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Resting-state functional connectivity of the ventral tegmental area and negative symptom domains in subjects with schizophrenia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 August 2021

P. Pezzella ,
G.M. Giordano ,
A. Perrottelli ,
G. Cascino ,
F. Marciello ,
G. Blasi ,
L. Fazio ,
A. Mucci  and
S. Galderisi
P. Pezzella*
Affiliation:
Department Of Psychiatry, Università Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, Naples, Italy
G.M. Giordano
Affiliation:
Department Of Psychiatry, Università Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, Naples, Italy
A. Perrottelli
Affiliation:
Department Of Psychiatry, Università Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, Naples, Italy
G. Cascino
Affiliation:
Department Of Medicine Surgery And Dentistry - Section Of Neuroscience, University of Salerno, Salerno, Italy
F. Marciello
Affiliation:
Department Of Medicine Surgery And Dentistry - Section Of Neuroscience, University of Salerno, Salerno, Italy
G. Blasi
Affiliation:
Department Of Basic Medical Science, Neuroscience And Sense Organs, University of Bari ‘Aldo Moro’, Bari, Italy
L. Fazio
Affiliation:
Department Of Basic Medical Science, Neuroscience And Sense Organs, University of Bari ‘Aldo Moro’, Bari, Italy
A. Mucci
Affiliation:
Department Of Psychiatry, Università Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, Naples, Italy
S. Galderisi
Affiliation:
Department Of Psychiatry, Università Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, Naples, Italy
*
*Corresponding author.

Abstract

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Introduction

Negative symptoms (NS) represent a core aspect of schizophrenia with a huge impact on real life functioning. Dysfunctions within the dopaminergic cortico-striatal circuits have been documented in subjects with schizophrenia (SCZ) and hypothesized as possible neurobiological mechanisms underlying some domains of NS.

Objectives

We investigated relationships between the resting-state functional connectivity (RS-FC) of the ventro-tegmental area (VTA) and NS.

Methods

Resting-state fMRI data were recorded in 35 SCZ, recruited within the Italian Network for Research on Psychoses. We performed partial correlations between RS-FC and NS (evaluated with the Brief Negative Symptom Scale) controlling for possible sources of secondary negative symptoms.

Results

We found that the experiential domain correlated with the RS-FC of the VTA with the left ventro-lateral prefrontal cortex (lVLPFC) (r=0.372, p=0.039), while the Expressive deficit domain correlated with the RS-FC of the VTA with the left dorso-lateral prefrontal cortex (lDLPFC) (r= 0.470, p .008). Looking at subdomains, only the avolition (r= 0.418, p=0.019) and the blunted affect (r= 0.465, p=.008) showed the same correlations of the domains to which they belong.

Conclusions

According to our findings, separate dysfunctional neuronal circuits could underpin distinct negative symptom subdomains. A better understanding of neurobiological dysfunctions underlying NS could help to design new treatments, targeting different NS subdomains.

Keywords

schizophrénianegative symptomsfunctional magnetic resonancefunctional connectivity
Type
Abstract
Information
European Psychiatry , Volume 64 , Special Issue S1: Abstracts of the 29th European Congress of Psychiatry , April 2021 , pp. S542 - S543
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the European Psychiatric Association
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