Linked psychopathology-specific factors and individual structural brain abnormalities in schizophrenia

Abstract

Numerous studies have demonstrated substantial inter-individual symptom heterogeneity among patients with schizophrenia, which seriously affects the quantification of diagnosis and treatment schema. Normative model is a statistical model offering quantitative measurements of abnormal deviations under interindividual heterogeneity. Here, we explored the individual-specific associations among morphologic deviations from normative ranges of brain structure and specific symptomatology structure on three different dimensions without the effect of general disease effects. Specifically, we employed an exploratory bi-factor model for the PANSS scale and built normative models for two cortical measurements, cortical area and thickness. Significant correlations among different cortical measurements and latent symptom groups were observed, which could provide evidence to understand the pathophysiology of schizophrenia symptoms.

Lingzhong Fan

Full Professor

My research interests include Human brain atlas and related clinical applications.