Revealing alterations in brain connectivity of schizophrenic individuals using a complex network approach

Abstract

Recent studies of functional brain network show that its topology appear to reveal connectivity abnormalities in subjects with neurological and psychiatric disorders such as depression and Alzheimer’s disease. Here, we show that the measures available in complex network theory may be used to characterize the functional brain networks of schizophrenic individuals. In particular, our measurements of density D, number of connected components S, degree k, clustering coefficient C and global efficiency Eglob reveal that, in general, brain networks of schizophrenic individuals have altered structures as compared to non-schizophrenic individuals. These alterations are described by more separated sub-networks with lower clustering tendencies and lower global integration.