Structural brain connectivity does not associate with childhood trauma in individuals with schizophrenia

Dauvermann, Maria R., Costello, Laura, Nabulsi, Leila, McPhilemy, Genevieve, Corley, Emma, Fernandes, Andrea, Kakodkar, Pramath, Neo, Wee Xuan, Mothersill, David, Holleran, Laurena, Hallahan, Brian, McDonald, Colm, Donohoe, Gary and Cannon, Dara M. (2024) Structural brain connectivity does not associate with childhood trauma in individuals with schizophrenia. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 180. pp. 451-461. ISSN 1879-1379

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Abstract

Background: Schizophrenia is a brain dysconnectivity disorder. However, it is not well understood whether the experience of childhood trauma (CT) affects dysconnectivity in individuals with schizophrenia (SZ). Using a network-based approach, we examined whether self-reported CT would explain additional variance compared to whole-brain topology and structural connectivity changes in SZ versus healthy controls (HC).

Material and methods: CT was assessed in 51 SZ (mean age ± standard deviation 44 ± 11 years) and 140 HC (34.0 ± 12 years). Structural brain networks were constructed from T1-weighted MR and diffusion-MRI scans using non-tensor based tractography. Group differences in whole-brain topology and permutation-based statistics were examined and corrected for age and sex.

Results: SZ showed reductions in efficiency, strength, clustering and density (p < 0.01) as well as increases in path length (F(range) = 4.71–18.1, p < 0.03) when compared to HC. We also observed hypoconnectivity in a subnetwork of frontotemporal, frontoparietal and occipital regions in SZ relative to HC (T > 4.0, p < 0.001). However, we did not find that high CT levels were related to structural network differences or structural connectivity changes in SZ.

Conclusions: CT did not impact on topology or subnetwork connectivity changes in SZ. High CT levels were also not associated with any differences in network organisation irrespective of diagnosis. However, our findings confirm that SZ showed both network-level reductions and increases in a subnetwork. These findings suggest that the patterns of neuroanatomical dysconnectivity in established schizophrenia may not be influenced by CT. Future studies are needed to investigate the association between CT and structural dysconnectivity in schizophrenia.

Graphical abstract: Individuals with schizophrenia showed reductions in efficiency, strength, clustering and density as well as increases in path length when compared to healthy controls. We also observed hypoconnectivity in a subnetwork of frontotemporal, frontoparietal and occipital regions in individuals with schizophrenia relative to healthy controls. These findings suggest that the patterns of neuroanatomical dysconnectivity in established schizophrenia may not be influenced by childhood trauma.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Childhood trauma; Schizophrenia; Network-based statistics; Structural connectivity; Graph theory
Subjects:	R Medicine > RC Internal medicine > RC0321 Neuroscience. Biological psychiatry. Neuropsychiatry H Social Sciences > HQ The family. Marriage. Woman > Children > Child Development H Social Sciences > HQ The family. Marriage. Woman > Children
Divisions:	School of Business > Staff Research and Publications
Depositing User:	Tamara Malone
Date Deposited:	19 Nov 2024 12:52
Last Modified:	19 Nov 2024 12:52
URI:	https://norma.ncirl.ie/id/eprint/7180

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