Microstructural alterations of the corpus callosum in affective and non-affective early psychosis: A diffusion magnetic resonance imaging study

Sanjari Moghaddam H(1), Aarabi MH(2), Kiani I(3), Cattarinussi G(4), Khodadadi
S(5), Delavari S(6), Sambataro F(7).

Author information:
(1)Iranian Center for Neurological Research, Tehran University of Medical
Sciences, Tehran, Iran; Psychiatric Research Center, Roozbeh Hospital, Tehran
University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
(2)Department of Neuroscience (DNS), Padua Neuroscience Center, University of
Padova, Padua, Italy.
(3)Students’ Scientific Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences,
Tehran, Iran.
(4)Department of Neuroscience (DNS), Padua Neuroscience Center, University of
Padova, Padua, Italy; Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of
Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK.
(5)Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Padua, Italy.
(6)Institute for the Developing Mind, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, Keck
School of Medicine at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, USA.
(7)Department of Neuroscience (DNS), Padua Neuroscience Center, University of
Padova, Padua, Italy; Padua Neuroscience Center, University of Padova, Padua,
Italy. Electronic address: .

BACKGROUND: Early psychosis (EP) is associated with a disrupted integrity of the
white matter microstructure of a variety of brain regions, especially the corpus
callosum (CC). In this study, we used diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance
imaging data of patients with EP and employed diffusion tensor imaging (DTI),
free water-corrected diffusion, and neurite orientation dispersion and density
imaging (NODDI) to comprehensively assess the white matter microstructure.
METHODS: 106 patients with EP (84 non-affective and 22 affective) and 51 healthy
controls (HCs) were included from the Human Connectome Project in the Early
Psychosis dataset. We used tract-specific analysis for tractography of three
parts of the CC and quantified the diffusion measurements for each segment. CC
measurement differences between EP vs. HCs and affective vs. non-affective
psychosis were assessed by multivariate analysis of covariance. Principal
component analysis was used for dimension reduction of diffusion metrics.
RESULTS: EP was associated with disrupted white matter integrity in the body of
CC indicated by a lower fractional anisotropy and intracellular volume fraction,
alongside increased diffusivity measures. None of the CC subregions showed a
significant difference in the genu and splenium of the CC between EP and HC
groups or between affective and non-affective subgroups. Furthermore, lower
white matter integrity in the genu was marginally associated with increased
symptom severity.
CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that microstructural alterations of white
matter fibers crossing CC may underlie the pathophysiology of EP. These findings
may contribute to a growing body of evidence pointing to white matter disruption
as a potential biomarker of disease vulnerability.

Copyright © 2025 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2025.08.010
PMID: 40896904 [Indexed for MEDLINE]

Conflict of interest statement: Declaration of competing interest All the
authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

Auteurs Bordeaux Neurocampus