The mechanisms underlying the impact of metabolic syndrome on cognitive dysfunction in patients with schizophrenia remain unclear. The present study employed a two-factor factorial design to investigate the effects of metabolic syndrome on white matter microstructure in schizophrenia and its association with cognitive function. A total of 187 participants were included and classified into four groups based on the diagnoses of schizophrenia and metabolic syndrome: schizophrenia patients with metabolic syndrome (SZ-wMS), schizophrenia patients without metabolic syndrome, healthy controls with metabolic syndrome, and healthy controls without metabolic syndrome. Diffusion tensor imaging data were acquired. Using diffusion tensor model, fractional anisotropy (FA) was calculated to characterize the microstructural integrity of white matter. Peripheral metabolic indices and multiple domains of cognitive function were also assessed. The SZ-wMS group showed further reduced FA in the right sagittal stratum. Within the two-factor analytical framework, an interaction effect between metabolic syndrome and schizophrenia on FA in the right sagittal stratum was identified. Correlation analyses revealed that reduced FA in the right sagittal stratum was associated with impaired language function in patients with schizophrenia. Moreover, mediation analysis indicated that body mass index might indirectly affect language function by influencing FA in the right sagittal stratum. In summary, reduced integrity of white matter fibers in sagittal stratum may represent a potential neural mechanism underlying the comorbidity of schizophrenia and metabolic syndrome and may be associated with language dysfunction in schizophrenia.

As a prevalent comorbidity in schizophrenia, metabolic syndrome (MetS) exerts complex influences on residual symptoms and therapeutic outcomes of antipsychotic treatment. This study investigates the underlying neuroimaging, physiological and genetic mechanisms. At baseline, 142 participants were categorized into four groups according to diagnoses of schizophrenia and MetS. During follow-up, schizophrenia patients with and without MetS (SCZ-MetS and SCZ-nMetS) underwent 4-week antipsychotic treatment. Functional and structural magnetic resonance images, metabolic indicators and clinical scales were collected to investigate effects of MetS on gray matter volume (GMV), functional connectivity (FC) of schizophrenia patients, and related clinical implications. Using cytochrome P450 2D6 (CYP2D6) polymorphisms and brain-wide gene expression profiles, we explored genetic mechanisms of the therapeutic link between MetS and schizophrenia. SCZ-MetS showed greater insular GMV atrophy and functional dysconnectivity. Indirect effects of fasting blood glucose (FBG) on negative symptoms via insular GMV atrophy were observed. However, during follow-up, we observed group × time interactions on GMV and FC in insula. Increased GMV of the right insula in SCZ-MetS was correlated with the remission rate of positive symptoms. A moderation effect of FBG on this correlation was revealed. Finally, CYP2D6 polymorphisms and gene expression related to antipsychotic-response explained group × time interaction of GMV. Collectively, glucose metabolism, insular volume and FC underlie two distinct effects of MetS on: residual negative symptoms and therapeutic outcomes of positive symptoms in schizophrenia. The genetic mechanisms linking MetS to therapeutic outcomes involve CYP2D6 polymorphisms and the expression of genes related to antipsychotic-response.

BackgroundSchizophrenia is characterized by substantial clinical heterogeneity, with average differences between males and females in symptom presentation, cognitive function, and treatment response. The cortico-thalamo-cerebellar circuit (CTCC) has been implicated in schizophrenia; however, whether schizophrenia-related alterations in CTCC functional connectivity vary by sex remains unclear. This study examined diagnosis-by-sex interaction effects on CTCC-related functional connectivity using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging.MethodsResting-state fMRI data were obtained from 108 patients with schizophrenia (53 females) and 93 healthy controls (54 females). Seed-based functional connectivity (FC) analysis and independent component analysis (ICA) were used to examine group-by-sex interaction effects on CTCC-related functional organization.ResultsSignificant diagnosis-by-sex interaction effects were identified in several connections involving CTCC-related basal ganglia, thalamic, cerebellar, and cortical regions. Post hoc analyses indicated that male patients exhibited increased FC between basal ganglia, thalamic, or cerebellar seed regions and temporal or calcarine cortical areas. Female patients showed a different pattern, including reduced FC between primary sensory cortical regions and basal ganglia or thalamic seed regions. These findings indicate that schizophrenia-related CTCC connectivity alterations differed between male and female participants. Chlorpromazine-equivalent dose was not significantly associated with the interaction-related functional connectivity values in either female or male patients.ConclusionsSex moderated selected patterns of CTCC-related functional connectivity in schizophrenia. The findings represent group-level differences with substantial potential overlap between males and females and should not be interpreted as evidence of categorical brain sexual dimorphism or directional circuit mechanisms. Larger, prospectively sex-balanced studies incorporating longitudinal, dynamic, and effective-connectivity analyses are needed to confirm these findings and clarify their functional significance.

