Prefrontal circuitry abnormalities and cognitive impairment in adolescents with early-onset psychosis
European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, SSCI, Scopus)
- Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
- Basım Tarihi: 2026
- Doi Numarası: 10.1007/s00787-026-03229-7
- Dergi Adı: European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
- Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus, IBZ Online, Child Development & Adolescent Studies, CINAHL, EMBASE, MEDLINE, Psycinfo, Academic Search Ultimate (EBSCO), Social Science Premium Collection (ProQuest), Biomedical Reference Collection: Corporate Edition (EBSCO), Health Research Premium Collection (ProQuest), Pharma Collection (ProQuest), Psychology & Behavioral Sciences Collection (EBSCO), Sociology Database (ProQuest), Sociology Source Ultimate (EBSCO)
- Anahtar Kelimeler: Cognition, Early-onset psychosis, Neuroimaging, Prefrontal cortex
- Açık Arşiv Koleksiyonu: AVESİS Açık Erişim Koleksiyonu
- Ankara Üniversitesi Adresli: Hayır
Özet
Early-onset psychosis (EOP) is associated with marked cognitive impairment and poorer health-related and psychosocial outcomes compared to adult-onset illness, yet the neural mechanisms underlying these deficits during adolescence remain incompletely understood. Despite evidence implicating dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) dysfunction, the region’s functional and structural correlates in youth with EOP are not well characterized. Adolescents with EOP (N=31) and healthy controls (HC; N=20) completed NIH Toolbox cognitive assessments and PROMIS self-reports. Prefrontal function was assessed using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) during a Stroop task and at rest. Multimodal MRI, including resting-state fMRI, diffusion tensor imaging, and structural imaging, was used to examine connectivity and morphology of prefrontal and fronto-cerebellar circuits. Adolescents with EOP exhibited poorer cognitive performance across executive functioning domains compared to HC. fNIRS revealed reduced right dlPFC activation on a cognitive control paradigm (p=0.007, pfdr=0.04) and a trend of increased resting-state connectivity between right dlPFC and ventrolateral PFC (p=0.02, pfdr=0.9). Furthermore, resting-state fMRI showed increased dlPFC-striatal connectivity with striatal regions and reduced connectivity with cerebellar Crus I/II (p-FDR<0.05). White matter integrity of the superior longitudinal fasciculus correlated with dlPFC activation during task performance. Structural analyses identified reduced frontal cortical thickness and decreased cerebellar Crus II volumes (p-FWE<0.05) in patients with EOP, with frontal morphology associating with cognitive measures. Cognitive impairment in adolescents with EOP is associated with convergent abnormalities in dlPFC function, fronto-striatal connectivity, and fronto-cerebellar structure. These findings provide preliminary support for a model of disrupted prefrontal circuitry in EOP and highlight the potential clinical value of multimodal imaging markers.