Disordered semantic representation in schizophrenic temporal cortex revealed by neuromagnetic response patterns

BACKGROUND: Loosening of associations and thought disruption are key features of schizophrenic psychopathology. Alterations in neural networks underlying this basic abnormality have not yet been sufficiently identified. Previously, we demonstrated that spatio-temporal clustering of magnetic brain responses to pictorial stimuli map categorical representations in temporal cortex. This result has opened the possibility to quantify associative strength within and across semantic categories in schizophrenic patients. We hypothesized that in contrast to controls, schizophrenic patients exhibit disordered representations of semantic categories. METHODS: The spatio-temporal clusters of brain magnetic activities elicited by object pictures related to super-ordinate (flowers, animals, furniture, clothes) and base-level (e.g. tulip, rose, orchid, sunflower) categories were analysed in the source space for the time epochs 170–210 and 210–450 ms following stimulus onset and were compared between 10 schizophrenic patients and 10 control subjects. RESULTS: Spatio-temporal correlations of responses elicited by base-level concepts and the difference of within vs. across super-ordinate categories were distinctly lower in patients than in controls. Additionally, in contrast to the well-defined categorical representation in control subjects, unsupervised clustering indicated poorly defined representation of semantic categories in patients. Within the patient group, distinctiveness of categorical representation in the temporal cortex was positively related to negative symptoms and tended to be inversely related to positive symptoms. CONCLUSION: Schizophrenic patients show a less organized representation of semantic categories in clusters of magnetic brain responses than healthy adults. This atypical neural network architecture may be a correlate of loosening of associations, promoting positive symptoms

Integrated approach to prevent functional decline in hospitalized elderly: the Prevention and Reactivation Care Program (PReCaP)

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Hospital related functional decline in older patients is an underestimated problem. Thirty-five procent of 70-year old patients experience functional decline during hospital admission in comparison with pre-illness baseline. This percentage increases considerably with age.</p> <p>Methods/design</p> <p>To address this issue, the Vlietland Ziekenhuis in The Netherlands has implemented an innovative program (PReCaP), aimed at reducing hospital related functional decline among elderly patients by offering interventions that are multidisciplinary, integrated and goal-oriented at the physical, social, and psychological domains of functional decline.</p> <p>Discussion</p> <p>This paper presents a detailed description of the intervention, which incorporates five distinctive elements: (1) Early identification of elderly patients with a high risk of functional decline, and if necessary followed by the start of the reactivation treatment within 48 h after hospital admission; (2) Intensive follow-up treatment for a selected patient group at the Prevention and Reactivation Centre (PRC); (3) Availability of multidisciplinary geriatric expertise; (4) Provision of support and consultation of relevant professionals to informal caregivers; (5) Intensive follow-up throughout the entire chain of care by a casemanager with geriatric expertise. Outcome and process evaluations are ongoing and results will be published in a series of future papers.</p> <p>Trial registration</p> <p>The Netherlands National Trial Register: <a href="http://www.trialregister.nl/trialreg/admin/rctview.asp?TC=2317">NTR2317</a></p

One's Own Face Is Hard to Ignore

One's own face possesses two properties that make it prone to grab attention: It is a face, and, in addition, it is a self-referential stimulus. The question of whether the self-face is actually an especially attention-grabbing stimulus was addressed by using a face-name interference paradigm. We investigated whether interference from a flanking self-face on the processing of a target classmate's name was stronger than interference from a classmate's flanking face on the processing of one's own name as the target. In a control condition a third familiar face served as the flanker for both decisions from the participant's own name and from the classmate's name. The presentation of the self-face as a flanker produced significantly more interference on the identification of a classmate's name than the presentation of that classmate's face did on the identification of one's own name. This result was due to the interfering power of the self-face and not to a particular resistance of one's name to interfering facial stimuli. We argue that the emotional value or the high familiarity of one's own face may explain its attention-grabbing property

Time related effects on functional brain connectivity after serotonergic and cholinergic neuromodulation.

Psychopharmacological research, if properly designed, may offer insight into both timing and area of effect, increasing our understanding of the brain's neurotransmitter systems. For that purpose, the acute influence of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor citalopram (30 mg) and the acetylcholinesterase inhibitor galantamine (8 mg) was repeatedly measured in 12 healthy young volunteers with resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (RS-fMRI). Eighteen RS-fMRI scans were acquired per subject during this randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study. Within-group comparisons of voxelwise functional connectivity with 10 functional networks were examined (P < 0.05, FWE-corrected) using a non-parametric multivariate approach with cerebrospinal fluid, white matter, heart rate, and baseline measurements as covariates. Although both compounds did not change cognitive performance on several tests, significant effects were found on connectivity with multiple resting state networks. Serotonergic stimulation primarily reduced connectivity with the sensorimotor network and structures that are related to self-referential mechanisms, whereas galantamine affected networks and regions that are more involved in learning, memory, and visual perception and processing. These results are consistent with the serotonergic and cholinergic trajectories and their functional relevance. In addition, this study demonstrates the power of using repeated measures after drug administration, which offers the chance to explore both combined and time specific effects. Hum Brain Mapp 38:308-325, 2017. (c) 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc

