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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Neurosci.
Sec. Brain Imaging Methods
Volume 18 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fnins.2024.1478963

Altered intrinsic neural activity and its molecular analyses in first-episode schizophrenia with auditory verbal hallucinations

Provisionally accepted
Ziyu Wang Ziyu Wang Kangkang Xue Kangkang Xue Yimeng Kang Yimeng Kang Zijun Liu Zijun Liu Jingliang Cheng Jingliang Cheng *Yan Zhang Yan Zhang *Yarui Wei Yarui Wei *
  • Department of MRI, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Background: Auditory verbal hallucinations (AVHs) are one of the signature positive symptoms of schizophrenia, affecting 60-80% of patients with schizophrenia. These hallucinations seriously impact the lives of patients, resulting in a substantial social burden. Recent studies have shown a significant correlation between abnormal local brain activity and the neuropathological mechanism of AVHs. However, it remains unclear whether altered intrinsic brain activity in schizophrenia patients with AVHs is correlated with specific neurotransmitter systems.We collected resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) data for 50 first-episode, drug-naïve schizophrenia patients with AVHs, 50 patients without AVH (NAVH), and 50 age-and sex-matched healthy controls (HCs). We used the amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF) to explore the altered intrinsic brain activity in the AVH group. Subsequently, we spatially correlated the altered ALFF with neurotransmitter maps using JuSpace.Results: In our study, compared to HCs, the AVH group exhibited significantly reduced ALFF in multiple brain regions, mainly including the left precuneus, bilateral supplementary motor areas, bilateral paracentral lobules, bilateral precentral gyri, and bilateral postcentral gyri. The NAVH group showed significantly reduced ALFF in the left inferior occipital gyrus, left calcarine gyrus, and left lingual gyrus compared to HCs. Furthermore, the AVH group showed higher ALFF in the right inferior frontal gyrus compared to the NAVH group. Additionally, these ALFF alterations in the AVH group were closely related to three neurotransmitters, including dopamine, serotonin and 3 norepinephrine.We link neurotransmitters to abnormal intrinsic brain activity in schizophrenia patients with AVHs, contributing to a comprehensive understanding of the pathophysiological processes and treatment pathways underlying AVHs.

    Keywords: Schizophrenia, Auditory verbal hallucinations, amplitude of low frequency fluctuation, neurotransmitter, Intrinsic Neural Activity

    Received: 11 Aug 2024; Accepted: 09 Oct 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Wang, Xue, Kang, Liu, Cheng, Zhang and Wei. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Jingliang Cheng, Department of MRI, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
    Yan Zhang, Department of MRI, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
    Yarui Wei, Department of MRI, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.