Large-scale mechanism hypothesis and research prospects of cognitive impairment in schizophrenia based on magnetic resonance imaging
Yue-Wen Gu,
Jing-Wen Fan,
Shu-Wan Zhao,
Xiao-Fan Liu,
Hong Yin,
Long-Biao Cui
Affiliations
Yue-Wen Gu
Shaanxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Clinic Genetics, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an, China; Schizophrenia Imaging Lab, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an, China; Department of Radiology, The General Hospital of Western Theater Command, Chengdu, China
Jing-Wen Fan
Shaanxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Clinic Genetics, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an, China; Schizophrenia Imaging Lab, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an, China
Shu-Wan Zhao
Shaanxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Clinic Genetics, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an, China; Schizophrenia Imaging Lab, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an, China
Xiao-Fan Liu
Shaanxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Clinic Genetics, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an, China; Schizophrenia Imaging Lab, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an, China
Hong Yin
Schizophrenia Imaging Lab, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an, China; Department of Radiology, Xi'an People's Hospital (Xi'an Fourth Hospital), Xi'an, China; Corresponding author. Department of Radiology, Xi’an People’s Hospital (Xi’an Fourth Hospital), Xi’an, China
Long-Biao Cui
Shaanxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Clinic Genetics, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an, China; Schizophrenia Imaging Lab, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an, China; Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, China; Corresponding author. Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Clinic Genetics, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an, China.
Cognitive impairments in schizophrenia are pivotal clinical issues that need to be solved urgently. However, the mechanism remains unknown. It has been suggested that cognitive impairments in schizophrenia are associated with connectome damage, and are especially relevant to the disrupted hub nodes in the frontal and parietal lobes. Activating the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) via repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) could result in improved cognition. Based on several previous magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies on schizophrenia, we found that the first-episode patients showed connectome damage, as well as abnormal activation and connectivity of the DLPFC and inferior parietal lobule (IPL). Accordingly, we proposed that DLPFC-IPL pathway destruction might mediate connectome damage of cognitive impairments in schizophrenia. In the meantime, with the help of multimodal MRI and noninvasive neuromodulation tool, we may not only validate the hypothesis, but also find IPL as the potential intervention target for cognitive impairments in schizophrenia.
