Connecting Brain Structure and Function in Schizophrenia
Abstract
Since the inception of brain imaging as a research tool in psychiatry, evidence has suggested that individuals with schizophrenia may have altered brain connectivity. Volkow et al. (1) were among the first to suggest a difference in functional networks in schizophrenia patients, both at rest and during tasks. Friston and Frith (2) proposed that altered interactions between specific brain regions may be a core feature of the illness. The emergence of more sophisticated brain imaging technologies, genetic techniques, and increasingly refined research questions has since further strengthened the case for a connectivity disturbance and brings this topic to the forefront of schizophrenia research. In an editorial published in the July 2007 issue of the Journal, Dr. Kelvin O. Lim (3) highlighted the possible contribution of white matter abnormalities to connectivity problems in schizophrenia. In the present issue of the Journal, more evidence for impaired connectivity is examined in three imaging studies that evaluate brain structure and function in large samples of patients and comparison subjects. Although the three articles do not all focus exclusively on the topic, considering each through the lens of connectivity offers valuable insight into the pathology of schizophrenia. An article by Lui et al.