Background Emerging evidence has highlighted the cerebellum's role in emotion and cognition through cerebello-cerebral interactions. However, the manner in which the cerebellum integrates with the cerebral triple core networks, the default mode network (DMN), central executive network (CEN), and salience network (SN), in Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) remains unclear. Methods Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) data were acquired from 119 patients with MDD and 106 healthy control (HC) subjects. Voxel-wise functional connectivity (FC) between the cerebral cortex and cerebellum was subsequently constructed. To evaluate cerebello-cerebral functional integration based on voxel-wise FC, functional gradient analysis and independent component analysis (ICA) were performed. Results The cerebral triple core network components were found to map onto cerebellar motor and cognitive functional modules. In patients with MDD, reduced mapping of the cerebral DMN and SN components to the cerebellum was observed. Additionally, patients exhibited compression of the cerebello-cerebral functional gradient within both motor and cognitive modules. The triple core networks showed increased contributions to cerebellar cognitive modules, whereas the DMN demonstrated decreased contributions to cerebellar motor modules in MDD. These cerebello-cerebral interaction patterns were significantly correlated with clinical assessment measures, including scores on the Trail Making Test (TMT) and the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ). Conclusions These findings indicate disrupted functional integration between the cerebral triple core networks and the cerebellum in MDD. The results further support the cerebellum's involvement in disease pathogenesis and suggest potential neurobiological markers for diagnosis and intervention.

Background: Schizophrenia (SZ) is characterized by progressive cortical thinning. However, the spatiotemporal trajectory of this structural decline across the illness stages and its underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Methods: We conducted a cross-staged neuroimaging study spanning clinical high risk (CHR), first-episode psychosis (FEP), early SZ, and chronic SZ. First, stage-specific epicenter of cortical thinning was identified using structural Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) data. Next, hierarchical functional network was constructed by stepwise functional connectivity (SFC) analysis. We then tested whether alterations in SFC could predict shift of epicenter across stages. Additionally, we tested the repeatability and robustness of the epicenter results by several validating analyses. Findings: We found that epicenter progressively shift from occipital-temporal to fronto-parietal cortices across progressive stages of SZ. Additionally, epicenter likelihood was correlated with the severity of positive, negative, and cognitive symptoms. Moreover, the spatial progression of epicenter can be predicted by altered SFC. Notably, long-range connectivity emerged as stronger predictor of epicenter distribution. Meanwhile, alterations in SFC distance during earlier stages were also associated with epicenter likelihood in chronic stage. Finally, the robustness of epicenter findings was confirmed through replication in independent validation cohorts. The results also remained consistent after regressing out antipsychotic equivalent. Interpretation: Our work delineates a hierarchical progression of cortical pathology across stages of SZ, where epicenters progressively shift from lower to higher-order cortices. This spatiotemporal dynamic is actively shaped by the brain's intrinsic functional hierarchy. These findings offer a novel network-based staging framework for identifying phase-specific biomarkers and targeting therapeutic interventions.

