fMRI fluctuations within the language network are correlated with severity of hallucinatory symptoms in schizophrenia

This study investigates the neural correlates of auditory verbal hallucinations (AVH) severity in schizophrenia using a network-based fMRI approach. The researchers hypothesized that alterations in the language network (LN) might contribute to self-other distinction impairments and AVH. Resting-state fMRI data were analyzed using independent component analysis (ICA) and fractional Amplitude of Low Frequency-Fluctuations (fALFF) in three groups: schizophrenia patients with AVH (AVH/D+), schizophrenia patients without AVH (AVH/D−), and healthy controls (HC). AVH/D+ patients showed atypical LN activation in the right hemisphere (insula and Broca's homologous area), while fALFF analysis revealed correlations between specific frequency bands and PANSS scores for AVH/D+ only. These findings suggest that LN features from fMRI connectivity and fluctuations may serve as markers of neurophysiological characteristics in schizophrenia patients depending on their vulnerability to hallucination.

Chiara Spironelli, Marco Marino, Dante Mantini, Riccardo Montalti, Alexander R. Craven, Lars Ersland, Alessandro Angrilli, Kenneth Hugdahl