Korean J Schizophr Res.  2012 Oct;15(2):90-98. 10.16946/kjsr.2012.15.2.90.

Pilot Study on Resting-State Functional Connectivity under the Effects of Familial Loading in People at Ultra-High Risk for Psychosis

• Min BJ
• Lee TY
• Kim SN
• Han HJ
• Shin DJ
• Jo SH
• Kwon JS

• KMID: 2288285
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.16946/kjsr.2012.15.2.90

Abstract

OBJECTIVES
People at ultra-high risk for psychosis have heterogenous character and different long-term outcomes. We divided ultra-high risk subjects into two subgroups by presence of familial history and tried to find different pattern of functional connectivity of the default mode network (DMN) between the two groups in order to examine the effects familial loading.
METHODS
Eleven subjects at clinical-high risk (CHR) group with familial history of psychiatric illness and nineteen subjects of CHR group without familial history were recruited. All the subjects were scanned using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging. A posterior cingulate cortex was the seed region of the analysis, and the DMN of the both high risk group were analyzed with voxel-wise two sample T test.
RESULTS
The CHR group with familial history showed greater functional connectivity in the precuneus area in contrast with the other high risk subjects (peak-level t=5.49, p<0.001). There were no significant differences in total score on the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale and Scales of Psychosis-risk Syndrome between the two groups.
CONCLUSION
The study suggests that the abnormalities of functional connectivity between precuneus and posterior cingulate area may be associated with the genetic vulnerability of high risk trait.

Keyword

Ultra-high risk for psychosis; Familial loading; Default mode network; Precuneus

MeSH Terms

Gyrus Cinguli
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Pilot Projects
Psychotic Disorders
Seeds
Weights and Measures

Figure

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  Fig. 1 (A) Glass brain and (B) axial section view for the brain areas in which clinical high risk group with familial history showed significantly increased functional connectivity than clinical high risk group without familial history.

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  Fig. 2 Positive correlation between disorganized SOPS score and functional connectivity between the PCC seed region and precuneus area in the clinical high risk group with familial history. r=0.739, p=0.009. SOPS : Scales of Psychosis-risk Syndrome, PCC : posterior cingulate cortex.

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