Assimetria cerebral e lateralização da linguagem: déficits nucleares na esquizofrenia como indicadores da predisposição genética Asimetría cerebral y lateralización del lenguaje: déficits nucleares en la esquizofrenia como indicadores de predisposición genética Cerebral asymmetry and the lateralization of language: core deficits in schizophrenia as pointers to the genetic predisposition

OBJETIVO: Assimetria cerebral (o torque do frontal direito em relação ao occipital esquerdo) é a característica definidora do cérebro humano e, conforme proposto por Broca, o correlato neural putativo da linguagem. Se, conforme sugerido, a esquizofrenia é o preço que Homo sapiens precisa pagar pela linguagem, o torque, juntamente com seus correlatos funcionais, é de fundamental importância. São revisadas recentes evidências obtidas a partir de estudos anatômicos, funcionais e genéticos. ACHADOS RECENTES: Estudos de imagem, post mortem e anatômicos demonstram evidências de uma redução ou reversão de aspectos de assimetria, particularmente no córtex de associação occipitotemporoparietal. Em alguns estudos, há interação com o sexo. Há evidências de que uma alteração no lobo temporal esquerdo é, às vezes, progressiva. Estudos funcionais acrescentam credibilidade ao conceito de que a lateralização da linguagem é reduzida e, em alguns casos, revertida. RESUMO: A dimensão da assimetria se destaca como a variável que pode dar significância às observações entre campos de investigação e que proporciona uma solução para a base genética da psicose. Estudos de gêmeos monozigóticos discordantes têm apresentado fortes indicações de que a variação relevante é epigenética; isso é consistente com a possibilidade de que a variação seja relacionada a alterações estruturais recentes (a transposição duplicativa Xq21.3/Yp) dos cromossomos sexuais.<br>OBJETIVO: Asimetría cerebral (el torque del frontal derecho al occipital izquierdo) es la característica definidora del cerebro humano y, conforme al propuesto por Broca, el correlato neuronal putativo del lenguaje. Si, conforme a lo sugerido, la esquizofrenia es el precio que el Homo sapiens debe pagar por el lenguaje, el torque, juntamente con sus correlatos funcionales, es de importancia fundamental. Se revisan recientes evidencias obtenidas a partir de estudios anatómicos, funcionales y genéticos. HALLAZGOS RECIENTES: Estudios de imagen, post mortem y anatómicos, demuestran evidencias de una reducción o reversión de aspectos de asimetría, particularmente en la corteza de asociación occipito-temporo-parietal. En algunos estudios, hay interacción con el sexo. Hay evidencias de que una alteración en el lóbulo temporal izquierdo es, a veces, progresiva. Estudios funcionales agregan credibilidad al concepto de que la lateralización del lenguaje es reducida y, en algunos casos, revertida. RESUMEN: La dimensión de la asimetría se destaca como la variable que puede dar significación a las observaciones entre campos de investigación y que proporciona una solución para la base genética de la psicosis. Estudios de gemelos monocigóticos discordantes vienen presentando fuertes indicaciones de que la variación relevante es epigenética; ello es consistente con la posibilidad de que la variación esté relacionada a alteraciones estructurales recientes (la trasposición replicativa Xq21.3/Yp) de los cromosomas sexuales.<br>PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Cerebral asymmetry (the torque from right frontal to left occipital) is the defining feature of the human brain, and as Broca proposed, the putative neural correlate of language. If as has been suggested schizophrenia is the price that Homo sapiens pays for language, the torque together with its functional correlates is of central significance. Recent evidence from anatomical, functional and genetic studies is reviewed. RECENT FINDINGS: Both post-mortem and anatomical imaging studies show evidence of a reduction or reversal of aspects of asymmetry particularly in the occipito-temporo-parietal association cortex. In some studies there is an interaction with sex. There is evidence that change in the left temporal lobe is sometimes progressive. Functional studies add substance to the concept that the lateralization of language is reduced and in some aspects reversed. SUMMARY: The dimension of asymmetry stands out as the variable that can make sense of observations across fields of investigation, and provides a key to the genetic basis of psychosis. Discordant monozygotic twin studies have indicated strongly that the relevant variation is epigenetic; this is consistent with the possibility that the variation is related to recent structural changes (the Xq21.3/Yp duplicative transposition) on the sex chromosomes