tractography; resting state fMRI; structural connectivity; at risk mental state; diffusion MRI; functional connectivity; staging; biomarker; networks; first episode psychosis; schizophrenia; imaging; connectome
Vohryzek Jakub, Griffa Alessandra, Mullier Emeline, Friedrichs-Maeder Cecilia, Sandini Corrado, Schaer Marie, Eliez Stephan, Hagmann Patric (2020), Dynamic spatiotemporal patterns of brain connectivity reorganize across development, in
Network Neuroscience, 4(1), 115-133.
Griffa Alessandra, Baumann Philipp S., Klauser Paul, Mullier Emeline, Cleusix Martine, Jenni Raoul, van den Heuvel Martijn P., Do Kim Q., Conus Philippe, Hagmann Patric (2019), Brain connectivity alterations in early psychosis: from clinical to neuroimaging staging, in
Translational Psychiatry, 9(1), 62-62.
Mullier Emeline, Roine Timo, Griffa Alessandra, Xin Lijing, Baumann Philipp S, Klauser Paul, Cleusix Martine, Jenni Raoul, Alemàn-Gómez Yasser, Gruetter Rolf, Conus Philippe, Do Kim Q, Hagmann Patric (2019), N-Acetyl-Cysteine Supplementation Improves Functional Connectivity Within the Cingulate Cortex in Early Psychosis: A Pilot Study, in
International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology, 22(8), 478-487.
Klauser Paul, Xin Lijing, Fournier Margot, Griffa Alessandra, Cleusix Martine, Jenni Raoul, Cuenod Michel, Gruetter Rolf, Hagmann Patric, Conus Philippe, Baumann Philipp S., Do Kim Q. (2018), N-acetylcysteine add-on treatment leads to an improvement of fornix white matter integrity in early psychosis: a double-blind randomized placebo-controlled trial, in
Translational Psychiatry, 8(1), 220-220.
Rosenthal Gideon, Váša František, Griffa Alessandra, Hagmann Patric, Amico Enrico, Goñi Joaquín, Avidan Galia, Sporns Olaf (2018), Mapping higher-order relations between brain structure and function with embedded vector representations of connectomes, in
Nature Communications, 9(1), 2178-2178.
Khadimallah Ines, Griffa Alessandra, Cleusix Martine, Jenni Raoul, Ferrari Carina, Klauser Paul, Baumann Philipp S., Cuenod Michel, Hagmann Patric, Conus Philippe, Do Kim Q., Alameda Luis, Fournier Margot (2018), Redox dysregulation as a link between childhood trauma and psychopathological and neurocognitive profile in patients with early psychosis, in
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 115(49), 12495-12500.
Baumann Philipp S., Klauser Paul, Griffa Alessandra, Golay Philippe, Palix Julie, Alameda Luis, Moulin Valérie, Hagmann Patric, Do Kim Q., Conus Philippe (2018), Frontal cortical thickness correlates positively with impulsivity in early psychosis male patients, in
Early Intervention in Psychiatry.
Vázquez-Rodríguez Bertha, Avena-Koenigsberger Andrea, Sporns Olaf, Griffa Alessandra, Hagmann Patric, Larralde Hernán (2017), Stochastic resonance at criticality in a network model of the human cortex, in
Scientific Reports, 7(1), 13020-13020.
Griffa Alessandra, Ricaud Benjamin, Benzi Kirell, Bresson Xavier, Daducci Alessandro, Vandergheynst Pierre, Thiran Jean-Philippe, Hagmann Patric (2017), Transient networks of spatio-temporal connectivity map communication pathways in brain functional systems, in
NeuroImage, 155, 490-502.
Avena-Koenigsberger Andrea, Mišić Bratislav, Hawkins Robert X. D., Griffa Alessandra, Hagmann Patric, Goñi Joaquín, Sporns Olaf (2017), Path ensembles and a tradeoff between communication efficiency and resilience in the human connectome, in
Brain Structure and Function, 222(1), 603-618.