Background The clinical efficacy of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) in schizophrenia is limited by significant inter-individual heterogeneity, largely due to the lack of personalized targeting. Hypothesis To develop and validate an epicenter-guided computational framework that identifies personalized rTMS targets by integrating individual neuroanatomical and connectome profiles. Study design We established an epicenter-guided framework in a discovery cohort including 532 schizophrenia and 526 healthy controls. The pipeline involved: (1) identifying subject-specific pathological epicenters by correlating regional gray-matter volume reductions with normative functional connectivity profiles; (2) mapping the voxels within the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex that exhibited maximal functional connectivity to these epicenters; and (3) computing the harmonic centroid of these voxels to define the optimal personalized target. The framework was retrospectively validated in a cohort of schizophrenia receiving a 4-week rTMS treatment. Study results The epicenter-guided framework defined a personalized candidate target for each participant with an identifiable individual epicenter. Individual epicenters converged within higher-order association cortices and subcortical structures, consistent with previous findings in schizophrenia. In the retrospective treatment cohort, nodal integration capability within individual epicenter regions increased significantly after rTMS. Smaller target distance was associated with greater concordance between activity-flow-predicted and observed FC changes and with greater improvement in PANSS negative symptoms. Conclusions We developed an epicenter-guided framework to derive personalized DLPFC targets and, in retrospective validation, found that target proximity relates to both FC normalization and symptom improvement. These findings support further prospective testing of connectivity-informed personalized targeting for rTMS in schizophrenia.

Default mode network (DMN) disruption and systemic inflammation are hallmarks of major depressive disorder (MDD), but their relationship with behavioral impairments is unclear. This study aimed to characterize DMN spatiotemporal dynamics in MDD and link them to inflammation and behavioral deficits. Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging data were obtained from 87 MDD and 104 healthy controls (HC). Periodic spatiotemporal patterns (PSTPs) were defined by the switching of anti-correlation between the DMN and task-positive network. Functional couplings between DMN and cerebral networks within these patterns were then calculated. Subsequently, associations between DMN subsystem couplings and behaviors were assessed, and lasso regression was used to evaluate their predictive effects on behavior. Moderation analyses and cytokine-based subgroup comparisons were further conducted to examine the effect of inflammation on brain–behavior relationships. In MDD, couplings within the DMN increased, whereas couplings between DMN and attention and salience networks decreased. Additionally, the association was observed between DMN B coupling and Trail Making Test Part B (TMT-B) performance in MDD. These alterations also predicted the digital span test (DST). Moderation analyses showed that interleukin (IL)-17 A strengthened DMN–behavior associations, whereas IL-8 attenuated them. Consistently, higher IL-17 A levels were associated with more pronounced DMN coupling abnormalities, while lower IL-8 levels were linked to DST and TMT-B deficits. This study demonstrates internal enhancement and external decoupling of the DMN in MDD, along with the differential modulation of inflammation on brain–behavior relationships. These findings provide new insights into the pathophysiology of MDD. Not applicable.

Neuroimmune hypothesis posits that inflammation plays a key role in shared neurobiological substrate responsible for the comorbidity between schizophrenia and metabolic syndrome (MS). However, the specific neural mechanisms by which inflammation contributes to this comorbidity remain elusive. This study investigated whether inflammation-related brain microstructural alterations were associated with this comorbidity and its concomitant cognitive deficits. We utilized multi-site data from independent centers. Applying the two-factor experimental design, a total of 398 participants were included and categorized into four groups based on diagnoses of schizophrenia and MS: schizophrenia patients with/without metabolic syndrome (SZ-wMS and SZ-nMS), and healthy controls with/without metabolic syndrome (HC-wMS and HC-nMS). By leveraging diffusion and structural magnetic resonance imaging, free water (FW) was estimated to quantify the microstructure in cerebral gray matter. Clinical assessments included peripheral inflammatory cytokines and cognitive function tests. Interaction effects of schizophrenia and MS on brain microstructural FW were revealed, with SZ-wMS exhibiting exacerbated microstructural alterations in frontotemporal lobes compared with SZ-nMS, HC-wMS and HC-nMS groups. More pronounced cognitive deficits in multiple cognitive domains were also observed in SZ-wMS group. In SZ-wMS group, correlations between elevated FW within frontotemporal lobes and both peripheral level of interleukin-8 and scores of multiple cognitive functions were revealed. In addition, an indirect effect of interleukin-8 on delayed recall via FW of right middle frontal gyrus was revealed. Several findings were validated within each independent dataset. These results suggest that inflammation-related microstructural FW alterations within frontotemporal lobes may be associated with the comorbidity of schizophrenia and MS and the associated long-term memory decline.

