Small-world networks in individuals at ultra-high risk for psychosis and first-episode schizophrenia during a working memory task

Abstract

Disturbances of functional interaction between different brain regions have been hypothesized to be the major pathophysiological mechanism underlying the cognitive deficits of schizophrenia. We investigated the small-world functional networks in individuals at ultra-high risk (UHR) for psychosis, first-episode schizophrenia (FESPR) patients, and healthy controls. All participants underwent the electroencephalogram during a control task and a working memory (WM) task. Small-world properties of the theta band were reduced in FESPR relative to controls during the WM task. Small-worldness of the UHR during the WM task exhibited intermediate value between that of controls and FESPR. These results imply that the suboptimal organization of the brain network may play a pivotal role in the schizophrenia pathophysiology.