1. SUMMARY1.1 BACKGROUNDSchizophrenia is a disease of widespread biochemical, functional and structural brain alterations that leads to positive and negative symptoms, cognitive impairment and to important alterations of global functional level. Regional structural and functional changes have been repeatedly reported from MRI studies in psychotic disorders, in chronic schizophrenia and more recently also in the early phase of psychosis and even in the presymptomatic stage in at risk subjects. A promising step ahead has been taken in the approach to investigate the schizophrenia dysconnectivity syndrome with the emergence of MR connectomics, field in which the applicants have been pioneers. Cumulating evidence suggests some degree of global disconnectivity with decreased integration capacity in chronic schizophrenia. Previous research from our group supports this theory and contributed to better define which areas of the brain are involved in this phenomenon. However neither the evolution of this dysconnectivity syndrome over the development of psychosis, from at risk mental state to full-blown chronic schizophrenia nor the imaging biomarkers of stage transition have been studied. MR connectomics has until now been relying on semi-quantitative measures of structural connectivity, like the number of streamlines connecting 2 areas or the average diffusivity along a connection. This matter of fact limits our capacity to infer pathophysiology and potentially limits our sensitivity to the disease since our measures are based on a mixture of several biological compartments and phenomena. Long-standing efforts have been made in order to create a plausible biophysical model of water diffusion in the brain. Limitation factors are multiple from hardware to computational cost and limitation to local voxel-wise modelling. Nevertheless once these limitations have been overcome the perspective of measuring quantitatively the human connectome with MRI may become reality providing us with quantitative measures of biological parameters relevant to brain connectivity. Work in this field is on going and our group is at the forefront of these developments. The concept of staging is common in many fields of medicine but has only recently been applied to psychiatric disorders. For schizophrenia the staging concept is gaining acceptance as prodromal phases of psychosis become better characterized, as neurobiologic discoveries, including, imaging, support the progressiveness of the disease and as the awareness that early intervention is the most promising therapeutic approach to avoid or to minimize the risk of developing a debilitating disease. In this framework the ability to identify network alterations that progress with the disease severity is important for staging theory. Even more the stratification of patients in a given stage into progressors and non-progressors is a key challenge since it may help focussing intensive therapy to patients at high risk to progress. 1.2 AIM OF THE PROJECTThe general aim of the project is to characterize quantitatively the structural disconnection syndrome of schizophrenia as a function of disease progression. Identify connectomic biomarkers of disease progression. Specific aims are:•Express the already identified chronic schizophrenia (CSCHZ) structural dysconnectivity pattern with quantitative connectomics measures to increase sensitivity and gain specificity in disease mechanism.•Quantify the above-mentioned biomarkers (dysconnectivity pattern) in first episode of psychosis (FEP, stage II) and in at risk mental state subjects (ARMS, stage I).•Identify additional dysconnectivity patterns specific to individual stages.•Compare FEP patients with and without progression to chronic schizophrenia at 2 and 5 years from imaging time point to explore their connectivity differences and develop a stratification biomarker distinguishing progressors from non-progressors.•Compare ARMS individuals with and without progression to a FEP at 2 years of imaging to explore their connectivity differences and develop a stratification biomarker distinguishing progressors from non-progressors.•Study the relation between the integrity of specific cognitive networks and patients executive function and symptomatology scores1.3 METHODSCohort:•Control subjects (CTRL) : 100 (already 74 scanned)•At risk mental state subjects (ARMS), stage I: 60 (recruitment not started)•First episode of psychosis patients (FEP), stage II: 70 (already 51 scanned)•Chronic schizophrenia patients (CSCHZ), stage III and IV: 40 (already 25 scanned)Investigations:•Clinical and neuropsychological battery, long term follow up•MRI: T1w high resolution, Diffusion Spectrum Imaging, resting state fMRIAnalysis:•MRI: network measures of global and local integration and segregation of structural networks used to test hypothesis mentioned in 1.2.1.4 EXPECTED VALUE OF THE PROPOSED PROJECTThis project proposal is in full continuation with our previous grant #320030_130090 dedicated to the imaging of psychosis and integrates itself to the broad Lausanne effort on schizophrenia research (grant 320030-122419, NCCR-synapsy #125759). We want to build on i. our previous patient recruitment and expand our cohort in terms of sample number but also in terms of disease stage by recruiting presymptomatic subjects; ii. our previous analysis experience on the later stage of psychosis to explore the not well characterized early stages of psychosis; iii. our tractography technology development experience to bring the latest quantitative biophysically realistic methods to clinical research.Based on this multidisciplinary expertise we expect to provide the research community with impactful investigations revealing new insight in the pathophysiology of progression of psychosis linking brain dys-connectivity with disease advancement and finally clinical outcome. Even more we hope to be able identify stratification biomarkers of disease progression, which would have a significant impact on care.