Cortical Brain Abnormalities in 4474 Individuals With Schizophrenia and 5098 Control Subjects via the Enhancing Neuro Imaging Genetics Through Meta Analysis (ENIGMA) Consortium.

Background: The profile of cortical neuroanatomical abnormalities in schizophrenia is not fully understood, despite hundreds of published structural brain imaging studies. This study presents the first meta-analysis of cortical thickness and surface area abnormalities in schizophrenia conducted by the ENIGMA (Enhancing Neuro Imaging Genetics through Meta Analysis) Schizophrenia Working Group.

Methods: The study included data from 4474 individuals with schizophrenia (mean age, 32.

Functional Dissociation of Confident and Not-Confident Errors in the Spatial Delayed Response Task Demonstrates Impairments in Working Memory Encoding and Maintenance in Schizophrenia.

Even though extensively investigated, the nature of working memory (WM) deficits in patients with schizophrenia (PSZ) is not yet fully understood. In particular, the contribution of different WM sub-processes to the severe WM deficit observed in PSZ is a matter of debate. So far, most research has focused on impaired WM maintenance.

Visual working memory encoding in schizophrenia and first-degree relatives: neurofunctional abnormalities and impaired consolidation.

Background: Working memory (WM) deficits in schizophrenia (SCZ) have been linked to impairments in the encoding phase that are associated with aberrant neuronal functioning. Similar abnormalities have been observed in unaffected first-degree relatives (REL) and are thus discussed as candidate endophenotypes. The process of WM consolidation - i.

Reduced intrinsic visual cortical connectivity is associated with impaired perceptual closure in schizophrenia.

Sensory perceptual processing deficits, such as impaired visual object identification and perceptual closure, have been reported in schizophrenia. These perceptual impairments may be associated with neural deficits in visual association areas, including lateral occipital cortex and inferior temporal areas. However, it remains unknown if such deficits can be found in the intrinsic architecture of the visual system.

Intensified emotion perception in depression: Differences in physiological arousal and subjective perceptions.

People suffering from depression perceive themselves and their surroundings as more negative than healthy ones. An explanation might be that depressed individuals experience negative information as more stressful than non-depressed subjects and, consequently, respond in an amplified manner on a subjective and physiological level. To test this proposition, we presented 41 patients with recurrent depressive episodes and 42 controls with stimuli from the International Affective Picture System split into three valence categories while different parameters of physiological arousal (e.

Functional Connectivity Anomalies in Adolescents with Psychotic Symptoms.

Background: Previous magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) research suggests that, prior to the onset of psychosis, high risk youths already exhibit brain abnormalities similar to those present in patients with schizophrenia.

Objectives: The goal of the present study was to describe the functional organization of endogenous activation in young adolescents who report auditory verbal hallucinations (AVH) in view of the "distributed network" hypothesis of psychosis. We recruited 20 young people aged 13-16 years who reported AVHs and 20 healthy controls matched for age, gender and handedness from local schools.

Distressing visual mental images in depressed patients and healthy controls - Are they one and the same?

Negative mental images are common in a range of mental disorders. So far, only inconclusive evidence has been obtained for depression specificity. We assessed the disparities and similarities of a variety of imagery characteristics in 17 patients suffering from depressive disorders and 17 healthy matched controls who all reported negative mental images.

Integrated Biomarkers for Depression in Alzheimer's Disease: A Critical Review.

Depression is a common neuropsychiatric manifestation among Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients. It may compromise everyday activities and lead to a faster cognitive decline as well as worse quality of life. The identification of promising biomarkers may therefore help to timely initiate and improve the treatment of preclinical and clinical states of AD, and to improve the long-term functional outcome.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids: Repurposing Opportunities for Cognition and Biobehavioral Disturbances in MCI and Dementia.

Unlabelled: Neurodegenerative diseases may directly affect memory performance, thus leading to functional impairments. An increasing body of evidence suggests an association between dietary intake of omega-3 fatty acids and memory functioning in animal models as well as in human studies. Recent evidence supports a potential beneficial role of omega-3 fatty acid supplementation on psychopathological and cognitive symptoms, beside their established positive effects on cardiovascular health.

Neuroimaging Findings Related to Behavioral Disturbances in Alzheimer's Disease: A Systematic Review.

Background: Behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) associated with Alzheimer's Disease (AD) have been linked to structural and functional alterations in fronto-temporal circuits and cortical abnormalities. However, little is known on how specific volumetric and functional brain changes may be associated with the frequency, severity and pattern of BPSD.

Methods: A systematic review of the literature regarding neuroimaging and BPSD changes in AD was performed through Pubmed/Medline, ISI, and EMBASE electronic databases from January 2000 to May 2015.