Dance integrates bodily movement, rhythmic perception, and emotional expression, engaging complex sensorimotor and affective systems. However, its impact on the structural organization of empathy-related brain networks remains insufficiently understood. In this study, we adopted a data-driven approach to construct a structural empathy network based on neuroimaging data from 80 healthy university students and applied Granger causality analysis (GCA) to identify the directional impact of empathy on regional gray matter changes. Empathy ability was assessed using the interpersonal reactivity index (IRI) scale. To further examine training-induced neuroplasticity, we employed an independent sample consisting of 25 dancers and 25 musicians, alongside 40 matched controls without formal artistic experience. Inter-regional structural similarity, based on gray matter probability distributions, was calculated to capture modality-specific plasticity due to dance/music training. Compared to musicians and controls, dancers exhibited significantly higher gray matter probability distributions, which indicates enhanced structural similarity between the left superior temporal gyrus and the left precuneus, left postcentral gyrus, and right paracentral lobule. Notably, this increased structural similarity was also associated with the empathy score (r = -0.87, p < 0.05, family-wise error [FWE] corrected). These findings suggest strengthened cross-modal integration between perceptual and sensorimotor systems, potentially underpinning affective resonance. Our findings highlight the domain-specific neuroplasticity of the structural empathy network induced by dance training and provide novel insights into how embodied practices shape socio-emotional brain circuits. Chinese Clinical Trials Register: ChiCTR2200059526.

Background Schizophrenia is a severe psychiatric disorder characterized by cognitive deficits as well as positive and negative symptoms. It is considered a disorder of widespread network dysconnectivity, including aberrant connectivity between the thalamus and the visual pathway. However, the relationships between the thalamus and various regions of the dorsal and ventral visual pathways in schizophrenia, and how the thalamus affects interactions among these visual regions, remain unclear.Methods Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging, task-state functional magnetic resonance imaging, and diffusion tensor imaging data were acquired to examine the neural activity within the thalamus and the visual pathway, along with the relationships between them (i.e. functional connectivity, structural connectivity, and structure-function coupling). We also correlated the altered imaging parameters with clinical characteristics. Furthermore, based on previous molecular imaging in healthy controls, we explored the spatial associations between altered imaging parameters and receptor/transporter distributions.Results We found significantly decreased neural activity and widespread altered thalamo-visual pathway connectivity in both dorsal and ventral pathways in schizophrenia patients. Moreover, schizophrenia patients exhibited altered mediation effects within the thalamo-dorsal visual pathway, involving MT, V1, V2, and V3. Abnormal neural activity and connectivity were related to disease duration and positive symptom severity. Altered neural activity of MT was correlated with the density of multiple neurotransmitters.Conclusions Our findings further expand our understanding of thalamo-visual pathway dysconnectivity and primary information-processing deficits in schizophrenia, which may be related to clinical symptoms. Our findings may provide more potential insights for non-invasive intervention treatments.

BackgroundPiloting is a highly specialized profession. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of longitudinal flight training on the cortical characteristics of the brain.MethodsMagnetic resonance imaging of 25 flight cadets and 24 controls was performed twice over a 2-year period. The gray matter thickness, cortical surface area and sulcal depth of the two groups were compared. The relationships between altered cortical characteristics and flight training days were investigated through correlation analysis.ResultsThe results indicated that flight training was associated with certain parameters of brain structure. Specifically, in the left rostral anterior cingulate area, the flight group displayed prominent gyri, whereas the control group exhibited sulci. The structural changes in these two groups followed completely opposite trends.ConclusionIn conclusion, the affected areas are primarily concentrated in brain regions associated with multisensory integration and multitasking, which may reflect neural adaptations induced by flight training.

