in schizophrenia. METHODS: This study included 100 patients with schizophrenia and 52 healthy controls from 2 cohorts. We applied non-negative matrix factorization to identify accurate and stable spatial components of ACC structure. Between groups, we compared ACC structural indices in each spatial component based on treatment resistance or response and tested relationships with ACC glutamate + glutamine levels. RESULTS: We detected reductions in cortical thickness and increases in mean diffusivity in the spatial components on the surface of the cingulate sulcus, especially in patients with treatment-resistant and clozapine-resistant schizophrenia. Notably, mean diffusivity in these components was higher in patients who did not respond to clozapine compared to those who did. Furthermore, these ACC structural alterations were related to elevated ACC glutamate + glutamine levels but not related to symptomatology or antipsychotic dose. LIMITATIONS: Sample sizes, cross-sectional findings and mixed antipsychotic status were limitations of this study. CONCLUSION: This study identified reproducible abnormalities in ACC structures in patients with treatment-resistant and clozapine-resistant schizophrenia. Given that these spatial components play a role in inhibitory control, the present study strengthens the notion that glutamate-related disinhibition is a common biological feature of treatment resistance in schizophrenia.

Reduced signal propagation elicited by frontal transcranial magnetic stimulation is associated with oligodendrocyte abnormalities in treatment-resistant depression.

BACKGROUND: The efficacy of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) to the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) has been established in patients with treatment-resistant depression (TRD), suggesting that alterations in signal propagation from the left dlPFC to other brain regions may be linked to the pathophysiology of TRD. Alterations at the cellular level, including dysfunction of oligodendrocytes, may contribute to these network abnormalities. The objectives of the present study were to compare signal propagation from the left dlPFC to other neural networks in patients with TRD and healthy controls. We used TMS combined with electroencephalography to explore links between cell-specific gene expression and signal propagation in TRD using a virtual-histology approach. METHODS: We examined source-level estimated signal propagation from the left dlPFC to the 7 neural networks in 60 patients with TRD and 30 healthy controls. We also calculated correlations between the interregional profiles of altered signal propagation and gene expression for 9 neural cell types derived from the Allen Human Brain Atlas data set. RESULTS: Signal propagation from the left dlPFC to the salience network was reduced in the θ and α bands in patients with TRD (p = 0.0055). Furthermore, this decreased signal propagation was correlated with cellspecific gene expression of oligodendrocytes (p < 0.000001). LIMITATIONS: These results show only part of the pathophysiology of TRD, because stimulation was limited to the left dlPFC. CONCLUSION: Reduced signal propagation from the left dlPFC to the salience network may represent a pathophysiological endophenotype of TRD; this finding may be associated with reduced expression of oligodendrocytes.

Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) levels in the midcingulate cortex and clozapine response in patients with treatment-resistant schizophrenia: A proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1 H-MRS) study.

BACKGROUND: Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid (GABA) is the primary inhibitory neurotransmitter in the central nervous system. GABAergic dysfunction has been implicated in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. Clozapine, the only approved drug for treatment-resistant schizophrenia (TRS), involves the GABAergic system as one of its targets. However, no studies have investigated the relationship between brain GABA levels, as measured by proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1 H-MRS), and clozapine response in patients with TRS. METHODS: This study enrolled patients with TRS who did not respond to clozapine (ultra-resistant schizophrenia: URS) and who responded to clozapine (non-URS), patients with schizophrenia who responded to first-line antipsychotics (first-line responders: FLR), and healthy controls (HCs). We measured GABA levels in the midcingulate cortex (MCC) using 3T 1 H-MRS and compared these levels among the groups. The associations between GABA levels and symptom severity were also explored within the patient groups. RESULTS: A total of 98 participants (URS: n = 22; non-URS: n = 25; FLR: n = 16; HCs: n = 35) completed the study. We found overall group differences in MCC GABA levels (F(3,86) = 3.25, P = 0.04). Specifically, patients with URS showed higher GABA levels compared to those with non-URS (F(1,52) = 8.40, P = 0.03, Cohen's d = 0.84). MCC GABA levels showed no associations with any of the symptom severity scores within each group or the entire patient group. CONCLUSION: Our study is the first to report elevated GABA levels in the MCC in patients with schizophrenia resistant to clozapine treatment compared with those responsive to clozapine. Longitudinal studies are required to evaluate if GABA levels are a suitable biomarker to predict clozapine resistance.

