Integrative elucidation of the neural basis of social cognitive rehabilitation effect in schizophrenia

2018 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 15K19723
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Psychiatric science
• Research Institution: Kyoto University
• Principal Investigator: Matsumoto Yukiko 京都大学, 医学研究科, 助教 (80647131)
• Project Period (FY): 2015-04-01 – 2019-03-31
• Keywords: 統合失調症 / 社会認知障害 / biological motion知覚 / 脳MRI

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Seventeen schizophrenia patients and 18 healthy controls were presented with a point-light walker as biological motion (BM) stimuli. We investigated the neural basis of impaired BM processing using MRI in respect to attention deficits by eye tracker. Voxel-based morphometry was performed to evaluate the relationship between BM perception and gray matter volume. It was suggested that alteration in the temporo-parietal junction might be associated with inefficient attentional strategy, whereas dysfunctional anterior superior temporal sulcus might be correlated with deficit in higher order BM processing per se. Several cognitive levels as well as corresponding brain areas are possibly involved in the manifestation of social cognitive deficits in schizophrenia.

Free Research Field

精神医学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

統合失調症の社会認知障害は患者の社会機能に大きく影響し、かつ治療抵抗性であり、新たな治療法開発のため、その病態解明が急務となっている。社会知覚の一種であるbiological motion知覚は他者の動きの知覚であり、視覚的注意もその認知過程に関わっているが、これまで統合失調症におけるこれらの認知機能障害の神経基盤は不明であった。本研究により、統合失調症の社会知覚障害およびそれに関与する視覚的注意には、対応する脳部位の構造異常が関わっていることが示唆された。これらの知見は社会認知リハビリテーションの開発・評価に役立つことが期待される。