Objective This study aims to investigate resting-state functional connectivity(rsFC)abnormalities of the dopaminergic midbrain regions,specifically the ventral tegmental area(VTA)and substantia nigra pars compacta(SNc),across different sub-frequency bands(Slow-5:0.01-0.027 Hz,Slow-4:0.027-0.073 Hz)in patients with schizophrenia(SZ).Methods Ninety-one SZ patients and ninety-one healthy controls(HC)were included in this study.All partici-pants underwent resting-state functional MRI scans.The dopaminergic midbrain regions were delineated into four subregions(bilateral VTA and SNc)and the the other parts of the brain were segmented into 272 regions.The rsFC between each of the 4 dopaminergic regions and each of the other 272 brain regions was compared between patients and controls for two fre-quency bands separately(Slow-5 and Slow-4).Further statistical comparisons were conducted to test whether these rsFC al-terations in patients were dependent on frequency.In addition,correlations between the abnormal rsFCs and clinical symp-tomsassessed by the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale(PANSS)were examined.Results In both frequency bands,SZ patients exhibited reduced rsFC between the right VTA and the cerebellar vermis 8 region.Furthermore,in Slow-5,SZ patients exhibited decreased rsFC between the right SNc and the cerebellar vermis 7 region.In Slow-4,SZ patients exhibited reduced rsFC between the right SNc and the left ventral caudate nucleus and increased rsFC between the right SNc and the left rostral lingual gyrus and between the right SNc and the leftpostcentral gyrus.Notably,the differences in two of these identifiedrsFCs("right SNc-the cerebellar vermis 7 region","the right SNc and the left ventral caudate nucleus")were significantly changed in patients compared with controls.Correlation analyses between the altered rsFCs and clinical symp-toms indicated positive correlations between the rsFC between the right SNc and the cerebellar vermis 7 region in Slow-5 and the scores of positive symptoms,thought disorder,activation,and supplementary aggression;in contrast,the rsFC between the right SNc and the left rostral lingualgyrusin Slow-4 was negatively correlated with the score of thought disorder.Conclusion This study revealed sub-band rsFC abnormalities of dopaminergic midbrain regions with several other regionsin SZ pa-tients.Some of these rsFCabnormalitieswere frequency-dependent,and were associated with clinical symptoms.These find-ings might offer new insights on the neurophysiological mechanisms underlying SZ.
SchizophreniaVentral tegmental areaSubstantia nigra compactaResting-state functional connectivitySub-band
NETL
NSTL
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