# Altered Functional Connectivity of Amygdala Subregions with Large-Scale Brain Networks in Schizophrenia: A Resting-State fMRI Study

## TL;DR

This study shows that specific parts of the amygdala in people with schizophrenia have altered connections to brain networks, offering new insights into the disorder's neural mechanisms.

## Contribution

The study is the first to examine amygdala subregion connectivity to large-scale brain networks in schizophrenia.

## Key findings

- Schizophrenia patients showed increased connectivity between the left centromedial amygdala and the default mode and visual networks.
- Decreased connectivity was observed between the right laterobasal amygdala and the sensorimotor network in schizophrenia patients.
- These findings highlight the importance of analyzing the amygdala as distinct subregions in schizophrenia research.

## Abstract

Schizophrenia is a known disorder cause disruptions in functional connectivity. A crucial element in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia, the amygdala is composed of various subregions that may have different effects on the disorder. Few studies have addressed the amygdala subregions, and none have specifically examined the amygdala subregion connectivity to large-scale resting-state networks, leaving a critical gap in our understanding of how subregion-specific amygdala dysfunction integrates with systems-level network pathology in schizophrenia. By examining these subregions, we gained a better understanding of the neural mechanisms underlying schizophrenia. These connectivity patterns will help develop interventions aimed at restoring balanced amygdala–network interactions.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the functional connectivity (FC) of three amygdala subregions—the laterobasal amygdala (LBA), centromedial amygdala (CMA), and superficial amygdala (SFA)—with large-scale brain networks in individuals with schizophrenia (SCZ) compared to healthy controls (HC). Methodology: Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) data were obtained from 100 participants (50 SCZ, 50 HC) with balanced age and gender distributions. FC between amygdala subregions and target functional networks was assessed using a region-of-interest (ROI)-to-ROI approach implemented in the CONN toolbox. Result: Connectivity patterns of the LBA, CMA, and SFA differed between SCZ and HC groups. After false discovery rate (FDR) correction (p < 0.05), SCZ patients exhibited significantly increased FC between the left CMA and both the default mode network (DMN) and the visual network (VN). In contrast, decreased FC was observed between the right LBA and the sensorimotor network (SMN) in SCZ compared with HC. Conclusions: These findings reveal novel FC alterations linking amygdala subregions with large-scale networks in schizophrenia. The results underscore the importance of examining the amygdala as distinct functional subregions rather than as a single structure, offering new insights into the neural mechanisms underlying SCZ.