White matter abnormalities in the fornix are linked to cognitive performance in SZ but not in BD disorder: An exploratory analysis with DTI deterministic tractography.

Background: In psychosis, white matter (WM) microstructural changes have been detected previously; however, direct comparisons of findings between bipolar (BD) and schizophrenia (SZ) patients are scarce. In this study, we employed deterministic tractography to reconstruct WM tracts in BD and SZ patients.

Methods: Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) data was carried out with n=32 euthymic BD type I patients, n=26 SZ patients and 30 matched healthy controls.

Neuropsychiatric Disturbances in Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI): A Systematic Review of Population-Based Studies.

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a nosological entity associated with a higher risk of developing dementia. Previous evidence indicates that behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSDs) frequently occur in individuals of MCI. These neuropsychiatric manifestations may predict conversion to dementia.

Age-Related Effects of the Apolipoprotein E Gene on Brain Function.

The apolipoprotein E (ApoE) ɛ4 allele is a well-established genetic risk factor for sporadic Alzheimer's disease. Some evidence suggests a negative role of the ApoE ɛ4 allele for cognitive performance in late life, while beneficial effects on cognition have been shown in young age. We investigated age-related effects of the ApoE gene on brain function by assessing cognitive performance, as well as functional activation patterns during retrieval of Face-Name pairs in a group of young (n = 50; age 26.

Cortical thinning in bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.

Although schizophrenia (SZ) and bipolar disorder (BD) share some clinical features such as psychotic symptoms and cognitive dysfunctions, little is known about possible pathophysiological similarities between both diseases. Therefore, we investigated the potential topographical overlap and segregation of cortical thickness abnormalities in SZ and BD patients. We analyzed 3D-anatomical magnetic resonance imaging datasets with the FreeSurfer 5.

Shared and distinct gray matter abnormalities in schizophrenia, schizophrenia relatives and bipolar disorder in association with cognitive impairment.

Cognitive impairments have been linked to structural and functional alterations in frontal and subcortical brain regions, ultimately leading to fronto-thalamic connectivity disturbances. We hypothesized that such neuronal disruptions in frontal and subcortical structures may account for neuropsychological deficits in schizophrenia (SZ), schizophrenia relatives and bipolar disorder (BD). We acquired T1-weighted anatomical MRI sequences in 209 participants: 57 SZ patients, 47 first-degree relatives of SZ patients, 48 BD I patients and 57 healthy controls.

Impaired working memory for visual motion direction in schizophrenia: Absence of recency effects and association with psychopathology.

Objective: Working memory (WM) impairments are a prominent neurocognitive symptom in schizophrenia (SZ) and include deficits in memory for serial order and abnormalities in serial position effects (i.e., primacy and recency effects).

Peripheral brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) as a biomarker in bipolar disorder: a meta-analysis of 52 studies.

Background: The neurotrophic hypothesis postulates that mood disorders such as bipolar disorder (BD) are associated with a lower expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). However, its role in peripheral blood as a biomarker of disease activity and of stage for BD, transcending pathophysiology, is still disputed. In the last few years an increasing number of clinical studies assessing BDNF in serum and plasma have been published.

Omega 3 Fatty Acids: Novel Neurotherapeutic Targets for Cognitive Dysfunction in Mood Disorders and Schizophrenia?

An increasing body of evidences from preclinical as well as epidemiological and clinical studies suggest a potential beneficial role of dietary intake of omega-3 fatty acids for cognitive functioning. In this narrative review, we will summarize and discuss recent findings from epidemiological, interventional and experimental studies linking dietary consumption of omega-3 fatty acids to cognitive function in healthy adults. Furthermore, affective disorders and schizophrenia (SZ) are characterized by cognitive dysfunction encompassing several domains.

Schizophrenia risk variants modulate white matter volume across the psychosis spectrum: evidence from two independent cohorts.

Polygenic risk scores, based on risk variants identified in genome-wide-association-studies (GWAS), explain a considerable portion of the heritability for schizophrenia (SZ) and bipolar disorder (BD). However, little is known about the combined effects of these variants, although polygenic neuroimaging has developed into a powerful tool of translational neuroscience. In this study, we used genome wide significant SZ risk variants to test the predictive capacity of the polygenic model and explored potential associations with white matter volume, a key candidate in imaging phenotype for psychotic disorders.

Integrating retrogenesis theory to Alzheimer's disease pathology: insight from DTI-TBSS investigation of the white matter microstructural integrity.

Microstructural abnormalities in white matter (WM) are often reported in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and may reflect primary or secondary circuitry degeneration (i.e., due to cortical atrophy).