Schizophrenia is characterized by both disrupted neurodevelopmental processes and abnormal brain connectivity. However, few studies have examined the atypical features of brain network topography associated with schizophrenia during childhood and adolescence. We used graph theory to compare the grey matter structural networks of individuals (aged 10-15 years) with early-onset schizophrenia (EOS) (n = 25) and a typically-developing (TD) comparison group (n = 31). Compared with the TD group, EOS patients showed significantly increased clustering and local efficiency across a range of network densities (0.3 – 0.4). The network of EOS patients also had more modules (6 modules in EOS vs. 3 modules in controls), indicating a more segregated network at the cost of functional integration. Although our results were preliminary and failed to survive corrections for multiple comparisons, EOS patients might be characterized by altered nodal centrality in several higher-order associative regions including the prefrontal cortex, the hippocampus and the cerebellum. The EOS structural network also lacked the typical left-hemispheric-dominant hub distribution compared with the TD group. These findings suggest that brain structural network was not only globally but also regionally altered in EOS patients.

精神分裂症的特点是神经发育过程中断和大脑连接异常。然而，很少有研究检查与儿童和青春期精神分裂症相关的脑网络地形的非典型特征。我们使用图论来比较个体（10-15 岁）的灰质结构网络与早发性精神分裂症 (EOS) ( n  = 25) 和典型发展 (TD) 对照组（n = 31）。与 TD 组相比，EOS 患者在一系列网络密度 (0.3 – 0.4) 中表现出显着增加的聚类和局部效率。EOS 患者网络也有更多的模块（EOS 中的 6 个模块与对照组中的 3 个模块），表明以功能集成为代价的更加隔离的网络。尽管我们的结果是初步的并且未能在多重比较的校正中幸存下来，但 EOS 患者的特征可能是几个高阶关联区域的节点中心性改变，包括前额叶皮层、海马和小脑。与TD组相比，EOS结构网络也缺乏典型的左半球主导枢纽分布。这些发现表明，EOS 患者的大脑结构网络不仅在全球范围内发生了变化，而且在区域内也发生了变化。