We hypothesize that decreased temporal variability of emotional network connectivities, corresponding to a continual state of hyperactivity, may play a role in mediating symptoms in schizophrenia. Resting-state magnetic resonance data were collected from 64 subjects, including 21 positive symptom profile schizophrenia patients (PSZ group), 19 negative symptom profile schizophrenia patients (NSZ group), and 24 healthy controls. The emotional brain network was defined based on the coordinates obtained from multi-level kernel density analysis. The temporal variability of intra-network functional connectivities (FCs) was calculated by constructing networks from blood oxygen level-dependent signals at successive, non-overlapping time windows, and was compared between groups. The results showed that the mean FC-variability of the whole emotional network (P = 0.021), and the FC-variabilities in the bilateral anterior insula (both, P < 0.001) were significantly decreased in the PSZ group compared with the control and NSZ groups. Abnormally enhanced negative coupling between variability and FC strength (V-S coupling) was observed in the PSZ group (P = 0.027). In summary, this study found a relation between the positive symptoms of schizophrenia and decreased variability of emotional network connectivities. These findings may help us better understand the neurobiological effect of the time-varying properties of the brain network in schizophrenia patients, and the underlying relation to the generation of psychosis.

我们假设情绪网络连接性的时间变异性下降（对应于持续的活动过度）可能在介导精神分裂症的症状中起作用。从64位受试者中收集了静息状态磁共振数据，包括21位阳性症状特征型精神分裂症患者（PSZ组），19位阴性症状特征型精神分裂症患者（NSZ组）和24位健康对照。基于从多级内核密度分析获得的坐标来定义情感大脑网络。通过在连续的，不重叠的时间窗口从血氧水平相关信号构建网络来计算网络内功能连接性（FC）的时间变异性，并在组之间进行比较。P  = 0.021），并且 与对照组和NSZ组相比，PSZ组的双侧前岛岛FC变异（均P <0.001）显着降低。在PSZ组中观察到变异性和FC强度之间的负耦合异常增强（VS耦合）（P  = 0.027）。总而言之，这项研究发现了精神分裂症的阳性症状与情感网络的连接性降低之间的关系。这些发现可能有助于我们更好地了解精神分裂症患者大脑网络的时变特性的神经生物学作用，以及与精神病发生的潜在关系。