OBJECTIVES
To characterize coupled structural-functional alterations and their spatial associations with normative neurotransmitter receptor/transporter maps in bipolar disorder (BD) using multimodal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data fusion.
METHODS
Structural MRI (gray matter volume, GMV) and resting-state functional MRI (fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations, fALFF) data were acquired from 51 BD patients and 51 demographically matched healthy controls (HCs). Parallel independent component analysis (P-ICA) was used to identify covarying GMV-fALFF components. Significant component maps were then compared with 12 normative positron emission tomography/single photon emission computed tomography (PET/SPECT) neurotransmitter receptor/transporter maps using the JuSpace toolbox.
RESULTS
P-ICA identified one significantly correlated GMV-fALFF component pair that showed lower loading coefficients in BD patients (p < 0.001). These alterations primarily involved key nodes of the frontoparietal, default-mode, and salience networks, as well as the cerebellar-thalamic-prefrontal circuit. Spatial correlation analysis showed that the fALFF component was positively associated with normative dopaminergic (DAT, FDOPA) and opioid (μ-receptor) maps and negatively associated with serotonergic (5-HT1b, 5-HT2a), dopaminergic (D2), GABAergic (GABAa), and glutamatergic (mGluR5) maps. The GMV component showed negative spatial associations with serotonergic (5-HT2a, SERT), dopaminergic (D1, DAT), opioid (μ-receptor) and glutamatergic (mGluR5) maps.
CONCLUSION
These findings identify significantly covarying structure-function components in BD and suggest their links to large-scale brain network abnormalities. The integration of multimodal MRI with normative molecular atlases provides a scalable framework for linking macroscopic imaging phenotypes to molecular architecture, generating testable hypotheses for future validation with patient-specific PET/SPECT and multi-center studies.
B. Wen, Yufei Shen, Xiaopan Zhang et al.· Journal of Affective Disorde...· 0 citations
Schizophrenia is a severe psychiatric disorder marked by widespread brain abnormalities. Recent studies suggest that pathological changes may originate from focal 'epicenter' regions and subsequently spread to other brain areas strongly connected to them. Investigating drug-naïve first-episode schizophrenia (dn-FES) patients may help characterize early-stage regional functional abnormalities and their potential neurochemical underpinnings. Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging data were acquired from 50 dn-FES patients and 50 age- and sex-matched healthy controls (HCs). Static regional homogeneity (sReHo) and dynamic ReHo (dReHo) were compared between groups, and correlations with psychotic symptoms were assessed using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS). We further used the JuSpace toolbox to test whether spatial patterns of ReHo alterations were associated with specific neurotransmitter receptor/transporter densities. Compared with HCs, dn-FES patients showed reduced sReHo in the bilateral postcentral/precentral gyri, bilateral paracentral lobules and right supplementary motor area, and increased dReHo in the left lingual gyrus. sReHo in the right postcentral gyrus was inversely correlated with PANSS positive scores, whereas dReHo in the left lingual gyrus was negatively correlated with PANSS general scores. Schizophrenia-related sReHo alterations showed significant spatial associations with serotonergic, dopaminergic, noradrenergic and cholinergic systems, whereas dReHo alterations were associated with serotonergic, dopaminergic, cannabinoid and opioid systems. Taken together, this study identifies abnormal static and dynamic local functional connectivity in sensorimotor and visual regions in drug-naïve first-episode schizophrenia, and the spatial correspondence between these alterations and receptor/transporter distributions may offer insight into the molecular substrates associated with these functional abnormalities.
Ziyu Wang, Kangkang Xue, Yan Zhang et al.· Progress in Neuro-psychophar...· 0 citations
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