Whole-Brain MRSI Metabolic Connectomics Reveals Network Disruptions and Altered Gradient Coherence in Psychosis Risk

Whole-brain proton MRSI in 29 high-risk individuals (APS/SCZT) identifies a metabolic connectivity subnetwork with higher connectivity than 30 healthy controls, without matching structural or functional differences.

• Why it matters: Conventional diffusion and resting-state fMRI connectomics may miss very early, subtle network changes before first-episode psychosis, motivating a more sensitive metabolic approach.
• What they did: The study combined whole-brain MRSI with diffusion MRI and resting-state functional MRI to build metabolic, structural, and functional connectomes, then used network-based statistics and eigenmode/path analyses.
• The result: Metabolic connectivity showed low-dimensional organization and higher bilateral energy in the high-risk group, indicating reduced coherence along a metabolic gradient aligned with the neurodevelopmental sensorimotor-to-association axis.

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