Abstract

22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11DS) is a recurrent copy number variant (CNV) with high penetrance for developmental neuropsychiatric disorders. Study of individuals with 22q11DS therefore may offer key insights into neural mechanisms underlying such complex illnesses. Resting-state functional MRI (rs-fMRI) studies in idiopathic schizophrenia have consistently revealed disruption of thalamic and hippocampal circuitry. Here, we sought to test whether this circuitry is similarly disrupted in the context of this genetic high-risk condition. To this end, resting-state functional connectivity patterns were assessed in a sample of young men and women with 22q11DS (n=42) and demographically matched healthy controls (n=39). Neuroimaging data were acquired via single-band protocols, and analyzed in line with methods provided by the Human Connectome Project (HCP). We computed functional relationships between individual-specific anatomically-defined thalamic and hippocampal seeds and all gray matter voxels in the brain. Whole-brain type I error protection was achieved through nonparametric permutation-based methods. 22q11DS patients displayed reciprocal disruptions in thalamic and hippocampal functional connectivity relative to control subjects. Thalamo-cortical coupling was increased in sensorimotor cortex, and reduced across associative networks. The opposite effect was observed for the hippocampus in regards to sensory and associative network connectivity. The thalamic and hippocampal dysconnectivity observed in 22q11DS suggest that high genetic risk for psychiatric illness is linked with disruptions in large-scale cortico-subcortical networks underlying higher-order cognitive functions. These effects highlight the translational importance of large-effect CNVs for informing mechanisms underlying neural disruptions observed in idiopathic developmental neuropsychiatric disorders.

Details

Title
Reciprocal Disruptions in Thalamic and Hippocampal Resting-State Functional Connectivity in Youth with 22q11.2 Deletions
Author
Schleifer, Charles H; Lin, Amy; Kushan, Leila; Ji, Jie Lisa; Yang, Genevieve; Bearden, Carrie E; Anticevic, Alan
University/institution
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press
Section
New Results
Publication year
2017
Publication date
Nov 29, 2017
Publisher
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press
ISSN
2692-8205
Source type
Working Paper
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
2071240481
Copyright
�� 2017. This article is published under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/ (���the License���). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.