Transcranial magnetic stimulation neurophysiology of patients with major depressive disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a mental illness with high socio-economic burden, but its pathophysiology has not been fully elucidated. Recently, the cortical excitatory and inhibitory imbalance hypothesis and neuroplasticity hypothesis have been proposed for MDD. Although several studies have examined the neurophysiological profiles in MDD using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), a meta-analysis of TMS neurophysiology has not been performed. The objective of this study was to compare TMS-electromyogram (TMS-EMG) findings between patients with MDD and healthy controls (HCs). To this end, we examined whether patients with MDD have lower short-interval cortical inhibition (SICI) which reflects gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)A receptor-mediated activity, lower cortical silent period (CSP) which represents GABAB receptor-mediated activity, higher intracortical facilitation (ICF) which reflects glutamate N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor-mediated activity, and the lower result of paired associative stimulation (PAS) paradigm which shows the level of neuroplasticity in comparison with HC. Further, we explored the effect of clinical and demographic factors that may influence TMS neurophysiological indices. We first searched and identified research articles that conducted single- or paired-pulse TMS-EMG on patients with MDD and HC. Subsequently, we extracted the data from the included studies and meta-analyzed the data with the comprehensive meta-analysis software. Patients with MDD were associated with lower SICI, lower CSP, potentially higher ICF, and lower PAS compared with HC. Our results confirmed the proposed hypotheses, suggesting the usefulness of TMS neurophysiology as potential diagnostic markers of MDD.

Glutamatergic neurometabolite levels in major depressive disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis of proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy studies.

Alterations in glutamatergic neurotransmission are implicated in the pathophysiology of depression, and the glutamatergic system represents a treatment target for depression. To summarize the nature of glutamatergic alterations in patients with depression, we conducted a meta-analysis of proton magnetic resonance (1H-MRS) spectroscopy studies examining levels of glutamate. We used the search terms: depress* AND (MRS OR "magnetic resonance spectroscopy"). The search was performed with MEDLINE, Embase, and PsycINFO. The inclusion criteria were 1H-MRS studies comparing levels of glutamate + glutamine (Glx), glutamate, or glutamine between patients with depression and healthy controls. Standardized mean differences (SMD) were calculated to assess group differences in the levels of glutamatergic neurometabolites. Forty-nine studies met the eligibility criteria, which included 1180 patients and 1066 healthy controls. There were significant decreases in Glx within the medial frontal cortex (SMD = -0.38; 95% CI, -0.69 to -0.07) in patients with depression compared with controls. Subanalyses revealed that there was a significant decrease in Glx in the medial frontal cortex in medicated patients with depression (SMD = -0.50; 95% CI, -0.80 to -0.20), but not in unmedicated patients (SMD = -0.27; 95% CI, -0.76 to 0.21) compared with controls. Overall, decreased levels of glutamatergic metabolites in the medial frontal cortex are linked with the pathophysiology of depression. These findings are in line with the hypothesis that depression may be associated with abnormal glutamatergic neurotransmission.

Approach-oriented coping strategy level may be related to volume of the whole hippocampus in the elderly.

AIM: Stress-related disorders and severe stress exposure can cause atrophy of the whole hippocampus and its subfields. However, the impact of stress coping strategies on the hippocampus remains unclear. Therefore, we aimed to examine the relation between approach- and avoidance-oriented coping strategies and hippocampal volume in elderly persons. METHODS: A total of 1045 elderly persons living in Arakawa-ward, Tokyo (mean ± SD age: 72.8 ± 5.2 years; 569 females [54.4%]) were included in the study and completed several questionnaires and face-to-face interviews and underwent magnetic resonance imaging. Approach- or avoidance-oriented coping strategies were assessed with the Stress and Coping Inventory, while cognitive function and depressive symptoms were assessed with the Mini-Mental State Examination and Geriatric Depression Scale, respectively. The volume of the whole hippocampus on T1-weighted images was delineated and calculated using FreeSurfer 6.0. Multiple regression analyses were performed to examine the relation between Stress and Coping Inventory scores and whole hippocampal volume. RESULTS: Approach-oriented coping strategy scores were positively correlated with whole hippocampal volume. Furthermore, these relations remained significant after controlling for the influence of cognitive function and depressive symptoms on these volumetric variables. In contrast, avoidance-oriented coping strategy scores were not correlated with whole hippocampal volume. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated that hippocampal volume may be associated with the approach-oriented coping strategy; therefore, this strategy may preserve hippocampal volume in the elderly.

