ABSTRACT
Objective To explore the differences in the strength of the nodes in the brain white matter weighted networks between the male patients with paranoid schizophrenia and male healthy controls, and to analysis the integrity of the white matter fiber tracts that connected to the different brain regions and its relationship with the course of disease. Methods Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) data were obtained from 25 male patients with paranoid schizophrenia and 26 male healthy controls. The whole brain was parcellated into 90 regions by using the anatomical label map. Tractography was performed in the whole brain of each subject to reconstruct white matter tracts using the FACT algorithm. The brain white matter weighted networks were then constructed using the complex network theory. Results The strength of the nodes in the networks of schizophrenia significantly decreased in the right thalamus (P=0.03, corrected) and the right hes?chl gyrus (P=0.04, corrected). Negative correlation was found between the strength of the right thalamus and the course of disease (r=-0.45, P=0.03). Conclusion The integrity of the white matter fiber tracts connected to the thalamus and tem?poral lobes in the male paranoid schizophrenia is impaired. The lesion of fiber tracts connected to the thalamus is related with the course of disease.