Alteration of the functional connectivity of the cortical areas characterized by the presence of von Economo neurons in schizophrenia, a pilot study
Additional information
Authors
Brasso C.,
Stanziano M.,
Bosco F. M.,
Morese R.,
Valentini M. C.,
Vercelli A.,
Rocca P.
Type
Journal Article
Year
2023
Language
English
Abstract
Von Economo neurons (VENs) are rod, stick, or corkscrew cells mostly located in layer V of the frontoinsular and anterior cingulate cortices. VENs are projection neurons related to human-like social cognitive abilities. Post-mortem histological studies found VEN alterations in several neuropsychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia (SZ). This pilot study aimed to evaluate the role of VEN-containing areas in shaping patterns of resting-state brain activation in patients with SZ (n = 20) compared to healthy controls (HCs; n = 20). We performed a functional connectivity analysis seeded in the cortical areas with the highest density of VENs followed by fuzzy clustering. The alterations found in the SZ group were correlated with psychopathological, cognitive, and functioning variables. We found a frontotemporal network that was shared by four clusters overlapping with the salience, superior-frontal, orbitofrontal, and central executive networks. Differences between the HC and SZ groups emerged only in the salience network. The functional connectivity of the right anterior insula and ventral tegmental area within this network were negatively correlated with experiential negative symptoms and positively correlated with functioning. This study provides some evidence to show that in vivo, VEN-enriched cortical areas are associated with an altered resting-state brain activity in people with SZ.
Keywords
von Economo neurons, VENs, fMRI, Schizophrenia, Resting-state functional connectivity, Salience network, Negative symptoms, Functioning, Anterior insula, Ventral tegmental area
Journal
Journal of clinical medicine
Volume
12
Number ( Month )
4
Pages (or article number)
1377
Diffusion
License
CC BY
Visibility
Public
Status open access
Gold
