Neurological soft signs (NSS) are often found in patients with schizophrenia. A wealth of neuroimaging studies have reported that NSS are related to disturbed cortical-subcortical-cerebellar circuitry in schizophrenia. However, the association between NSS and brain network abnormalities in patients with schizophrenia remains unclear. In this study, the graph theoretical approach was used to analyze brain network characteristics based on structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data. NSS were assessed using the Heidelberg scale. We found that there was no significant difference in global network properties between individuals with high and low levels of NSS. Regional network analysis showed that NSS were associated with betweenness centrality involving the inferior orbital frontal cortex, the middle temporal cortex, the hippocampus, the supramarginal cortex, the amygdala, and the cerebellum. Global network analysis also demonstrated that NSS were associated with the distribution of network hubs involving the superior medial frontal cortex, the superior and middle temporal cortices, the postcentral cortex, the amygdala, and the cerebellum. Our findings suggest that NSS are associated with alterations in topological attributes of brain networks corresponding to the cortical-subcortical-cerebellum circuit in patients with schizophrenia, which may provide a new perspective for elucidating the neural basis of NSS in schizophrenia.

中文翻译：

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精神分裂症的神经软体征和大脑网络异常。


神经软体征（NSS）常见于精神分裂症患者。大量神经影像学研究表明，NSS 与精神分裂症中皮质-皮质下-小脑回路紊乱有关。然而，精神分裂症患者 NSS 与脑网络异常之间的关系仍不清楚。在本研究中，采用图论方法根据结构磁共振成像（MRI）数据分析大脑网络特征。 NSS 使用海德堡量表进行评估。我们发现 NSS 水平高和低的个体之间的全球网络属性没有显着差异。区域网络分析表明，NSS 与涉及眶下额叶皮质、颞中叶皮质、海马体、边缘上皮质、杏仁核和小脑的中介中心性相关。全球网络分析还表明，NSS 与涉及上内侧额叶皮质、上颞叶皮质和中颞叶皮质、中央后皮质、杏仁核和小脑的网络中枢的分布有关。我们的研究结果表明，NSS与精神分裂症患者皮质-皮质下-小脑回路对应的大脑网络拓扑属性的改变有关，这可能为阐明精神分裂症NSS的神经基础提供新的视角。