{
  "abstract": "BackgroundCognitive impairment is the leading cause of disability in schizophrenia with limited treatments. A major barrier to treatment development is the absence of reproducible, mechanistically grounded neural targets. Cross-sectional studies have identified dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (DMPFC)-somatomotor connectivity as a neural marker of cognitive performance on the Auditory Continuous performance task (ACPT), a measure of attention. To test the stability of this marker, we tested the relationship between DMPFC-somatomotor connectivity and ACPT performance in a longitudinal psychosis sample.\n\nMethodsIndividuals with early psychosis (n=251) and matched controls (n=90) were enrolled and underwent resting-state neuroimaging and neurocognitive assessment. A subset completed longitudinal assessments over 2-4 years. We calculated DMPFC-somatomotor resting-state functional connectivity using a previously identified DMPFC region and a seed in the somatomotor cortex. We performed linear mixed effects models to predict ACPT performance based on connectivity, time, psychosis type, and their interaction.\n\nResultsIn the psychosis sample, time (p=.0037) and affective psychosis diagnosis (p<.0001) predicted better ACPT performance. In a model predicting ACPT performance, we observed a significant interaction effect of DMPFC-somatomotor connectivity*psychosis subtype (p=.0079) such that DMPFC-somatomotor connectivity predicted ACPT performance only in individuals with non-affective psychosis (p=.0051). We then tested the specificity of this connectivity-cognitive performance relationship. In a model predicting DMPFC-somatomotor connectivity, only ACPT performance (p=.017), but not fluid cognition, was a significant predictor.\n\nConclusionsDMPFC-somatomotor connectivity is longitudinally associated with cognitive performance in early psychosis. This relationship is strongest in nonaffective psychosis, suggesting a novel, reliable target for intervention for cognitive deficits in early psychosis.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Vanderbilt University Medical Center"
  ],
  "article_type": "PUBLISHAHEADOFPRINT",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 12,
  "authors": [
    {
      "name": "K. A. Mignondje"
    },
    {
      "name": "J. G. Connolly"
    },
    {
      "name": "A. Beermann"
    },
    {
      "name": "E. Crabtree"
    },
    {
      "name": "S. Vandekar"
    },
    {
      "name": "M. J. Roeske"
    },
    {
      "name": "K. Biernacki"
    },
    {
      "name": "M. J. Coleman"
    },
    {
      "name": "M. E. Shenton"
    },
    {
      "name": "R. O. Brady"
    },
    {
      "name": "K. E. Lewandowski"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "H. B. Ward"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/96cr4xqs34e1w.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.64898/2026.08.28.26361680",
  "fulltext_url": "https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.08.28.26361680v1.full",
  "id": "96cr4xqs34e1w",
  "issns": [],
  "landing_url": "https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.08.28.26361680v1",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY-NC-ND",
  "licence_label": "CC BY-NC-ND",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "medrxiv",
      "psychiatry and clinical psychology"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "2738|Schizophrenia research and treatment"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7204827223",
  "pdf_url": "https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.08.28.26361680v1.full.pdf",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-08-28",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/96cr4xqs34e1w.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:17:17Z",
      "native_id": "10.64898/2026.08.28.26361680",
      "source": "medrxiv",
      "url": "https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.08.28.26361680v1"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "medrxiv:psychiatry and clinical psychology",
      "subfield": "psychiatry"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Longitudinal Brain Correlates of Cognitive Performance in Early Psychosis",
  "title_text": "Longitudinal Brain Correlates of Cognitive Performance in Early Psychosis",
  "type": "preprint",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:17:17Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/96cr4xqs34e1w",
  "venue": "medRxiv",
  "versions": []
}