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

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.