Lesions that Cause Psychosis Map to a Common Brain Circuit in the Hippocampus

Abstract

ImportanceIdentifying anatomy causally involved in psychosis could inform therapeutic neuromodulation targets for schizophrenia. ObjectiveTo assess whether lesions that cause secondary psychosis have functional connections to a common brain circuit. DesignThis case-control study mapped functional connections of published cases of lesions causing secondary psychosis compared with control lesions unassociated with psychosis. SettingThis study was conducted in a computational laboratory. ParticipantsPublished cases of lesion-induced psychosis were analyzed. Included subjects had documented brain lesions associated with new-onset psychotic symptoms without prior history of psychosis. Control cases included 1156 patients with lesions not associated with psychosis. Generalizability across lesional datasets was assessed using an independent cohort of 181 patients with brain lesions who subsequently underwent neurobehavioral testing. ExposuresLesions causing secondary psychosis. Main Outcomes and MeasuresPsychosis or no psychosis. Results153 lesions from published cases were determined to be causal of psychosis (65 [42%] male; mean [SD] age, 50.0 [20.8] years), 42 of which were described as "schizophrenia" or "schizophrenia-like". Lesions that caused secondary psychosis mapped to a common brain circuit defined by functional connectivity to the posterior subiculum of the hippocampus (84% functional overlap, pFWE<5 x 10-5). At a lower statistical threshold (75%> overlap, pFWE<5 x 10-4), this circuit included the ventral tegmental area, retrosplenial cortex, lobule IX and dentate nucleus of the cerebellum, and the mediodorsal and midline nuclei of the thalamus. This circuit was consistent when derived from "schizophrenia-like" cases (spatial r=0.98). We repeated these analyses after excluding lesions intersecting the hippocampus (n=47) and found a consistent functional connectivity profile (spatial r=0.98) with the posterior subiculum remaining the center of connectivity (>75% overlap, pFWE<5x10-5), demonstrating a circuit-level effect. In an independent observational cohort of patients with penetrating head trauma (n=181), lesions associated with symptoms of psychosis exhibited significantly similar connectivity profiles to the lesion-derived psychosis circuit (suspiciousness, p=0.025; unusual thought content, p=0.046). Voxels in the rostromedial prefrontal cortex (rmPFC) are highly correlated with this psychosis circuit (spatial r=0.82), suggesting the rmPFC as a promising TMS target for psychosis. Conclusions and RelevanceLesions that cause secondary psychosis affect a common brain circuit in the hippocampus. These results can help inform therapeutic neuromodulation targeting. Key PointsO_ST_ABSQuestionC_ST_ABSDo lesions that cause psychosis affect a common brain circuit? FindingsThis case-control study found that lesions causing psychosis specifically affected a common functional circuit aligning with the posterior subiculum of the hippocampus. This functional circuit was consistent across different psychotic symptoms, suggesting a shared neural substrate for psychosis. A similar circuit was derived when excluding lesions directly intersecting the hippocampus, indicating a circuit-level effect. MeaningIdentifying a common brain circuit causally involved in psychotic symptoms suggests that the hippocampus may be pivotal in the pathophysiology and treatment targeting of psychotic disorders.