Grant: Foundation Grant

There are currently no approved treatments for negative symptoms (lack of motivation, poor word production, and minimal social interaction) and cognitive impairments (difficulties with organization, planning, remembering) in people with schizophrenia. Negative symptoms and cognitive impairments are the major sources of functional disability for people with schizophrenia, and are often life-long. Therefore, new treatments are desperately needed. Identifying the brain circuits responsible for these deficits will accelerate treatment development. For negative symptoms, we will perform advanced brain imaging at the first episode of illness, to confirm the disrupted brain circuitry underlying these deficits, and test who will develop these deficits over time. These approaches will guide early intervention efforts for these debilitating symptoms. For cognitive impairment, we will utilize the infrastructure of an already funded brain stimulation clinical trial aiming to improve cognitive deficits in schizophrenia. In the new work proposed, we will test a neuroimaging approach based an individual's functional brain connectivity that allows us to best position the brain stimulation coil, and compare it to the current standard. Overall, our studies will improve the quality of life for people with schizophrenia, by enhancing existing treatment efforts, or setting the stage for new treatment efforts for the major sources of functional disability in this disorder.