Disorganization of semantic brain networks in schizophrenia revealed by fMRI

Summary

A collaborative research led by Professor Hidehiko Takahashi and Assistant Professor Yukiko Matsumoto (Tokyo Medical and Dental University), Senior Researcher Satoshi Nishida (National Institute of Information and Communications Technology, NICT), Senior Researcher Ryusuke Hayashi (National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology), Professor Shinji Nishimoto (Osaka University), and Professor Toshiya Murai (Kyoto University), has  characterized large-scale network structures of concept representations using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), and discovered that semantic relations are disrupted in the brains of schizophrenic patients. 

This is the first study to provide pathophysiological evidence for the loosening of associations as reflected in randomization of semantic networks in schizophrenia. Their method provides a promising approach for understanding the neural basis of altered or creative inner experiences of individuals with mental illness or exceptional abilities, respectively.


【Information on the outcome】

https://www.tmd.ac.jp/english/press-release/20221221-1/　(TMDU）
https://www.amed.go.jp/news/seika/2022_seika_index.html（AMED）

 

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