Functional neuro-imaging in schizophrenia

Although extensively investigated, the specific neurophysiological basis of schizophrenia remains unclear. The study of neuronal activity using functional neuro-imaging techniques provides the opportunity to improve understanding of the neuropathological processes associated with schizophrenia and to ascertain differences in the degree, profile and specificity of possible impairments in this group. Functional neuro-imaging studies have demonstrated abnormalities in several brain areas in schizophrenia during cognitive operations and the experience of behavioural phenomena associated with the disorder, including cortical and subcortical structures such as the prefrontal cortex, hippocampus, temporal lobe, cingulate gyrus, thalamus and cerebellum. Study of the functional brain correlates of the core symptoms of psychosis may aid the understanding of both their cognitive and their biological basis, and is essential in informing the design and implementation of psychological and biological remediation strategies.