Abstract #2484

Aberrant Intra-Cerebellar and Cerebro-Cerebellar Functional Connectivity in Early Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorder

Zakia Ben Youss^1,2,3, Yu Veronica Sui^1,2, Ryn Flaherty^1,2,3, Gayatri Maria Schur^1,2,3,4, Hilary Bertisch⁵, Donald Goff^6,7, and Mariana Lazar^1,2,3

¹Radiology, Bernard and Irene Schwartz Center for Biomedical Imaging, New York, NY, United States, ²Radiology, Center for Advanced Imaging Innovation and Research, New York, NY, United States, ³Vilcek Institute of Graduate Biomedical Sciences, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, United States, ⁴Medical Scientist Training Program, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, United States, ⁵The Zucker Hillside Hospital, Northwell Health, Queens, NY, United States, ⁶Psychiatry, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, United States, ⁷Nathan Kline Institute, Orangeburg, NY, United States

Synopsis

Keywords: Functional Connectivity, fMRI (resting state), Cerebellum, rsfMRI, SBC, Schizophrenia, Cognitive cerebellum

Motivation: Despite advancements in understanding Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorder (SSD) pathophysiology, the cerebellar role in SSD remains underexplored, possibly contributing to a lack of effective treatment for cognitive and negative symptoms.

Goal(s): Delineate abnormalities in intra-cerebellar and cerebro-cerebellar functional connectivity (FC) in early SSD associated with cognitive impairment.

Approach: Employed resting-state fMRI data and seed-based-connectivity analyses to examine cerebellar FC and its association to working memory performance in SSD versus controls.

Results: Identified novel intra-cerebellar reduced FC in bilateral cerebellar subregions Crus I and left lobule VIII, aberrant cerebro-cerebellar FC in SSD compared to controls, and found FC association with cognitive impairments observed in SSD.

Impact: Elucidating the cerebellum's role in early-stage SSD can inform our understanding of the disorder’s pathology. Pinpointing intra- and cerebro-cerebellar FC abnormalities may shed light on the cerebellum impact on cognitive impairments in early-stage SSD, potentially improving diagnosis and treatment strategies.

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