Reduced brain structural similarity is associated with maturation, neurobiological features, and clinical status in schizophrenia
Abstract Schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSD) are characterized by atypical brain maturation, including alterations in structural similarity between regions. Using structural MRI data from 195 healthy controls (HC) and 352 individuals with SSD, we construct individual Morphometric INverse Divergen...
| Published in: | Nature Communications |
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2025-10-01
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-63792-6 |
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| author | Natalia García-San-Martín Richard AI Bethlehem Patricia Segura Agoston Mihalik Jakob Seidlitz Isaac Sebenius Claudio Alemán-Morillo Lena Dorfschmidt Golia Shafiei Sarah E. Morgan Miguel Ruiz-Veguilla Rosa Ayesa-Arriola Javier Vázquez-Bourgon Bratislav Misic John Suckling Benedicto Crespo-Facorro Rafael Romero-García |
| author_facet | Natalia García-San-Martín Richard AI Bethlehem Patricia Segura Agoston Mihalik Jakob Seidlitz Isaac Sebenius Claudio Alemán-Morillo Lena Dorfschmidt Golia Shafiei Sarah E. Morgan Miguel Ruiz-Veguilla Rosa Ayesa-Arriola Javier Vázquez-Bourgon Bratislav Misic John Suckling Benedicto Crespo-Facorro Rafael Romero-García |
| author_sort | Natalia García-San-Martín |
| collection | DOAJ |
| container_title | Nature Communications |
| description | Abstract Schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSD) are characterized by atypical brain maturation, including alterations in structural similarity between regions. Using structural MRI data from 195 healthy controls (HC) and 352 individuals with SSD, we construct individual Morphometric INverse Divergence (MIND) networks. Compared to HC, individuals with SSD mainly exhibit reduced structural similarity in the temporal, cingulate, and insular lobes, being more pronounced in individuals exhibiting a ‘poor’ clinical status (more impaired cognitive functioning and more severe symptomatology). These alterations are associated with cortical hierarchy and maturational events, locating MIND reductions in higher-order association areas that mature later. Finally, we map 46 neurobiological features onto MIND networks, revealing a high presence of neurotransmitters and astrocytes, along with decreased metabolism and microstructure, in regions with reduced similarity in SSD. These findings provide evidence on the complex interplay between structural similarity, maturational events, and the underlying neurobiology in determining clinical status of individuals with SSD. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-05d06fe4e2da40ac8f490541f6bc00e9 |
| institution | Directory of Open Access Journals |
| issn | 2041-1723 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-10-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| spelling | doaj-art-05d06fe4e2da40ac8f490541f6bc00e92025-10-06T07:25:11ZengNature PortfolioNature Communications2041-17232025-10-0116111310.1038/s41467-025-63792-6Reduced brain structural similarity is associated with maturation, neurobiological features, and clinical status in schizophreniaNatalia García-San-Martín0Richard AI Bethlehem1Patricia Segura2Agoston Mihalik3Jakob Seidlitz4Isaac Sebenius5Claudio Alemán-Morillo6Lena Dorfschmidt7Golia Shafiei8Sarah E. Morgan9Miguel Ruiz-Veguilla10Rosa Ayesa-Arriola11Javier Vázquez-Bourgon12Bratislav Misic13John Suckling14Benedicto Crespo-Facorro15Rafael Romero-García16Department of Medical Physiology and Biophysics, Faculty of Medicine, University of SevilleDepartment of Psychology, University of CambridgeDepartment of Medical Physiology and Biophysics, Faculty of Medicine, University of SevilleDepartment of Psychiatry, University of CambridgeDepartment of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, The Children’s Hospital of PhiladelphiaDepartment of Psychiatry, University of CambridgeDepartment of Medical Physiology and Biophysics, Faculty of Medicine, University of SevilleDepartment of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, The Children’s Hospital of PhiladelphiaLifespan Brain Institute, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and Penn MedicineDepartment of Psychiatry, University of CambridgeBiomedical Research Center in Mental Health Network (CIBERSAM), Health Institute Carlos IIIBiomedical Research Center in Mental Health Network (CIBERSAM), Health Institute Carlos IIIBiomedical Research Center in Mental Health Network (CIBERSAM), Health Institute Carlos IIIMontreal Neurological Institute, McGill UniversityDepartment of Psychiatry, University of CambridgeBiomedical Research Center in Mental Health Network (CIBERSAM), Health Institute Carlos IIIDepartment of Medical Physiology and Biophysics, Faculty of Medicine, University of SevilleAbstract Schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSD) are characterized by atypical brain maturation, including alterations in structural similarity between regions. Using structural MRI data from 195 healthy controls (HC) and 352 individuals with SSD, we construct individual Morphometric INverse Divergence (MIND) networks. Compared to HC, individuals with SSD mainly exhibit reduced structural similarity in the temporal, cingulate, and insular lobes, being more pronounced in individuals exhibiting a ‘poor’ clinical status (more impaired cognitive functioning and more severe symptomatology). These alterations are associated with cortical hierarchy and maturational events, locating MIND reductions in higher-order association areas that mature later. Finally, we map 46 neurobiological features onto MIND networks, revealing a high presence of neurotransmitters and astrocytes, along with decreased metabolism and microstructure, in regions with reduced similarity in SSD. These findings provide evidence on the complex interplay between structural similarity, maturational events, and the underlying neurobiology in determining clinical status of individuals with SSD.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-63792-6 |
| spellingShingle | Natalia García-San-Martín Richard AI Bethlehem Patricia Segura Agoston Mihalik Jakob Seidlitz Isaac Sebenius Claudio Alemán-Morillo Lena Dorfschmidt Golia Shafiei Sarah E. Morgan Miguel Ruiz-Veguilla Rosa Ayesa-Arriola Javier Vázquez-Bourgon Bratislav Misic John Suckling Benedicto Crespo-Facorro Rafael Romero-García Reduced brain structural similarity is associated with maturation, neurobiological features, and clinical status in schizophrenia |
| title | Reduced brain structural similarity is associated with maturation, neurobiological features, and clinical status in schizophrenia |
| title_full | Reduced brain structural similarity is associated with maturation, neurobiological features, and clinical status in schizophrenia |
| title_fullStr | Reduced brain structural similarity is associated with maturation, neurobiological features, and clinical status in schizophrenia |
| title_full_unstemmed | Reduced brain structural similarity is associated with maturation, neurobiological features, and clinical status in schizophrenia |
| title_short | Reduced brain structural similarity is associated with maturation, neurobiological features, and clinical status in schizophrenia |
| title_sort | reduced brain structural similarity is associated with maturation neurobiological features and clinical status in schizophrenia |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-63792-6 |
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