Relationships between socio-clinico-demographic factors and global cognitive function in the oldest old living in the Tokyo Metropolitan area: Reanalysis of the Tokyo Oldest Old Survey on Total Health (TOOTH).

BACKGROUND: Despite a steady increase in life expectancy, a few studies have investigated cross-sectional correlates and longitudinal predictors of cognitive function, a core domain of the successful aging, among socio-clinico-demographic factors in the oldest-old exclusively. OBJECTIVES: The aims of this study were to examine socio-clinico-demographic characteristics associated with global cognition and its changes in the oldest-old. METHODS: We reanalyzed a dataset of cognitively preserved community-dwelling subjects aged 85 years and older in the Tokyo Oldest Old Survey on Total Health, a 6-year longitudinal observational study. This study consisted of (1) baseline cross-sectional analyses examining correlates of global cognition (n = 248) among socio-clinico-demographic factors and (2) longitudinal analyses examining baseline predictors for changes of global cognition in 3-year follow-up (n = 195). The Mini-Mental State Examination was used as a screening test to assess global cognition. RESULTS: At baseline, higher weights were related to higher cognitive function in the oldest-old. The baseline predictors of global cognitive decline in 3-year follow-up were higher global cognition, shorter education period, and lower sociocultural activities and lower instrumental activity of daily living, in this order. CONCLUSIONS: The present study suggests that it is crucial to attain higher education during early life and avoid leanness or obesity, participate in sociocultural cognitive activities during late life, and maintain instrumental activity of daily living to preserve optimal cognitive function in the oldest-old, which will facilitate developing prevention strategies for cognitive decline and promoting successful aging in this increasing population.

Acetaldehyde-mediated increase in glutamatergic and N-acetylaspartate neurometabolite levels in the midcingulate cortex of ALDH2*1/*2 heterozygous young adults.

BACKGROUND: To elucidate the neurobiology underlying alcohol's effect on the human brain, we examined the acute effects of moderate alcohol administration on levels of glutamatergic neurometabolites and N-acetylaspartate, an amino acid found in neurons, may reflect disordered neuronal integrity. METHODS: Eighteen healthy Japanese participants (7 males/11 females) aged 20-30 years who were heterozygous for an inactive allele of acetaldehyde dehydrogenase-2 (ALDH/*1/*2) were included. Participants underwent an intravenous alcohol infusion using the clamp method at a target blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.50 mg/mL for 90 min within a range of ±0.05 mg/mL. We examined glutamate + glutamine (Glx) and N-acetylaspartate N-acetylaspartylglutamate (NAA) levels in the midcingulate cortex (MCC) using 3 T 1 H-MRS PRESS at baseline, 90 min, and 180 min (i.e., 90 min after alcohol infusion was finished). A two-way repeated-measures analysis of variance was used to assess longitudinal changes in Glx and NAA levels, with time and sex as within- and between-subject factors, respectively. Pearson's correlation coefficients were calculated among neurometabolite levels and BAC or blood acetaldehyde concentration (BAAC). RESULTS: Both Glx (F(2,32) = 8.15, p = 0.004, η2 = 0.15) and NAA (F(2,32) = 5.01, p = 0.04, η2 = 0.07) levels were increased after alcohol injection. There were no sex or time × sex interaction effects observed. NAA levels were positively correlated with BAAC at 90 min (r(13) = 0.77, p = 0.01). There were no associations between neurometabolite levels and BAC. CONCLUSIONS: Both Glx and NAA levels in the MCC increased in response to the administration of moderate concentrations of alcohol. Given positive associations between NAA levels and BAAC and the hypothetical glutamate release via dopamine pathways, the effects of drinking on the MCC in the acute phase may be ascribed to acetaldehyde metabolized from alcohol.

Associations Between Structural Covariance Network and Antipsychotic Treatment Response in Schizophrenia.

