Related Experiment Video
Updated: Nov 21, 2025
13:51
Cross-Modal Multivariate Pattern Analysis
Published on: November 9, 2011
20.2K
Multiple overlapping dynamic patterns of the visual sensory network in schizophrenia.
Mohammad S E Sendi1, Godfrey D Pearlson2, Daniel H Mathalon3
1Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States of America; Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, United States of America; Tri-institutional Center for Translational Research in Neuroimaging and Data Science, Georgia State University, Georgia Institute of Technology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States of America.
Schizophrenia Research
|January 12, 2021
Summary
Schizophrenia (SZ) disrupts the dynamic functional connectivity of the visual sensory network (VSN). Healthy controls (HC) exhibit stronger VSN connectivity, while SZ patients show altered network states linked to visual learning deficits.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychiatry
- Medical Imaging
Background:
- Visual processing impairments are common in schizophrenia (SZ), but their neurobiological underpinnings, particularly within visual networks, remain understudied.
- While altered information flow is suggested in SZ, detailed investigations into the dynamic functional connectivity of visual networks are limited.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the dynamic functional connectivity (dFNC) of the visual sensory network (VSN) in individuals with schizophrenia (SZ) and healthy controls (HC).
- To investigate differences in VSN connectivity states and their relationship with visual learning in SZ.
Main Methods:
- Resting-state fMRI data from 160 HC and 151 SZ subjects were analyzed.
- Nine independent components within the VSN were estimated.
- Dynamic functional network connectivity (dFNC) was calculated, partitioned into five states using k-means clustering, and occupancy rates (OCR) were determined for each state.
Main Results:
- The VSN is highly dynamic, with each of the five identified states representing a unique connectivity pattern.
- All identified states showed significant disruptions in SZ compared to HC.
- HC subjects exhibited stronger VSN connectivity overall. SZ subjects spent more time in a state characterized by negative connectivity involving the middle temporal gyrus, and OCR in a specific positive connectivity state correlated with visual learning in SZ.
Conclusions:
- Dynamic functional connectivity patterns within the VSN are significantly altered in schizophrenia.
- Specific connectivity states and their occupancy rates are associated with visual processing deficits and visual learning in SZ, highlighting potential neurobiological targets.
Related Concept Videos
01:30Positive Symptoms of Schizophrenia: Hallucinations and Delusions
315
Schizophrenia is a complex mental health disorder that can manifest with various positive symptoms, including thought, movement, and behavior disorders. These symptoms significantly disrupt cognitive and motor functions, leading to profound effects on an individual's ability to engage with the world.
Thought Disorders
Disorganized and unusual thought processes mark thought disorders in schizophrenia. One key feature is disorganized speech, where an individual's conversation includes...
Thought Disorders
Disorganized and unusual thought processes mark thought disorders in schizophrenia. One key feature is disorganized speech, where an individual's conversation includes...
315
01:20Parallel Processing
442
The brain processes sensory information rapidly due to parallel processing, which involves sending data across multiple neural pathways at the same time. This method allows the brain to manage various sensory qualities, such as shapes, colors, movements, and locations, all concurrently. For instance, when observing a forest landscape, the brain simultaneously processes the movement of leaves, the shapes of trees, the depth between them, and the various shades of green. This enables a quick and...
442
01:27Psychosis: Pathophysiology of Schizophrenia and Other Psychotic Disorders
1.4K
Schizophrenia is a neurodevelopmental disorder whose origins are rooted in complex genetic components. Despite our burgeoning understanding, the pathophysiology of this disorder remains incompletely deciphered.
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...
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...
1.4K
01:17Schizophrenia
500
Schizophrenia, a term introduced by Swiss psychiatrist Eugen Bleuler in 1911, describes a severe psychological disorder marked by profound disruptions in attention, thought processes, language, emotion, and interpersonal relationships. The core feature of schizophrenia is psychosis — a state characterized by a fundamental detachment from reality. This disconnection manifests through distorted logic, impaired perception, and atypical behavior, severely affecting the lives of those...
500
01:12Visual Agnosia
647
Visual agnosia is a condition characterized by the inability to recognize visually presented objects despite having normal vision. For instance, a person with visual agnosia can describe the shape and color of an object but cannot identify or name it. This impairment does not affect their visual field, acuity, color vision, brightness discrimination, language, or memory. An example of this condition in a social setting is someone at a dinner party asking for "that silver thing with a round...
647
01:26Visual System
1.4K
Light enters the eye through the cornea, a transparent, dome-shaped surface covering the surface of the eyeball that helps to direct and focus incoming light. This light is then channeled toward the pupil, an adjustable opening whose size is controlled by the iris. The iris, a pigmented muscle, regulates the amount of light entering the eye by contracting or dilating the pupil, thereby ensuring optimal light levels for clear vision.
Once through the pupil, the light passes through the lens, a...
Once through the pupil, the light passes through the lens, a...
1.4K