Schizophrenia

Right OFC rTMS Improved Visuospatial Memory in First-Episode Schizophrenia

May 28, 2026 by BrainASAP

TL;DR: A 2026 randomized study in Psychological Medicine found that right orbitofrontal cortex repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), a noninvasive brain-stimulation method, improved visuospatial memory on the Brief Visuospatial Memory Test-Revised (BVMT) in people with first-episode schizophrenia. Key Findings The analysis included 90 patients: Researchers studied 48 people assigned to active rTMS and 42 assigned …

Six Weeks of Group Songwriting Reduced Paranoia and Shifted Pronoun Use in 20 Adults With Psychosis

May 27, 2026 by BrainASAP

TL;DR: A 2026 longitudinal pilot study in Psychosis from Yale recruited 20 adults with schizophrenia or distressing auditory hallucinations into 6 weeks of group songwriting and found reduced paranoia in less-severely affected participants plus a shift from self-focused first-person pronouns toward plural pronouns. Key Findings Group songwriting recruited adults with psychosis symptoms: 20 participants aged …

MRI Brain Charts Predicted 10-Year Psychosis Outcomes

May 27, 2026 by BrainASAP

TL;DR: A 2026 study in The British Journal of Psychiatry found that in first-episode psychosis, MRI deviations from age-matched brain norms at illness onset helped predict which patients would carry heavier symptom burdens and poorer functioning for years afterward. Key Findings 100,000-scan reference model: Researchers used a lifespan normative MRI model built on more than …

Insomnia and Mood Symptoms Were Central in Chronic Schizophrenia Network

May 25, 2026May 18, 2026 by BrainASAP

TL;DR: A 2026 network analysis study in European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience found that insomnia was present in 18.3% and childhood trauma in 49.5% of patients, while daytime dysfunction and sleep-related distress were central nodes, while mood symptoms and difficulty falling asleep bridged domains. Key Findings Evidence map: a network analysis connecting childhood …

Antipsychotic D2 Blockade May Disturb Pancreatic Insulin Secretion

May 16, 2026 by BrainASAP

TL;DR: A 2026 systematic review and meta-analysis in Neuropsychopharmacology found that dopamine D2-like receptor activation suppressed glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS), insulin release after high glucose, in animal pancreatic cells, suggesting one peripheral route by which antipsychotic dopamine blockade can disturb glucose control beyond weight gain. Key Findings 39 eligible studies: Researchers screened 12,457 citations and …

Schizophrenia May Reflect Advanced Biological Aging

May 15, 2026May 12, 2026 by BrainASAP

TL;DR: A 2026 systematic review in The British Journal of Psychiatry linked schizophrenia to a multisystem advanced-aging phenotype, including older-appearing brain scans, shorter telomeres, inflammation, and higher dementia risk. Key Findings 170 studies included: The review synthesized studies of aging markers in schizophrenia and non-affective psychosis published after 2009. Most studies were moderate or high …

Schizophrenia Insight Linked to fMRI Flexibility and Receptor Maps

May 25, 2026May 11, 2026 by BrainASAP

TL;DR: A 2026 medRxiv preprint on schizophrenia reported that illness insight tracked with resting-state functional MRI (fMRI) flexibility, a measure of how dynamically brain regions reconfigure their connectivity, and that these brain-dynamics patterns aligned with dopamine D2 and serotonin 5-HT2A receptor maps after accounting for antipsychotic receptor occupancy. Key Findings Two insight subtypes: Clinical clustering …

Connexin 36 Loss Disrupted Thalamocortical Synchrony in Mice

May 15, 2026May 8, 2026 by BrainASAP

Connexin 36 Loss Disrupted Thalamocortical Synchrony TL;DR: Deleting connexin 36 left broad sleep architecture mostly intact but disrupted fast brain electrical rhythms measured by electroencephalography (EEG), along with sensory-response markers often discussed in neuropsychiatric disease. Key Findings Sleep architecture mostly held: Cx36 knockout mice did not show a broad collapse of sleep-wake organization. Fast rhythms …

Childhood Loneliness Multiplied Psychosis Risk in EU-GEI

May 15, 2026May 7, 2026 by BrainASAP

Childhood Loneliness Multiplied Psychosis Risk in EU-GEI TL;DR: Loneliness that started before age 12 and persisted into adolescence tracked with sharply higher schizophrenia-spectrum risk, especially when it stacked on top of genetic liability. Key Findings Persistent loneliness carried the risk signal: The EU-GEI analysis included 1,261 people with schizophrenia-spectrum disorders, 1,282 unaffected siblings, and 1,525 …

Grin2a Gene Linked to Mediodorsal Thalamus Activity and Belief Updating in Schizophrenia

May 15, 2026May 5, 2026 by BrainASAP

Mediodorsal Thalamus Activity Restored Belief Updating TL;DR: A Nature Neuroscience mouse study linked a schizophrenia-risk Grin2a mutation to weaker mediodorsal thalamus activity, impaired belief updating, and behavioral rescue when researchers reactivated the thalamus-prefrontal circuit during flexible decision-making in mice. Key Findings Grin2a was the genetic entry point: The mutation affects an NMDA receptor subunit gene …

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