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Decreased gray matter volume is associated with theory of mind deficit in adolescents with schizophrenia

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Abstract

Schizophrenia patients often suffer from deficit in theory of mind (TOM). Prior neuroimaging studies revealed neuroimaging correlates of TOM deficit in adults with schizophrenia, neuroimaging correlates of TOM in adolescents is less well established. This study aimed to investigate gray matter volume (GMV) abnormalities and TOM deficits in schizophrenic adolescents, and examine the relationship between them. Twenty adolescent schizophrenic patients and 25 age, sex-matched healthy controls underwent T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans, and were examined for TOM based on the Reading the Mind in the Eyes test (RMET). Univariate voxel-based morphometry (VBM) and multivariate source-based morphometry (SBM) were employed to examine alterations of two GMV phenotypes in schizophrenic adolescents: voxel-wise GMV and covarying structural brain patterns (SBPs). Compared with controls, our results revealed a significant deficit in RMET performance of the patients, Voxel-wise VBM analysis revealed that patients exhibited decreased GMV in bilateral insula, orbitofrontal cortex, and right rolandic operculum, and GMV of these brain regions were positively correlated with RMET performance. Multivariate SBM analysis identified a significantly different between-group SBP comprising of bilateral insula and inferior frontal cortex, bilateral superior temporal cortex, and bilateral lateral parietal cortex and right rolandic operculum. The loading scores of this SBP was positively correlated with RMET performance. This study revealed impairment of TOM ability in schizophrenic adolescents and revealed an association between TOM deficit and decreased GMV in regions which are crucial for social cognition, thereby provided insight and possible target regions for understanding the neural pathology and normalizing TOM deficit in adolescent schizophrenia patients.

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The data that support the findings of this study are available on request from the corresponding author. The data are not publicly available due to privacy or ethical restrictions.

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Funding

This work was supported by the National Key Research and Development of China (No.2017YFC1309900, No.2016YFC1306204, No.2016YFC1306105) and the Key Research and Development Program of Hunan Province (No. 2017SK2032). These sources had no further role in this study design, in the data collection and analysis, in the writing of the report, and in the decision to submit the paper for publication.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders, and Department of Psychiatry, The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, 410011, Hunan, China

    Yanmei Shen, Xueping Gao, Chunxiang Huang & Xuerong Luo

  2. Department of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia, 2255 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, BC, V6T 2A1, Canada

    Ruiyang Ge

  3. Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, University of British Columbia, 2215 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z3, Canada

    Ruiyang Ge

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  1. Yanmei Shen
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Contributions

YS, XL and RG were responsible for study design. XG and CH were involved in statistical analysis and interpretation of results. XL were responsible for recruiting the participants and data collection. YS, CH were involved in statistical analysis and interpretation of results. XL and RG, YS, and XG were involved in manuscript preparation and drafting the paper. CH were involved in editing and revising the manuscript. YS, XL and RG were responsible for the critical revision of the manuscript. All authors have contributed to and have approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Xuerong Luo or Ruiyang Ge.

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Shen, Y., Gao, X., Huang, C. et al. Decreased gray matter volume is associated with theory of mind deficit in adolescents with schizophrenia. Brain Imaging and Behavior 16, 1441–1450 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11682-021-00591-9

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