BACKGROUND AND HYPOTHESIS: Schizophrenia is associated with widespread cortical thinning and abnormality in the structural covariance network, which may reflect connectome alterations due to treatment effect or disease progression. Notably, patients with treatment-resistant schizophrenia (TRS) have stronger and more widespread cortical thinning, but it remains unclear whether structural covariance is associated with treatment response in schizophrenia. STUDY DESIGN: We organized a multicenter magnetic resonance imaging study to assess structural covariance in a large population of TRS and non-TRS, who had been resistant and responsive to non-clozapine antipsychotics, respectively. Whole-brain structural covariance for cortical thickness was assessed in 102 patients with TRS, 77 patients with non-TRS, and 79 healthy controls (HC). Network-based statistics were used to examine the difference in structural covariance networks among the 3 groups. Moreover, the relationship between altered individual differentiated structural covariance and clinico-demographics was also explored. STUDY RESULTS: Patients with non-TRS exhibited greater structural covariance compared with HC, mainly in the fronto-temporal and fronto-occipital regions, while there were no significant differences in structural covariance between TRS and non-TRS or HC. Higher individual differentiated structural covariance was associated with lower general scores of the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale in the non-TRS group, but not in the TRS group. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that reconfiguration of brain networks via coordinated cortical thinning is related to treatment response in schizophrenia. Further longitudinal studies are warranted to confirm if greater structural covariance could serve as a marker for treatment response in this disease.

Alterations in subcortical magnetic susceptibility and disease-specific relationship with brain volume in major depressive disorder and schizophrenia.

Quantitative susceptibility mapping is a magnetic resonance imaging technique that measures brain tissues' magnetic susceptibility, including iron deposition and myelination. This study examines the relationship between subcortical volume and magnetic susceptibility and determines specific differences in these measures among patients with major depressive disorder (MDD), patients with schizophrenia, and healthy controls (HCs). This was a cross-sectional study. Sex- and age- matched patients with MDD (n = 49), patients with schizophrenia (n = 24), and HCs (n = 50) were included. Magnetic resonance imaging was conducted using quantitative susceptibility mapping and T1-weighted imaging to measure subcortical susceptibility and volume. The acquired brain measurements were compared among groups using analyses of variance and post hoc comparisons. Finally, a general linear model examined the susceptibility-volume relationship. Significant group-level differences were found in the magnetic susceptibility of the nucleus accumbens and amygdala (p = 0.045). Post-hoc analyses indicated that the magnetic susceptibility of the nucleus accumbens and amygdala for the MDD group was significantly higher than that for the HC group (p = 0.0054, p = 0.0065, respectively). However, no significant differences in subcortical volume were found between the groups. The general linear model indicated a significant interaction between group and volume for the nucleus accumbens in MDD group but not schizophrenia or HC groups. This study showed susceptibility alterations in the nucleus accumbens and amygdala in MDD patients. A significant relationship was observed between subcortical susceptibility and volume in the MDD group's nucleus accumbens, which indicated abnormalities in myelination and the dopaminergic system related to iron deposition.

Disease Progression Patterns of Brain Morphology in Schizophrenia: More Progressed Stages in Treatment Resistance.

BACKGROUND AND HYPOTHESIS: Given the heterogeneity and possible disease progression in schizophrenia, identifying the neurobiological subtypes and progression patterns in each patient may lead to novel biomarkers. Here, we adopted data-driven machine-learning techniques to identify the progression patterns of brain morphological changes in schizophrenia and investigate the association with treatment resistance. STUDY DESIGN: In this cross-sectional multicenter study, we included 177 patients with schizophrenia, characterized by treatment response or resistance, with 3D T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging. Cortical thickness and subcortical volumes calculated by FreeSurfer were converted into z scores using 73 healthy controls data. The Subtype and Stage Inference (SuStaIn) algorithm was used for unsupervised machine-learning analysis. STUDY RESULTS: SuStaIn identified 3 different subtypes: (1) subcortical volume reduction (SC) type (73 patients), in which volume reduction of subcortical structures occurs first and moderate cortical thinning follows, (2) globus pallidus hypertrophy and cortical thinning (GP-CX) type (42 patients), in which globus pallidus hypertrophy initially occurs followed by progressive cortical thinning, and (3) cortical thinning (pure CX) type (39 patients), in which thinning of the insular and lateral temporal lobe cortices primarily happens. The remaining 23 patients were assigned to baseline stage of progression (no change). SuStaIn also found 84 stages of progression, and treatment-resistant schizophrenia showed significantly more progressed stages than treatment-responsive cases (P = .001). The GP-CX type presented earlier stages than the pure CX type (P = .009). CONCLUSIONS: The brain morphological progressions in schizophrenia can be classified into 3 subtypes, and treatment resistance was associated with more progressed stages, which may suggest a novel biomarker.

