Structure and stability of symptoms in first episode psychosis: a longitudinal network approach.
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Authors
Mallikarjun, Pavan Kumar
Blake, Georgina
Everard, Linda
Fowler, David
Hodgekins, Joanne
Amos, Tim
Freemantle, Nick
Sharma, Vimal
Marshall, Max
McCrone, Paul
Singh, Swaran P
Birchwood, Max
Publication Date
2021-11-06Journal Title
Transl Psychiatry
ISSN
2158-3188
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Volume
11
Issue
1
Language
eng
Type
Article
This Version
VoR
Metadata
Show full item recordCitation
Griffiths, S. L., Leighton, S. P., Mallikarjun, P. K., Blake, G., Everard, L., Jones, P. B., Fowler, D., et al. (2021). Structure and stability of symptoms in first episode psychosis: a longitudinal network approach.. Transl Psychiatry, 11 (1) https://doi.org/10.1038/s41398-021-01687-y
Abstract
Early psychosis is characterised by heterogeneity in illness trajectories, where outcomes remain poor for many. Understanding psychosis symptoms and their relation to illness outcomes, from a novel network perspective, may help to delineate psychopathology within early psychosis and identify pivotal targets for intervention. Using network modelling in first episode psychosis (FEP), this study aimed to identify: (a) key central and bridge symptoms most influential in symptom networks, and (b) examine the structure and stability of the networks at baseline and 12-month follow-up. Data on 1027 participants with FEP were taken from the National EDEN longitudinal study and used to create regularised partial correlation networks using the 'EBICglasso' algorithm for positive, negative, and depressive symptoms at baseline and at 12-months. Centrality and bridge estimations were computed using a permutation-based network comparison test. Depression featured as a central symptom in both the baseline and 12-month networks. Conceptual disorganisation, stereotyped thinking, along with hallucinations and suspiciousness featured as key bridge symptoms across the networks. The network comparison test revealed that the strength and bridge centralities did not differ significantly between the two networks (C = 0.096153; p = 0.22297). However, the network structure and connectedness differed significantly from baseline to follow-up (M = 0.16405, p = <0.0001; S = 0.74536, p = 0.02), with several associations between psychosis and depressive items differing significantly by 12 months. Depressive symptoms, in addition to symptoms of thought disturbance (e.g. conceptual disorganisation and stereotyped thinking), may be examples of important, under-recognized treatment targets in early psychosis, which may have the potential to lead to global symptom improvements and better recovery.
Sponsorship
Chief Scientist Office (CAF/19/04)
National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) (RP-PG-0109-10074)
DH | National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) (RP-PG-0109-10074)
Identifiers
PMC8572227, 34743179
External DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41398-021-01687-y
This record's URL: https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/332283
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