Associations between blood markers of redox regulation and brain white matter microstructure display distinct signatures in psychosis

Motivation: It is unclear whether Glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and reductase (GRed) activity, peripheral proxy of redox homeostasis, could be linked to white matter alterations in psychosis. Goal(s): We seek to link white matter alterations to processes connected to neuroinflammation, namely raising from dysregulation of the glutathione redox homeostasis. Approach: We applied diffusion kurtosis imaging and White Matter Tract Integrity – Watson to patients data and analyzed the maps via Tract-Based Spatial Statistics(TBSS) and regression contrast analysis. Results: We found selective and widespread association of kurtosis metrics with glutathione redox enzymes that significantly dissociate between patients and controls. Impact: Our findings reveal that Redox GSH dysregulation in patients may impact WM microstructure, indicating therapeutic possibilities and reinforcing the connection between microstructure and neuroinflammation. Furthermore, the neat selectivity of the kurtosis metrics highlights potential for widespread clinical research applications.