Study On The Functional Connection Of Insular Resting State In Schizophrenia And Its First-Degree Relatives

Objective: To study and analyze the characteristics of functional connections of insular resting state in patients with schizophrenia and their healthy first-degree relatives,so as to provide a basis for searching for imaging phenotypes associated with schizophrenia.Methods: The brain images of schizophrenia group(n = 26),healthy first degree relative group(n = 21)and healthy control group(n = 22)were collected by rs-f MRI,and the clinical symptoms of schizophrenia group were evaluated by PANSS,Using the functional connection analysis method for the data obtained by rs-f MRI,three groups of corresponding whole brain functional connection maps were constructed based on the insular subregions as seed points,and the brain regions with significant intergroup effects of functional connections were obtained by ANCOVA analysis,and then based on the postverification of LSD test,the differences between different groups were compared.Finally,the brain regions with differential functional connections in the schizophrenia group were correlated with the course of disease and PANSS scores by Pearson correlation analysis.Results: The results of Rs-f MRI analysis showed that the functional connection value of insular subregions(left / right dorsal anterior insula,left posterior insula and left ventral anterior insula)to middle frontal gyrus in schizophrenia were significantly higher than those in healthy first-degree relatives and healthy controls,and P < 0.05.Compared with the healthy control group,the functional connection value from the right ventral anterior island to the cerebellum was significantly increased in schizophrenia and healthy firstdegree relatives,and P < 0.05.However,there was no correlation between the brain regions with differential functional connection and the course of disease and PANSS scores in schizophrenia group.Conclusion: This study found that there was a functional connection disorder in the insular of schizophrenic patients and their healthy first-degree relatives,and the abnormal functional connection from insular subregion to middle frontal gyrus in schizophrenia was specific,which may be one of the imaging phenotypes of schizophrenia.In addition,patients with schizophrenia and their healthy first-degree relatives have similar functional connections from the right ventral anterior insular to the cerebellum.It is expected to be used as the imaging endophenotype of healthy first-degree relatives of schizophrenia.