Glutamatergic Neurometabolite Levels in Bipolar Disorder: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Proton Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy Studies.

BACKGROUND: The glutamatergic system is thought to play an important role in the pathophysiology of bipolar disorder (BD). While there has been an increase in proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy studies examining this neurotransmission system, the results are inconsistent. Possible reasons for the inconsistency, including clinical features such as mood state and childhood versus adulthood age, were not addressed in previous meta-analyses. METHODS: This systematic review and meta-analysis of proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy studies of BD included 40 studies, with 1135 patients with BD and 964 healthy control (HC) subjects. RESULTS: Glutamate plus glutamine and glutamine levels in the anterior cingulate cortex of patients with BD were significantly elevated compared with those of HC subjects (standardized mean difference = 0.42, 0.48, respectively). Subgroup analyses showed that adult BD patients had significantly higher levels of glutamate plus glutamine than adult HC subjects, but this was not the case in pediatric patients. For mood states, anterior cingulate cortex glutamate plus glutamine levels were higher in patients with bipolar depression than those in HC subjects. CONCLUSIONS: Our results imply that glutamatergic dysfunction in the anterior cingulate cortex may be implicated in the pathophysiology of BD, which is most evident in adult BD patients and patients with bipolar depression.

Glutamatergic neurometabolite levels in the caudate are associated with the ability of rhythm production.

Introduction: Glutamatergic neurometabolites play important roles in the basal ganglia, a hub of the brain networks involved in musical rhythm processing. We aimed to investigate the relationship between rhythm processing abilities and glutamatergic neurometabolites in the caudate. Methods: We aquired Glutamatergic function in healthy individuals employing proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy. We targeted the right caudate and the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) as a control region. Rhythm processing ability was assessed by the Harvard Beat Assessment Test (H-BAT). Results: We found negative correlations between the production part of the Beat Saliency Test in the H-BAT and glutamate and glutamine levels in the caudate (r = -0.693, p = 0.002) whereas there was no such association in the dACC. Conclusion: These results suggest that higher glutamatergic neurometabolite levels in the caudate may contribute to rhythm processing, especially the ability to produce meter in music precisely.

Music rhythm perception and production relate to treatment response in schizophrenia.

Accumulating evidence indicates that pathophysiology of schizophrenia involves abnormalities in the dopamine and glutamatergic neuronal systems. Antipsychotic medications are currently used to normalize dopaminergic function for schizophrenia. However, approximately 30 % of the patients have no response to antipsychotic medications, which is classified as treatment-resistant schizophrenia (TRS). Furthermore, dopamine and glutamate levels in the neural basis have been reported to differ between TRS and non-TRS. In this study, we assumed that these differences may affect music rhythm perception and production abilities between the two groups. We examined fifty-seven schizophrenia (26 TRS, 31 non-TRS) and thirty-one healthy controls (HCs) by using the Harvard Beat Assessment Test (H-BAT). As a result, we found that rhythm production was worse in patients with TRS compared to patients with non-TRS and HCs, while no difference was observed between patients with non-TRS and HCs. In addition, rhythm perception and production abilities were impaired in the whole patient group compared with HCs. Furthermore, in the patient group, the deficits were correlated with cognitive impairments. Collectively, these results suggest that patients with schizophrenia may have rhythm processing deficits, with particular a rhythm production problem in the TRS group.

Patterns of functional connectivity alterations induced by alcohol reflect somatostatin interneuron expression in the human cerebral cortex.

Acute alcohol administration affects functional connectivity, yet the underlying mechanism is unknown. Previous work suggested that a moderate dose of alcohol reduces the activity of gamma-aminobutyric acidergic (GABAergic) interneurons, thereby leading to a state of pyramidal disinhibition and hyperexcitability. The present study aims to relate alcohol-induced changes in functional connectivity to regional genetic markers of GABAergic interneurons. Healthy young adults (N = 15, 5 males) underwent resting state functional MRI scanning prior to alcohol administration, immediately and 90 min after alcohol administration. Functional connectivity density mapping was performed to quantify alcohol-induced changes in resting brain activity between conditions. Patterns of differences between conditions were related to regional genetic markers that express the primary GABAergic cortical interneuron subtypes (parvalbumin, somatostatin, and 5-hydroxytryptamine receptor 3A) obtained from the Allen Human Brain Atlas. Acute alcohol administration increased local functional connectivity density within the visual cortex, sensorimotor cortex, thalamus, striatum, and cerebellum. Patterns of alcohol-induced changes in local functional connectivity density inversely correlated with somatostatin cortical gene expression. These findings suggest that somatostatin-expressing interneurons modulate alcohol-induced changes in functional connectivity in healthy individuals.

