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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2024 Mar 29.
Published in final edited form as: Mol Psychiatry. 2022 Aug 5;28(1):168–190. doi: 10.1038/s41380-022-01718-0

Table 2.

DTI and fMRI studies of DUP.

Author Year n Dx Clinical severity and/or phase of illness Mean age (SD) years % Male AP N/F/M AP Tx length Mean DUP/DUI (SD) months Imaging measure Magnet strength Result
Collinson 2014 113 SCZ 65 first-episode SCZ; 48 chronic SCZ; all in a state psychiatric hospital; minimal symptoms based on the PANSS 29.3 (7.0) in the first-episode group; 37.0 (9.0) in the chronic group 74 0/0/113 NR 18.6 (25.1) first-episode group; 14.2 (14.6) in the chronic group DTI 3T No relationship between DUP and corpus callosum volume or fractional anisotropy measures in corpus callosum
Filippi 2014 43 SCZ First-contact SCZ; moderately to severely symptomatic based on the PANSS 29.3 (7.4) 56 43/0/0 NA 7.9 (9.7) DTI 1.5T Negative relationship between DUP and MD values of the cerebral peduncles, pons and medulla oblongata, middle cingulum, parahippocampal tracts and inferior longitudinal fasciculi bilaterally, and right posterior limb of the internal capsule, right thalamic radiations, right inferior fronto-occipital, and right uncinate fasciculi as well as a positive relationship between DUP and FA values of the posterior limb of the internal capsule, superior longitudinal and inferior fronto-occipital fasciculi bilaterally, and the right uncinate fasciculi
Guo 2012 20 SCZ First-episode paranoid SCZ; mildly to moderately symptomatic based on the PANSS 24.0 (4.9) 45 20/0/0 NA 6.6 (3.1) DTI 1.5T No relationship between DUP and FA in right superior longitudinal fasciculus II, the right fornix, the right internal capsule, and the right external capsule
Kraguljac 2020 66 FEP FEP; inpatients, outpatients, emergency rooms; moderately symptomatic based on the BPRS 23.8 (6.2) 65 55/NR/NR <5 days 20.6 (38.9) DWI 3T DUP was negatively correlated with whole-brain fractional anisotropy and axial diffusivity compared to controls. No relationship between DUP and mean and radial diffusivity
Lee 2018 95 FEP FEP; moderately symptomatic based on the SANS and SAPS 33.5 (11.9) 33 NR 8.2 (9.4) days 3.3 (5.0) DTI NR Fractional anisotropy values of left tapetum (part of splenium of corpus callosum) were significantly inversely correlated with DUP
Liu 2013 17 SCZ Chronic SCZ 38.5 (3.9) 41 17/0/0 NA 184.9 (76.0) DTI 3T No relationships between DUP and FA in left inferior longitudinal fasciculus (ILF) and left inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus (IFOF)
Liu 2021 153 SCZ SCZ; inpatients or outpatients; moderately symptomatic based on the PANSS 27.1 (11.4) 48 153/0/0 NA 41.2 (88.4) DTI, rsfMRI 3T No significant associations between DUP and amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations, gray matter-white matter functional synchrony, and fractional anisotropy
Luck 2010 32 SCZ First-episode SCZ; mildly to moderately symptomatic based on the PANSS 23.6 (0.7) 69 NR/NR/27 157.3 (22.0) days 2.4 (1.1) DTI 1.5T No relationships between DUP and FA in left or right fornix
Luck 2011 44 FEP FEP 23.3 (0.5) 70 NR/NR/36 NR 3.5 (1.5) DTI 1.5T No relationships between DUP and uncinate or superior longitudinal fasciculi
Mandl 2013 16 FEP First episode; mildly symptomatic based on the PANSS 23.4 (3.5) 81 16/0/0 NA 22.2 (35.6) DTI 1.5T There was a positive relationship between a combination of fractional anisotropy, mean diffusivity, and magnetization transfer ratio in the genu of the corpus callosum
Zeng 2021 56 SCZ First-episode SCZ; moderately symptomatic based on the PANSS 24.2 (7.7) good outcome patients; 24.4 (10.0) bad outcome patients 45 56/0/0 NA 1.75 (1, 12; IQR) good outcome patients; 6 (1, 23; IQR) bad outcome patients DTI 3T No relationship between DUP and fractional anisotropy and DUP did not aid in separate good versus poor outcome patients
