Functional Dysconnectivity of the Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex in First-episode Schizophrenia Using Resting-state FMRI

The known regional abnormality of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and its role in various neural circuits in schizophrenia has given prominence to its importance in studies on the dysconnection associated with schizophrenia. Abnormal functional connectivities of the DLPFC have been found during various goal-directed tasks; however, the occurrence of the abnormality during rest in patients with schizophrenia has rarely been reported. In the present study, we selected bilateral Brodmann's area 46 as region of interest and analyzed the differences in the DLPFC functional connectivity pattern between 17 patients with first-episode schizophrenia (FES) and 17 matched controls using resting-state fMRI. We found that the bilateral DLPFC showed reduced functional connectivities to the parietal lobe, posterior cingulate cortex, thalamus and striatum in FES patients. We also found enhanced functional connectivity between the left DLPFC and the left mid-posterior temporal lobe and the paralimbic regions in FES patients. Our results suggest that functional dysconnectivity associated with the DLPFC exists in schizophrenia during rest. This may be partially related to disturbance in the intrinsic brain activity.