Thalamic Shape Abnormalities Differentially Relate to Cognitive Performance in Early-Onset and Adult-Onset Schizophrenia.

Early-onset schizophrenia (EOS) shares many biological and clinical features with adult-onset schizophrenia (AOS), but may represent a unique subgroup with greater susceptibility for disease onset and worsened symptomatology and progression, which could potentially derive from exaggerated neurodevelopmental abnormalities. Neurobiological explanations of schizophrenia have emphasized the involvement of deep-brain structures, particularly alterations of the thalamus, which have been linked to core features of the disorder. The aim of this study was to compare thalamic shape abnormalities between EOS and AOS subjects and determine whether unique behavioral profiles related to these differences.

Task-related fMRI responses to a nicotinic acetylcholine receptor partial agonist in schizophrenia: A randomized trial.

Introduction: AQW051, an α7-nicotinic acetylcholine receptor partial agonist, enhanced cognitive function in rodent models of learning and memory. This study evaluated brain activation during performance of a working memory task (WMT) and an episodic memory task (EMT), and the effect of AQW051 on task-related brain activation and performance in subjects with schizophrenia.

Methods: This was a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, multicenter, 2-period cross-over trial (NCT00825539) in participants with chronic, stable schizophrenia.

Schizophrenia Pharmacology: Past, Present, and Future Targets for Intervention.

The first medication for schizophrenia was discovered serendipitously. Years later, it was shown that the medication worked by blocking dopamine, and to this date, all available antipsychotic medications also work by blocking dopamine. They differ, however, in many other respects.

Cannabis-related working memory deficits and associated subcortical morphological differences in healthy individuals and schizophrenia subjects.

Cannabis use is associated with working memory (WM) impairments; however, the relationship between cannabis use and WM neural circuitry is unclear. We examined whether a cannabis use disorder (CUD) was associated with differences in brain morphology between control subjects with and without a CUD and between schizophrenia subjects with and without a CUD, and whether these differences related to WM and CUD history. Subjects group-matched on demographics included 44 healthy controls, 10 subjects with a CUD history, 28 schizophrenia subjects with no history of substance use disorders, and 15 schizophrenia subjects with a CUD history.