Cerebral white matter structure is associated with DSM-5 schizophrenia symptom dimensions

Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) studies have provided evidence of widespread whitematter (WM) abnormalities in schizophrenia. Although these abnormalities appear clinically significant, the relationship to specific clinical symptoms is limited and heterogeneous. This study examined the association between WM microstructure and the severity of the five main DSM-5 schizophrenia symptomdimensions. DTIwas measured in forty patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders. Using Tract-Based Spatial Statistics controlling for age, gender and antipsychotic dosage, our analyses revealed significant negative relationships betweenWMmicrostructure and two DSM-5 symptom dimensions: Whereas abnormal psychomotor behavior was particularly related to WM of motor tracts, negative symptoms were associated withWMmicrostructure of the prefrontal and right temporal lobes. However, we found no associations betweenWMmicrostructure and delusions, hallucinations or disorganized speech. These data highlight the relevance of characteristic WM disconnectivity patterns as markers for negative symptoms and abnormal psychomotor behavior in schizophrenia and provide evidence for relevant associations between brain structure and aberrant behavior. (C) 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. This is an open access article under the CC BY license.