USING TRANSCRANIAL MAGNETIC STIMULATION TO EXAMINE AND MODULATE BRAIN CIRCUITS IN SCHIZOPHRENIA
type: CreativeWork
description: Schizophrenia is a highly heterogeneous disorder that affects up to 1% of the world's population and ranks among the leading causes of disability worldwide. The clinical picture is characterized by chronic psychotic symptoms, episodic relapses, and significant disruption of social functioning. Symptoms are often divided into “positive”, including hallucinations and delusions, and “negative”, such as social withdrawal and anhedonia. In most patients, these are associated with a gradual deterioration in cognitive functions. Of note, while current treatments based on antipsychotic medications are effective at treating positive symptoms and, to a lesser extent, negative symptoms, there is a dearth of available interventions able to ameliorate the cognitive deficits associated with schizophrenia. Furthermore, the causes and mechanisms underlying this condition remain elusive. Accumulating evidence suggests that abnormalities in the ability of neurons to synchronize their oscillatory activity, particularly in the beta and gamma frequency bands, might be implicated in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. Evidence from studies employing electroencephalography (EEG) across several paradigms (resting state, steady state, sensory event-related, task-related, etc.) suggests that deficits in these “fast” brain rhythms in the frontal lobe are common in schizophrenia and might be associated with its clinical symptoms, particularly cognitive dysfunction. These alterations are believed to reflect an imbalance between excitatory and inhibitory function, particularly related to a dysfunction of specific populations of cortical and subcortical GABAergic interneurons. However, conventional EEG studies, particularly when investigating task-related neural activity, can be affected by the subject’s engagement, attention, motivation, or clinical symptoms. This represents an inherent limitation to their application for the development of useful biomarkers in severe psychiatric disorders suc…
abstract: Schizophrenia is a highly heterogeneous disorder that affects up to 1% of the world's population and ranks among the leading causes of disability worldwide. The clinical picture is characterized by chronic psychotic symptoms, episodic relapses, and significant disruption of social functioning. Symptoms are often divided into “positive”, including hallucinations and delusions, and “negative”, such as social withdrawal and anhedonia. In most patients, these are associated with a gradual deterioration in cognitive functions. Of note, while current treatments based on antipsychotic medications are effective at treating positive symptoms and, to a lesser extent, negative symptoms, there is a dearth of available interventions able to ameliorate the cognitive deficits associated with schizophrenia. Furthermore, the causes and mechanisms underlying this condition remain elusive. Accumulating evidence suggests that abnormalities in the ability of neurons to synchronize their oscillatory activity, particularly in the beta and gamma frequency bands, might be implicated in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. Evidence from studies employing electroencephalography (EEG) across several paradigms (resting state, steady state, sensory event-related, task-related, etc.) suggests that deficits in these “fast” brain rhythms in the frontal lobe are common in schizophrenia and might be associated with its clinical symptoms, particularly cognitive dysfunction. These alterations are believed to reflect an imbalance between excitatory and inhibitory function, particularly related to a dysfunction of specific populations of cortical and subcortical GABAergic interneurons. However, conventional EEG studies, particularly when investigating task-related neural activity, can be affected by the subject’s engagement, attention, motivation, or clinical symptoms. This represents an inherent limitation to their application for the development of useful biomarkers in severe psychiatric disorders suc…
author: DONATI, FRANCESCO LUCIANO
language: eng
date published: 2024-01-23
date modified: 2026-07-27T20:18:58Z
provider: Università degli Studi di Milano
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: Università degli Studi di Milano

PropertyValue
property ID: Handle
value: https://hdl.handle.net/2434/1027710

PropertyValue
property ID: DOI
value: 10.13130/donati-francesco-luciano_phd2024-01-23