Background Schizophrenia is a severe mental disorder that imposes significant social burdens. Traditional treatmens, however, have limited effectiveness in addressing negative symptoms and cognitive deficits. Recent studies have indicated interventions promoting sensorimotor integration may offer potential benefits for schizophrenia treatment. The current study aimes to investigate the effects of dance training as an intervention for patients with chronic schizophrenia. Methods This study recruited 34 individuals with schizophrenia, who were randomly allocated to either a dance intervention group (n = 18) or an aerobic exercise group (n = 14) for a 3-month program including fifty-minute sessions three times per week. Clinical symptoms were assessed using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) and Nurses’ Observation Scale for Inpatient Evaluation (NOISE). Cognitive function was evaluated using the MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery (MCCB). Meanwhile, physiological indicators were also collected to explore the underlying physiological effects of the dance intervention. All measurements were taken before and after the interventions. Results The PANSS total scores (P < 0.01**), PANSS negative scores (p < 0.001**), NOISE score (p < 0.001**), MCCB cognitive scores, and physiological indicators were significantly changed after the intervention in both groups compared with baseline. Post-hoc analysis revealed notable improvements in the specific cognitive subscales, including the Continuous Operation Test-identical pairs (CPT-IP, p = 0.026*), Hopkins Verbal Learning Test-Revised (HVLT-R, p = 0.019*) and the physiological indicators Cystatin C (CYS-C, p = 0.037*) in the dance intervention group. Additionally, significant correlation were found between PANSS positive score and Total Bilirubin (TBIL) (r = 0.449, p = 0.028*), as well as between CPT-IP and Cystatin C (CYS-C) (r = 0.501, p = 0.008**) were found in both groups. Conclusion While both interventions resulted in improvements in clinical symptoms and cognitive function, the dance intervention specifically enhanced attention and verbal memory. Dance and aerobic exercise induced different changes in physiological indicators, which might be the physiological basis for improvements in clinical symptoms and cognitive function.

To examine whether walking speed is associated with executive function in patients with subjective memory decline. Patients were recruited from the Fourth People’s Hospital of Chengdu, including 63 patients with subjective cognitive decline (SCD) and 23 patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Each participant assess global function by the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and Montreal Cognitive Assessment-Basic Scale (MoCA-B). Executive function assessments using the Shape Symbol Task A (STT-A) to evaluate visual perception and writing speed, Shape-Tracing Test B (STT-B) to evaluate cognitive flexibility. Animal Fluency Test (AFT) to evaluate semantic organization and retrieval strategies, Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT) to assess processing speed and Digit Span Test (DST) to evaluate information processing processes. 10-m walking test (10MWT) to evaluate walking speed, with time recorded converted to speed (m/s). SPSS 26.0 software was used to analyze the Pearson correlation between walking speed and executive function. Significant difference of MMSE, MoCA-B, AFT, STT-A, STT-B and SDMT were found in both individual groups (P <0.05), and associations were independent of Gender, Age, Education and 10MWT. In the total combined group, 10MWT were significantly associated with Education (r = 0.267, p = 0.014), MMSE (r = 0.281, p = 0.009), MoCA-B (r = 0.255, p = 0.019), AFT (r = 0.244, p = 0.024) and SDMT (r = 0.221, p = 0.043), negatively correlated with Age (r = -0.267, p = 0.013). In the SCD group, 10WMT were identified positive association with SDMT (r = 0.259, p = 0.042), negative correlation with Age (r = -0.282, p = 0.026). In the MCI group, 10WMT were identified positive association with Education (r = 0.655, p = 0.001), MMSE (r = 0.528, p = 0.01), MoCA-B (r = 0.655, p = 0.001), AFT (r = 0.426, p = 0.043), negative correlation with STT-A (r = -0.473, p = 0.023). There was no difference between two groups in walking speed, but were differences in global cognition and executive functions. In the SCD group, walking speed was correlated with processing speed in executive function. More associations between walking speed and executive function were found in the MCI group, mainly with the ability of organize and extract semantic strategies, visual perception and writing motor speed and also related to global cognitive function. The results revealed that impairment of executive function is a significant feature and has important relation with walking speed in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease.

