Yao B, Neggers SFW, Kahn RS, et al. - In view of the emerging evidence suggesting that persons with schizophrenia spectrum disorders display functional and structural hypoconnectivity between thalamus and prefrontal cortex, as well as hyperconnectivity between thalamus and sensory and motor cortices, researchers here examined whether thalamocortical dysconnectivity is a general marker of vulnerability to schizophrenia or a specific mechanism of schizophrenia pathophysiology. They used diffusion-weighted imaging to determine thalamocortical structural connectivity in 22 persons with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder (SZ), 20 siblings of individuals with a schizophrenia spectrum disorder (SIB), and 44 healthy controls (HC) of either gender. Findings revealed reduction in thalamo-prefrontal structural connectivity in persons with schizophrenia. Healthy siblings also exhibited similar reduction in thalamo-prefrontal connectivity. Persons with schizophrenia had increased thalamo-motor structural connectivity. Healthy siblings did not display any alterations in thalamo-motor structural connectivity. Findings thereby support the value of altered thalamo-prefrontal structural connectivity as a general marker of vulnerability to schizophrenia, while altered connectivity between thalamus and motor cortex associates to illness expression or illness-related secondary factors.