Evidence of discontinuity between psychosis-risk and non-clinical samples in the neuroanatomical correlates of social function

Haas, Shalaila S.; Doucet, Gaelle E.; Antoniades, Mathilde; Modabbernia, Amirhossein; Corcoran, Cheryl M.; Kahn, Rene S.; Kambeitz, Joseph; Kambeitz-Ilankovic, Lana; Borgwardt, Stefan; Brambilla, Paolo; Upthegrove, Rachel; Wood, Stephen J.; Salokangas, Raimo K. R.; Hietala, Jarmo; Meisenzahl, Eva; Koutsouleris, Nikolaos and Frangou, Sophia (2022): Evidence of discontinuity between psychosis-risk and non-clinical samples in the neuroanatomical correlates of social function. In: Schizophrenia Research - Cognition, Vol. 29, 100252

Abstract

Objective: Social dysfunction is a major feature of clinical-high-risk states for psychosis (CHR-P). Prior research has identified a neuroanatomical pattern associated with impaired social function outcome in CHR-P. The aim of the current study was to test whether social dysfunction in CHR-P is neurobiologically distinct or in a continuum with the lower end of the normal distribution of individual differences in social functioning. Methods: We used a machine learning classifier to test for the presence of a previously validated brain structural pattern associated with impaired social outcome in CHR-P (CHR-outcome-neurosignature) in the neuroimaging profiles of individuals from two non-clinical samples (total n = 1763) and examined its association with social function, psychopathology and cognition. Results: Although the CHR-outcome-neurosignature could be detected in a subset of the non-clinical samples, it was not associated was adverse social outcomes or higher psychopathology levels. However, participants whose neuroanatomical profiles were highly aligned with the CHR-outcome-neurosignature manifested subtle disadvantage in fluid (PFDR = 0.004) and crystallized intelligence (PFDR = 0.01), cognitive flexibility (PFDR = 0.02), inhibitory control (PFDR = 0.01), working memory (PFDR = 0.0005), and processing speed (PFDR = 0.04). Conclusions: We provide evidence of divergence in brain structural underpinnings of social dysfunction derived from a psychosis-risk enriched population when applied to non-clinical samples. This approach appears promising in identifying brain mechanisms bound to psychosis through comparisons of patient populations to nonclinical samples with the same neuroanatomical profiles.

• Item Type: Journal article
• Faculties: Medicine
• Subjects: 600 Technology > 610 Medicine and health
• ISSN: 2215-0013
• Language: English