Disrupted theory of mind network processing in response to idea of reference evocation in schizophrenia

This study examined the neural pathophysiology of the theory of mind network by eliciting self-referential processing during an idea of reference evocating situation in patients with schizophrenia.

Functional MRI was conducted on 14 schizophrenic in-patients with the idea of reference and 15 healthy participants while viewing video vignettes of referential conversations, non-referential conversations or no conversations between two people, which were filmed at varying distances of 1, 5 or 10 m.

The patient group did not show normal patterns of superior temporal sulcus activation to conversational context, and reciprocal deactivation and activation of the ventromedial and dorsomedial prefrontal cortex to referential conversational context. Instead, the patient group showed overall greater ventromedial prefrontal activities across different conversational contexts and inverse correlation between superior temporal sulcus activity and delusional severity. Differential activations of the temporal pole and its posterior extension to varying distances were observed in the control group but not in the patient group.

The present study demonstrates that theory of mind-related responses of the medial prefrontal-superior temporal network are attenuated during the self-referential processing in patients with schizophrenia and that these abnormalities may be related to the formation of their referential or persecutory delusion.