Guo 2014b 49 SCZ Inpatients with first-episode paranoid SCZ; moderately symptomatic based on the PANSS 22.7 (4.6) 61 49/0/0 NA 22.5 (6.7) rsfMRI 3T No relationship between DUP and alterations of the network homogeneity of the default mode network
Guo 2014a 49 SCZ Inpatients with first-episode paranoid SCZ; moderately symptomatic based on the PANSS 22.7 (4.6) 61 49/0/0 NA 22.5 (6.7) rsfMRI 3T No relationship between DUP and voxel-mirrored homotopic connectivity in the precuneus, the precentral gyrus, the superior temporal gyrus, the middle occipital gyrus, and the fusiform gyrus/cerebellum lobule VI
Manivannan 2019 37 SCZ, SAD, SPD, PNOS FEP; mildly symptomatic based on the BPRS 22.2 (5.1) 70 11/0/26 <2 months 34.7 fMRI 3T No relationship between DUP and visuospatial working memory performance or activation in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), DUP was associated with decreased frontostriatal functional connectivity in a cluster of voxels within the DLPFC
Maximo 2020 55 FEP FEP; inpatient and outpatient and emergency room; mildly symptomatic based on the BPRS 24.2 (6.3) 62 24/31/0 <5 days 19.7 (39.4) rsfMRI and morphometry 3T DUP was negatively correlated with functional connectivity in the default mode network (DFM), salience network (SN), and central executive network (CEN), and surface area in the SN and CEN. DUP was positively correlated with cortical thickness in the DMN and SN.
Niendam 2018 87 SCZ, SAD, or SPD SCZ, SAD, SPD 19.6 (3.0) 84 NR/NR/61 NR 4.9 (4.5) fMRI 1.5T No relationship between DUP and performance or activation in DLPFC
Ren 2013 100 SCZ First episode; moderately to severely symptomatic based on the PANSS 24.3 (7.5) 41 100/0/0 NA 6.3 (11.0) Volumetry and rsfMRI 3T No differences in volumetry or rsfMRI between groups with short (<1 year) or long (>1 year) DUP
Sarpal 2017 83 SCZ, SPD, SAD, PNOS Mildly to moderately symptomatic based on the BPRS 21.9 (6.0) RD group
21.2 (3.7) NRD group
73 31/NR/NR 15 (59) days 23.8 (18.0) rsfMRI 3T Lower functional connectivity was associated with greater DUP between striatum and cortex that overlapped in several regions, including the supramarginal gyrus, middle frontal gyrus, and cingulate gyrus. Positive relationship between increasing DUP and functional connectivity between the ventral striatum/nucleus accumbens and the subcallosal cortex/orbitofrontal cortex, and medial frontal pole
Zhang 2019 60 SCZ First-episode SCZ; mildly to moderately symptomatic based on the BPRS 25.6 (7.0) 40 60/0/0 NA 8.0 (8.8) rsfMRI 3T DUP was associated with decreased functional network connectivity in select sensory-motor subnetworks (left/right upper limb—trunk), but not others (auditory—head/face)

Dx diagnosis, Tx treatment, AP N/F/M antipsychotic naive/free/medicated, FEP first episode of psychosis, SCZ schizophrenia, SAD schizoaffective disorder, SPD schizophreniform disorder, PNOS psychosis NOS, SDUP short duration of untreated psychosis, LDUP long duration of untreated psychosis, DUP duration of untreated psychosis, CT computed tomography, MRI magnetic resonance imaging, fMRI functional magnetic resonance imaging, rsfMRI resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging, NIRS near-infrared spectroscopy, MRS magnetic resonance spectroscopy, STEAM stimulated echo acquisition mode, PRESS point-resolved spectroscopy, DTIL diffusion tensor imaging, FA fractional anisotropy, EEG electroencephalogram, PET positron emission tomography, T Tesla, NA not applicable, NR not reported, RD responder, NRD non-responder, BPRS Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale, PANSS Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale.