BACKGROUND Schizophrenia is associated with deficits in working memory, a cognitive function that depends on the connections of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) with the thalamus and other cortical regions. Pyramidal neurons in PFC deep layer 3 play a central role in both thalamocortical and corticocortical circuitry. Given that somal size tends to be associated with both the dendritic and axonal ar...

Background—Magnetic resonance imaging studies in schizophrenia have revealed abnormalities in temporal lobe structures, including the superior temporal gyrus. More specifically, abnormalities have been reported in the posterior superior temporal gyrus, which includes the Heschl gyrus and planum temporale, the latter being an important substrate for language. However, the specificity of the Hesc...

We evaluated whether abnormal frequency composition of the resting state electroencephalogram (EEG) in schizophrenia was associated with genetic liability for the disorder by studying first-degree biological relatives of schizophrenia patients. The study included a data-driven method for defining EEG frequency components and determined the specificity of resting state EEG frequency abnormalitie...

BACKGROUND Schizophrenia is a heterogeneous disorder characterized by diffuse brain abnormalities that affect many facets of cognitive function. One replicated finding in schizophrenia is abnormalities in the neural systems associated with processing salient stimuli in the context of oddball tasks. This deficit in the processing of salience stimuli might be related to abnormalities in orienting...

BACKGROUND Smooth pursuit eye movement (SPEM) abnormalities are found in schizophrenia. These deficits often are explained in the context of the attentional and inhibitory deficits central to schizophrenia psychopathology. It remains unclear, however, whether these attention-associated eye movement abnormalities are specific to schizophrenia or are a nonspecific expression of attentional defici...

Schizophrenia is a heterogeneous psychiatric disorder of unknown cause or characteristic pathology. Clinical neuroscientists increasingly postulate that schizophrenia is a disorder of brain network organization. In this article we discuss the conceptual framework of this dysconnection hypothesis, describe the predominant methodological paradigm for testing this hypothesis, and review recent evi...

Recent studies have provided evidence for neuronal and oligodendrocyte-related abnormalities being associated with schizophrenia. However, the functional interplay and causal relationship between these two abnormalities is poorly understood. In this report, we provide data that identify myelin and fatty-acid biosynthesis dysfunction in schizophrenia based on post-mortem brain studies (prefronta...

A review of literature on the neurodevelopmental origins of schizophemia is presented, with particular attention to neurodevelopmental processes in late-onset schizophemia. Definitions of the term "neurodevelopmental" as used in schizophernia literature are first provided. Next, evidence for the developmental origins of the neuropathology in schizophemia is reviewed. This evidence includes stud...

BACKGROUND People with schizophrenia may demonstrate cortical abnormalities, with gyri and sulci potentially being differentially affected. AIMS To measure frontal and temporal sulcal cortical thickness, surface area and volume in the non-psychotic relatives of patients with schizophrenia as a potential vulnerability indicator for the disorder. METHOD An automated parcellation method was us...

A review of 65 studies of individuals with schizophrenia who had never been treated with antipsychotic medications indicates significant abnormalities in brain structure and function. Neurological and neuropsychological measures show the most consistent and largest group differences between those affected and normal controls. Measures of structural differences and cerebral metabolic function ar...