Self-reflection and positive schizotypy in the adolescent brain.

Clinical and phenomenological accounts of schizophrenia suggest that impairments in self-reflective processes significantly contribute to psychopathological expression. Recent imaging studies observe atypical cerebral activation patterns during self-reflection, especially around the cortical midline structures, both in psychosis-prone adults and individuals with schizophrenia. Given that self-reflection processes consolidate during adolescence, and that early transient expression of psychosis (positive schizotypy) also arises during this period, the present study sought to examine whether atypical cerebral activation during self-reflection task could be associated with early schizotypic expression during adolescence.

Transient enriched housing before amyloidosis onset sustains cognitive improvement in Tg2576 mice.

Levels of educational and occupational attainment, as components of cognitive reserve, may modify the relationship between the pathological hallmarks and cognition in Alzheimer's disease (AD). We examined whether exposure of a Tg2576 transgenic mouse model of AD to environmental enrichment (EE) at a specific period during the amyloidogenic process favored the establishment of a cognitive reserve. We found that exposure to EE during early adulthood of Tg2576 mice--before amyloidogenesis has started--reduced the severity of AD-related cognitive deficits more efficiently than exposure later in life, when the pathology is already present.

Resting-state networks in adolescents with 22q11.2 deletion syndrome: associations with prodromal symptoms and executive functions.

Atypical functional connectivity in the maturing brains of 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11DS) may contribute to the expression of early psychotic symptoms commonly reported by these youths. This study's objective was to examine functional connectivity in cerebral networks at rest (Resting-State Networks; RSNs) and their relationship to symptomatic and neuropsychological characteristics putting them at very high risk factor for developing psychosis.