A

Social dysfunction is transdiagnostically associated with default mode network dysconnectivity in schizophrenia and Alzheimer’s disease

The World Journal of Biological Psychiatry, vol. 23, pp. 264–277

Abstract

Objectives Social dysfunction is one of the most common signs of major neuropsychiatric disorders. The Default Mode Network (DMN) is crucially implicated in both psychopathology and social dysfunction, although the transdiagnostic properties of social dysfunction remains unknown. As part of the pan-European PRISM (Psychiatric Ratings using Intermediate Stratified Markers) project, we explored cross-disorder impact of social dysfunction on DMN connectivity.Methods We studied DMN intrinsic functional connectivity in relation to social dysfunction by applying Independent Component Analysis and Dual Regression on resting-state fMRI data, among schizophrenia (SZ; N = 48), Alzheimer disease (AD; N = 47) patients and healthy controls (HC; N = 55). Social dysfunction was operationalised via the Social Functioning Scale (SFS) and De Jong-Gierveld Loneliness Scale (LON).Results Both SFS and LON were independently associated with diminished DMN connectional integrity within rostromedial prefrontal DMN subterritories (pcorrected range = 0.02–0.04). The combined effect of these indicators (Mean.SFS + LON) on diminished DMN connectivity was even more pronounced (both spatially and statistically), independent of diagnostic status, and not confounded by key clinical or sociodemographic effects, comprising large sections of rostromedial and dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (pcorrected=0.01).Conclusions These findings pinpoint DMN connectional alterations as putative transdiagnostic endophenotypes for social dysfunction and could aid personalised care initiatives grounded in social behaviour.

Authors 17

  1. Ilja M. J. Saris corresponding

    Amsterdam Neuroscience · Amsterdam Public Health · GGZ inGeest · Amsterdam University Medical Centers · Amsterdam UMC Location Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

    Affiliation as printed

    Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam Neuroscience and Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Amsterdam UMC, VU Medical Centre and GGZ inGeest, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

  2. Leiden University · Amsterdam Neuroscience · Amsterdam Public Health · GGZ inGeest · Amsterdam University Medical Centers · Amsterdam UMC Location Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

    Affiliation as printed

    Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam Neuroscience and Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Amsterdam UMC, VU Medical Centre and GGZ inGeest, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Institute of Education and Child Studies, Section Forensic Family and Youth Care, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands

  3. Amsterdam Neuroscience · Amsterdam University Medical Centers · Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam · Amsterdam UMC Location Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

    Affiliation as printed

    Alzheimer Center Amsterdam, Department of Neurology, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

  4. Amsterdam Neuroscience · Amsterdam University Medical Centers · Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam · Amsterdam UMC Location Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

    Affiliation as printed

    Alzheimer Center Amsterdam, Department of Neurology, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

  5. Amsterdam Neuroscience · Amsterdam University Medical Centers · Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam · Amsterdam UMC Location Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

    Affiliation as printed

    Alzheimer Center Amsterdam, Department of Neurology, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

  6. Leiden University · Leiden University Medical Center

    Affiliation as printed

    Department of Psychiatry, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands

    Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden, The Netherlands

  7. Affiliation as printed

    P1vital Ltd, Wallingford, UK

  8. Affiliation as printed

    P1vital Ltd, Wallingford, UK

  9. Affiliation as printed

    P1vital Ltd, Wallingford, UK

  10. Affiliation as printed

    SBGneuro Ltd, Oxford, UK

  11. University Medical Center Groningen · University of Groningen

    Affiliation as printed

    Department of Biomedical Sciences of Cells and Systems, Cognitive Neurosciences, University of Groningen, University Medical Center of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands

  12. Universidad Complutense de Madrid · Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón · Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental

    Affiliation as printed

    Centre of Biomedical Research in Mental Health (CIBERSAM), Madrid, Spain

    Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón, CIBERSAM, IiSGM, Universidad Complutense, School of Medicine, Madrid, Spain

  13. Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental · Hospital Universitario de La Princesa · Universidad Autónoma de Madrid

    Affiliation as printed

    Centre of Biomedical Research in Mental Health (CIBERSAM), Madrid, Spain

    Department of Psychiatry, La Princesa University Hospital, Universidad Autonoma de Madrid, Marid, Spain

  14. Affiliation as printed

    P1vital Ltd, Wallingford, UK

  15. Boehringer Ingelheim (Germany) · Eli Lilly (United Kingdom)

    Affiliation as printed

    CNS Diseases Research, Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH and Company, Biberach, Germany

    Translational Neuroscience, Eli Lilly and Company, Windlesham, UK

  16. University of Groningen

    Affiliation as printed

    Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands

  17. Amsterdam Neuroscience · Amsterdam Public Health · GGZ inGeest · Amsterdam University Medical Centers · Amsterdam UMC Location Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

    Affiliation as printed

    Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam Neuroscience and Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Amsterdam UMC, VU Medical Centre and GGZ inGeest, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Cited by 38 stored of 38

No patents citing this paper on Lens.org (checked 2026-10-11).

References 78