Neuroimaging research has demonstrated that long-term dance and music training can induce structural changes in the brain. However, most previous studies have focused on isolated structural metrics, neglecting the interregional similarities across cortical areas. In this study, we applied a novel morphometric measure, Morphometric Inverse Divergence (MIND), to assess cortical structural similarity in individuals with professional dance or music training. A total of 89 participants were incorporated in the study, including 25 dancers, 24 musicians, and 40 healthy controls (HC). Our findings showed that both dancers and musicians exhibited higher MIND values compared to HC, with musicians displaying significant differences particularly in the default mode network and somatomotor network. Furthermore, MIND values between the insula and superior parietal lobule, as well as between the superior frontal gyrus and cingulate gyrus, were positively correlated with the total IRI score and the Fantasy subscale. Both shared and distinct MIND patterns were identified between dancers and musicians. Musicians exhibited greater structural similarity in auditory cortical regions, whereas dancers showed increased similarity in visual and kinesthetic areas. Importantly, only the dancer group demonstrated a significant association between MIND values and empathic imagination. These findings provide new insights into how long-term artistic training influences cortical structure and social cognitive abilities.

BACKGROUNDS/OBJECTIVE:Deep brain stimulation (DBS) has proved the viability of alleviating depression symptoms by stimulating deep reward-related nuclei. This study aims to investigate the abnormal connectivity profiles among superficial, intermediate, and deep brain regions within the reward circuit in major depressive disorder (MDD) and therefore provides references for identifying potential superficial cortical targets for non-invasive neuromodulation. METHODS:Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging data were collected from a cohort of depression patients (N = 52) and demographically matched healthy controls (N = 60). Utilizing existing DBS targets as seeds, we conducted step-wise functional connectivity (sFC) analyses to delineate hierarchical pathways linking to cerebral cortices. Subsequently, the mediation effects of cortical regions on the interaction within reward-related circuits were further explored by constructing mediation models. RESULTS:In both cohorts, sFC analysis revealed two reward-related pathways from the deepest DBS targets to intermediate regions including the thalamus, insula, and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), then to the superficial cortical cortex including medial frontal cortex, posterior default mode network (pDMN), and right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). Patients exhibited reduced sFC in bilateral thalamus and medial frontal cortex in short and long steps respectively compared to healthy controls. We also discovered the disappearance of the mediation effects of superficial cortical regions on the interaction between DBS targets and intermediate regions in reward-related pathways in patients with MDD. CONCLUSION:Our findings support abnormal hierarchical connectivity and mediation effects in reward-related brain regions at different depth levels in MDD, which might elucidate the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms and inspire novel targets for non-invasive interventions.

Schizophrenic individuals experience a prolonged prodrome before their first episode, often referred to as Psychosis Risk Syndromes (PRS). The PRS is characterized by non-specific symptoms, yet the underlying neural mechanisms remain unclear. Representational similarity analysis (RSA) has proven effective in elucidating the relationships between different data modalities. This approach could provide valuable insights into the functional coupling between sensory perception and emotion in PRS subjects. In this study, there were 27 PRS subjects and 33 control subjects. Neuropsychological assessments were conducted to evaluate the participants’ recent mental states and their risk of mental illness. Each subject underwent task-based functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), which included steady-state visual evoked potentials (SSVEP) and expression matching tasks. The areas of brain activity were defined as regions of interest (ROIs). RSA was used to calculate the relationships between the SSVEP and expression matching tasks. In the functional coupling between the SSVEP at 5 Hz and 10 Hz conditions, the PRS group showed lower functional coupling in the fusiform area compared to controls. Additionally, in the functional coupling between the SSVEP at 10 Hz and the emotion matching conditions, the PRS group demonstrated decreased activation in visual regions compared to controls. Overall, our findings suggest that PRS subjects exhibit diminished functional couplings between basic visual stimuli and vision-emotion matching tasks, indicating abnormal visual processing in both the primary visual cortex and more advanced stages of information processing.

