Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 29, 2026

Operant Procedures for Assessing Behavioral Flexibility in Rats
Published on: February 15, 2015
Global functional connectivity deficits in schizophrenia depend on behavioral state
Roy Salomon1, Maya Bleich-Cohen, Avital Hahamy-Dubossarsky
1Functional Brain Imaging Center, Wohl Institute for Advanced Imaging, Sourasky Medical Center, Tel Aviv 64239, Israel.
Functional connectivity (FC) is reduced in schizophrenia patients compared to controls. This reduction is more pronounced in brain regions not engaged during cognitive tasks, offering new insights into the disorder.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychiatry
- Cognitive Science
Background:
- Schizophrenia is a severe psychiatric disorder impacting cognitive and emotional processing.
- Aberrant cortical connectivity is a proposed mechanism in schizophrenia.
- Previous functional connectivity (FC) studies in schizophrenia yielded inconsistent results.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate functional connectivity (FC) differences in schizophrenia patients versus healthy controls.
- To examine FC during rest and two cognitive tasks.
- To develop a voxel-based global FC index.
Main Methods:
- fMRI was used to measure FC in schizophrenia patients and healthy controls.
- FC was assessed during two distinct tasks and a resting state.
- A voxel-based global FC index was constructed.
Main Results:
- Schizophrenia patients exhibited significantly reduced FC compared to controls.
- Task-related FC deficits were localized to cortical regions not actively engaged during tasks.
- FC differences were larger during rest, enabling individual case separation.
Conclusions:
- Reduced FC in schizophrenia is state-dependent, particularly evident in inactive cortical regions.
- These findings may clarify previous inconsistent FC results in schizophrenia research.
- The relationship between this neural characteristic and schizophrenia development requires further investigation.
More Related Videos
10:43Developing Neuroimaging Phenotypes of the Default Mode Network in PTSD: Integrating the Resting State, Working Memory, and Structural Connectivity
Published on: July 1, 2014
09:01A Method for Investigating Age-related Differences in the Functional Connectivity of Cognitive Control Networks Associated with Dimensional Change Card Sort Performance
Published on: May 7, 2014
Related Concept Videos
Negative and Cognitive Symptoms of Schizophrenia
Negative Symptoms
Negative symptoms of schizophrenia manifest as deficits in normal emotional and behavioral functioning, profoundly impacting daily life. Individuals with schizophrenia often display a flat affect, characterized by a near-total absence of emotional expression,...
Positive Symptoms of Schizophrenia: Hallucinations and Delusions
Thought Disorders
Disorganized and unusual thought processes mark thought disorders in schizophrenia. One key feature is disorganized speech, where an individual's conversation includes loosely...
Biological Causes of Schizophrenia
Genetic Factors in Schizophrenia
The genetic basis of schizophrenia is strongly supported by family and twin studies.
Psychological and Sociocultural Causes of Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia
Psychosis: Pathophysiology of Schizophrenia and Other Psychotic Disorders
Researchers have identified genetic factors that increase susceptibility to schizophrenia, underscoring the intricate interplay between genetics and environment in disease development. At the core of schizophrenia's pathophysiology is excessive dopaminergic neurotransmission within the...