Regional homogeneity(ReHo) is examined in resting-state patients with first-episode, drug-naïve schizophrenia to explore the potential imaging markers for diagnosis of schizophrenia.

The ReHo method was used to analyze resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging data of 28 patients with schizophrenia and their matched unaffected siblings (sibling control group) and 40 healthy controls (healthy control group) based on family-based case-control study and traditional case-control study. Analysis by covariance (ANCOVA), followed by post hoc t tests, was applied to compare ReHo differences across groups. Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) was used to assess symptom severity. Correlation analyses were conducted between PANSS scores and abnormal ReHo in the patients. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves analyses were performed to discriminate patients with schizophrenia from sibling controls/healthy controls.

Compared with the two control groups, the patients showed increased ReHo in the right middle frontal gyrus. The ReHo values of right fusiform gyrus/cerebellum Ⅳ, Ⅴ were negatively correlated with the positive symptoms (r=-0.459, P=0.014) in the patients. When 0.007 9 was taken as the cut-off point, the ReHo values in the right middle frontal gyrus could discriminate the patients from the siblings with a sensitivity of 78.57%, a specificity of 82.14%, and area under the curve of 0.866. When 0.127 1 was used as the cut-off point, the ReHo values in the right middle frontal gyrus could distinguish the patients from the healthy controls with a sensitivity of 71.43%, a specificity of 80.00%, and an area under the curve of 0.780.

Regional homogeneity of neural activity increases in the prefrontal cortex of patients with first-episode, drug-naive schizophrenia. Abnormal ReHo in the right middle frontal gyrus may be used as a potential neuroimaging marker for early diagnosis of schizophrenia.

Schizophrenia; Magnetic resonance imaging; Biological markers; Regional homogeneity