Background and Hypothesis Abnormal thalamic nuclei volumes and their link to cognitive impairments have been observed in schizophrenia. However, whether and how this finding extends to the schizophrenia spectrum is unknown. We hypothesized a distinct pattern of aberrant thalamic nuclei volume across the spectrum and examined its potential associations with cognitive symptoms. Study Design We performed a FreeSurfer-based volumetry of T1-weighted brain MRIs from 137 healthy controls, 66 at-risk mental state (ARMS) subjects, 89 first-episode psychosis (FEP) individuals, and 126 patients with schizophrenia to estimate thalamic nuclei volumes of six nuclei groups (anterior, lateral, ventral, intralaminar, medial, and pulvinar). We used linear regression models, controlling for sex, age, and estimated total intracranial volume, both to compare thalamic nuclei volumes across groups and to investigate their associations with positive, negative, and cognitive symptoms. Study Results We observed significant volume alterations in medial and lateral thalamic nuclei. Medial nuclei displayed consistently reduced volumes across the spectrum compared to controls, while lower lateral nuclei volumes were only observed in schizophrenia. Whereas positive and negative symptoms were not associated with reduced nuclei volumes across all groups, higher cognitive scores were linked to lower volumes of medial nuclei in ARMS. In FEP, cognition was not linked to nuclei volumes. In schizophrenia, lower cognitive performance was associated with lower medial volumes. Conclusions Results demonstrate distinct thalamic nuclei volume reductions across the schizophrenia spectrum, with lower medial nuclei volumes linked to cognitive deficits in ARMS and schizophrenia. Data suggest a distinctive trajectory of thalamic nuclei abnormalities along the course of schizophrenia.

中文翻译：

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精神分裂症谱系中丘脑核团的不同体积变化

背景和假设 在精神分裂症中观察到丘脑核体积异常及其与认知障碍的联系。然而，这一发现是否以及如何扩展到精神分裂症谱系尚不清楚。我们假设了整个谱系中丘脑核体积异常的独特模式，并检查了其与认知症状的潜在关联。研究设计 我们对 137 名健康对照者、66 名高危精神状态 (ARMS) 受试者、89 名首发精神病 (FEP) 个体和 126 名精神分裂症患者进行了基于 FreeSurfer 的 T1 加权脑部 MRI 体积测定，以估计丘脑核六个核组（前核、外侧核、腹侧核、层内核、内侧核和枕核）的体积。我们使用线性回归模型，控制性别、年龄和估计的颅内容积总量，以比较各组的丘脑核体积，并研究它们与阳性、阴性和认知症状的关联。研究结果 我们观察到内侧和外侧丘脑核的体积发生显着变化。与对照组相比，内侧核在整个光谱中显示出体积持续减少，而外侧核体积较低仅在精神分裂症中观察到。尽管所有组的阳性和阴性症状均与细胞核体积减少无关，但 ARMS 中较高的认知得分与内侧核体积减少有关。在 FEP 中，认知与细胞核体积无关。在精神分裂症中，较低的认知能力与较低的中间体积相关。结论 结果表明，整个精神分裂症谱系的丘脑核体积明显减少，内侧核体积较低与 ARMS 和精神分裂症的认知缺陷有关。数据表明丘脑核异常在精神分裂症的病程中存在独特的轨迹。