Neuromelanin accumulation in patients with schizophrenia: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Although schizophrenia is associated with increased presynaptic dopamine function in the striatum, it remains unclear if neuromelanin levels, which are thought to serve as a biomarker for midbrain dopamine neuron function, are increased in patients with schizophrenia. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and postmortem studies comparing neuromelanin (NM) levels between patients with schizophrenia and healthy controls (HCs). Standard mean differences were calculated to assess group differences in NM accumulation levels between patients with schizophrenia and HCs. This study included 7 articles in total. Five studies employed NM-sensitive MRI (NM-MRI) and two were postmortem brain studies. The patient group (n = 163) showed higher NM levels in the substantia nigra (SN) than HCs (n = 228) in both the analysis of the seven studies and the subgroup analysis of the 5 NM-MRI studies. This analysis suggest increased NM levels in the SN may be a potential biomarker for stratifying schizophrenia, warranting further research that accounts for the heterogeneity of this disorder.

Thalamic and striato-pallidal volumes in schizophrenia patients and individuals at risk for psychosis: A multi-atlas segmentation study.

Despite previous neuroimaging studies demonstrating morphological abnormalities of the thalamus and other subcortical structures in patients with schizophrenia, the potential role of the thalamus and its subdivisions in the pathophysiology of this illness remains elusive. It is also unclear whether similar changes of these structures occur in individuals at high risk for psychosis. In this study, magnetic resonance imaging was employed with the Multiple Automatically Generated Templates (MAGeT) brain segmentation algorithm to determine volumes of the thalamic subdivisions, the striatum (caudate, putamen, and nucleus accumbens), and the globus pallidus in 62 patients with schizophrenia, 38 individuals with an at-risk mental state (ARMS) [4 of whom (10.5%) subsequently developed schizophrenia], and 61 healthy subjects. Cognitive function of the patients was assessed by using the Brief Assessment of Cognition in Schizophrenia (BACS) and the Schizophrenia Cognition Rating Scale (SCoRS). Thalamic volume (particularly the medial dorsal and ventral lateral nuclei) was smaller in the schizophrenia group than the ARMS and control groups, while there were no differences for the striatum and globus pallidus. In the schizophrenia group, the reduction of thalamic ventral lateral nucleus volume was significantly associated with lower BACS score. The pallidal volume was positively correlated with the dose of antipsychotic treatment in the schizophrenia group. These results suggest that patients with schizophrenia, but not those with ARMS, exhibit volume reduction in specific thalamic subdivisions, which may underlie core clinical features of this illness.

Association between resilience and cortical thickness in the posterior cingulate cortex and the temporal pole in Japanese older people: A population-based cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Resilience is a crucial factor preventing the onset of mental illness and contributing to the well-being and healthy longevity, whose neural bases are not fully elucidated in older people. The present study aimed to identify the cortical thickness associating with resilience in older adults. METHODS: This is a part of the cross-sectional Arakawa geriatric cohort study for people aged 65 years or older, consisting of 1001 individuals. A Self-Reported Resilience Scale (RS), neuropsychological batteries, face-to-face interviews for diagnosis, and a three-dimensional T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging were conducted. Cortical thickness was computed by the FreeSurfer. The relationships among cortical thickness, total RS score, and clinico-demographic data were investigated using univariate and multivariable regression analyses. RESULTS: The total RS score was correlated with age, education, and scores of the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) in univariate analyses. The total RS score was associated with cortical thicknesses in the left posterior cingulate (ß [95 % CI of B] = 0.07 [0.16-14.84]) and the left temporal pole (ß [95 % CI of B] = 0.08 [0.63-9.93]) after adjusting sex, age, imaging acquisition site, education, MMSE and GDS scores, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes mellitus, Barthel index, BMI, and living situation in multivariable regression analyses. CONCLUSION: The present analyses suggest that the resilience capacity may be related to the cortical thickness in the posterior cingulate and temporal cortices in older adults. Our findings warrant further longitudinal studies to confirm the causal relationship between stress events, resilience, and brain structures.