Schizophrenia and metabolic syndrome (MS) are common conditions that frequently co-occur, yet the neurobiological mechanisms underlying their comorbidity remain unclear. This study aimed to investigate whether hypothalamic structural alterations contribute to this comorbidity. A total of 194 participants were included and categorized into four groups based on diagnoses of schizophrenia and MS: schizophrenia patients with/without metabolic syndrome (SZ-wMS and SZ-nMS), and healthy controls with/without metabolic syndrome. T1-weighted structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was acquired. Clinical assessments included metabolic indicators, cognitive function tests, and the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale. Based on structural MRI, the hypothalamus was segmented into five subunits in each hemisphere. We examined the interaction effects of schizophrenia and MS on the volumes of hypothalamic subunits and conducted partial correlation and moderation analyses to explore clinical relevance. An interaction effect was found in the volume of the right superior tubular subunit (supTub), with SZ-wMS showing the greatest volume reduction. Reduced right supTub volume was associated with elevated fasting blood glucose level and higher negative symptom scores. The association between right supTub volume and negative symptom scores was moderated by triglycerides level. In the SZ-wMS group, reduced right supTub volume was associated with cognitive function scores. These findings suggest that reduced volume of the right supTub may represent a potential mechanism contributing to the comorbidity of schizophrenia and MS. The observed associations with cognitive dysfunction highlight the right supTub as a possible translational target for clinical interventions aimed at improving cognitive deficits in schizophrenia patients with comorbidity of MS.

Schizophrenia involves abnormal fronto-occipital interactions linked to hallucinations and cognitive impairments, but the neural mechanisms remain unclear. This work aims to provide an overview of the relationship between fronto-occipital dysfunction and symptoms using simultaneous EEG-fMRI data in schizophrenia. We measured the brain's functional separation and quantified bidirectional information transfer changes between the frontal and occipital regions. A pronounced elevation in correlation within the frontal lobe, accompanied by a marked reduction in the occipital lobe, was observed between gradient eccentricities and theta-power of forward waves. Moreover, the relationship between forward waves and gradient eccentricities in the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex may be shaped by positive symptoms, while the influence of negative symptoms appears to modulate the relationship between backward waves and gradient eccentricities in the insula. The MOR and CB1 neurotransmitters predominantly contributed to associations between eccentricities and traveling waves. Symptoms promote the dysregulation of hierarchical separation and information transmission in schizophrenia.

Apolipoproteins and cortical morphology are closely associated with memory complaints, and both may contribute to the development of Alzheimer’s disease. A total of 97 patients from the University of Electronic Science and Technology (UESTC) (n=42) and the Fourth People's Hospital of Chengdu (FPHC) (n=55) were grouped based on recruitment location, and underwent neuropsychological tests. ApoB, ApoA1, ApoB/ApoA1, plasma Alzheimer’s biomarker, apolipoprotein E (ApoE) genotyping, 3T magnetic resonance imaging. The CAT12 toolbox (SPM12) was performed for the calculation of each patient's cortical morphology index based on structural MRI data, and the cortical morphology index and apolipoproteins were analyzed by multiple regression analysis. Significant positive correlations were found between ApoB and sulcal depth in the lateral occipital cortex for the UESTC and total sample groups (p<0.0001). Sulcal depth in the lateral occipital cortex showed negative correlations from the Shape Trails Test Part A and B in the UESTC, the FPHC and total sample groups. In the FPHC group, the delayed recall of Auditory Verbal Learning Test, Animal Fluency Test and Boston Naming Test were positively correlated with the sulcal depth. ApoB is associated with the sulcal depth in the lateral occipital cortex, potentially relating to speed/executive function in individuals with memory complaints.