Alteration of the Functional Connectivity of the Cortical Areas Characterized by the Presence of Von Economo Neurons in Schizophrenia, a Pilot Study
Von Economo neurons (VENs) are rod, stick, or corkscrew cells mostly located in layer V of the frontoinsular and anterior cingulate cortices. VENs are projection neurons related to human-like social cognitive abilities. Post-mortem histological studies found VEN alterations in several neuropsychiatr...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-02-01
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| Series: | Journal of Clinical Medicine |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0383/12/4/1377 |
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| author | Claudio Brasso Mario Stanziano Francesca Marina Bosco Rosalba Morese Maria Consuelo Valentini Alessandro Vercelli Paola Rocca |
| author_facet | Claudio Brasso Mario Stanziano Francesca Marina Bosco Rosalba Morese Maria Consuelo Valentini Alessandro Vercelli Paola Rocca |
| author_sort | Claudio Brasso |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Von Economo neurons (VENs) are rod, stick, or corkscrew cells mostly located in layer V of the frontoinsular and anterior cingulate cortices. VENs are projection neurons related to human-like social cognitive abilities. Post-mortem histological studies found VEN alterations in several neuropsychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia (SZ). This pilot study aimed to evaluate the role of VEN-containing areas in shaping patterns of resting-state brain activation in patients with SZ (n = 20) compared to healthy controls (HCs; n = 20). We performed a functional connectivity analysis seeded in the cortical areas with the highest density of VENs followed by fuzzy clustering. The alterations found in the SZ group were correlated with psychopathological, cognitive, and functioning variables. We found a frontotemporal network that was shared by four clusters overlapping with the salience, superior-frontal, orbitofrontal, and central executive networks. Differences between the HC and SZ groups emerged only in the salience network. The functional connectivity of the right anterior insula and ventral tegmental area within this network were negatively correlated with experiential negative symptoms and positively correlated with functioning. This study provides some evidence to show that in vivo, VEN-enriched cortical areas are associated with an altered resting-state brain activity in people with SZ. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T08:38:48Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-8187c9f1e8454d99aad518325adc47ea |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2077-0383 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T08:38:48Z |
| publishDate | 2023-02-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Clinical Medicine |
| spelling | doaj.art-8187c9f1e8454d99aad518325adc47ea2023-11-16T21:18:42ZengMDPI AGJournal of Clinical Medicine2077-03832023-02-01124137710.3390/jcm12041377Alteration of the Functional Connectivity of the Cortical Areas Characterized by the Presence of Von Economo Neurons in Schizophrenia, a Pilot StudyClaudio Brasso0Mario Stanziano1Francesca Marina Bosco2Rosalba Morese3Maria Consuelo Valentini4Alessandro Vercelli5Paola Rocca6Department of Neuroscience “Rita Levi Montalcini”, University of Turin, 10126 Turin, ItalyDepartment of Neuroscience “Rita Levi Montalcini”, University of Turin, 10126 Turin, ItalyResearch Group on Inferential Processes in Social Interaction (GIPSI), Department of Psychology, University of Turin, 10124 Turin, ItalyFaculty of Communication Sciences, Università della Svizzera Italiana, 6900 Lugano, SwitzerlandStruttura Complessa di Neuroradiologia, Dipartimento Diagnostica per Immagini e Radiologia Interventistica, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria “Città della Salute e della Scienza di Torino”, 10126 Turin, ItalyDepartment of Neuroscience “Rita Levi Montalcini”, University of Turin, 10126 Turin, ItalyDepartment of Neuroscience “Rita Levi Montalcini”, University of Turin, 10126 Turin, ItalyVon Economo neurons (VENs) are rod, stick, or corkscrew cells mostly located in layer V of the frontoinsular and anterior cingulate cortices. VENs are projection neurons related to human-like social cognitive abilities. Post-mortem histological studies found VEN alterations in several neuropsychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia (SZ). This pilot study aimed to evaluate the role of VEN-containing areas in shaping patterns of resting-state brain activation in patients with SZ (n = 20) compared to healthy controls (HCs; n = 20). We performed a functional connectivity analysis seeded in the cortical areas with the highest density of VENs followed by fuzzy clustering. The alterations found in the SZ group were correlated with psychopathological, cognitive, and functioning variables. We found a frontotemporal network that was shared by four clusters overlapping with the salience, superior-frontal, orbitofrontal, and central executive networks. Differences between the HC and SZ groups emerged only in the salience network. The functional connectivity of the right anterior insula and ventral tegmental area within this network were negatively correlated with experiential negative symptoms and positively correlated with functioning. This study provides some evidence to show that in vivo, VEN-enriched cortical areas are associated with an altered resting-state brain activity in people with SZ.https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0383/12/4/1377von Economo neuronsVENsfMRIschizophreniaresting-state functional connectivitysalience network |
| spellingShingle | Claudio Brasso Mario Stanziano Francesca Marina Bosco Rosalba Morese Maria Consuelo Valentini Alessandro Vercelli Paola Rocca Alteration of the Functional Connectivity of the Cortical Areas Characterized by the Presence of Von Economo Neurons in Schizophrenia, a Pilot Study Journal of Clinical Medicine von Economo neurons VENs fMRI schizophrenia resting-state functional connectivity salience network |
| title | Alteration of the Functional Connectivity of the Cortical Areas Characterized by the Presence of Von Economo Neurons in Schizophrenia, a Pilot Study |
| title_full | Alteration of the Functional Connectivity of the Cortical Areas Characterized by the Presence of Von Economo Neurons in Schizophrenia, a Pilot Study |
| title_fullStr | Alteration of the Functional Connectivity of the Cortical Areas Characterized by the Presence of Von Economo Neurons in Schizophrenia, a Pilot Study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Alteration of the Functional Connectivity of the Cortical Areas Characterized by the Presence of Von Economo Neurons in Schizophrenia, a Pilot Study |
| title_short | Alteration of the Functional Connectivity of the Cortical Areas Characterized by the Presence of Von Economo Neurons in Schizophrenia, a Pilot Study |
| title_sort | alteration of the functional connectivity of the cortical areas characterized by the presence of von economo neurons in schizophrenia a pilot study |
| topic | von Economo neurons VENs fMRI schizophrenia resting-state functional connectivity salience network |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0383/12/4/1377 |
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