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PhD defence: Xin-lu Cai

Neural mechanisms of neurological soft signs in schizophrenia: Evidence from resting-state magnetic resonance imaging, task-based magnetic resonance imaging, and magnetic resonance spectroscopy

Info about event

Time

Monday 4 July 2022,  at 14:00 - 16:00

Location

Online

On Monday 4 July at 14.00, Xin-lu Cai defends her PhD dissertation entitled "Neural mechanisms of neurological soft signs in schizophrenia: Evidence from resting-state magnetic resonance imaging, task-based magnetic resonance imaging, and magnetic resonance spectroscopy".

Neurological soft signs (NSS), characterized by deficits in sensory integration, motor coordination, and disinhibition, are one of the most important and potential endophenotypes for schizophrenia. However, the majority of neuroimaging studies have mainly focused on the associations between NSS and brain structural changes in schizophrenia. It is still not fully known for the underlying functional connectivity of NSS in this clinical group. Moreover, very little is known for the underlying neural mechanisms of sensory integration domain. 

To bridge the gap of knowledge, we conducted three studies in this PhD project to investigate systematically the neural mechanisms of NSS in patients with schizophrenia.

The first study investigated the correlations between NSS and cerebellar-cerebral resting-state functional connectivity in patients with schizophrenia. The second study examined the whole-brain dysfunction underlying sensory integration in patients with schizophrenia using a task-based sensory integration paradigm. The third study examined the associations between anterior cingulate cortex glutamate levels and behavioural deficits of sensory integration domain in patients with schizophrenia and healthy controls. This study then explored the associations between glutamate levels with brain activation as well as functional connectivity during sensory integration processing in a subsample.  

The summary was written by the PhD student.

The defence is public and takes place on Zoom. Please read the attached press release for more information.

Contact

PhD student Xin-lu Cai
Mail: caixinlu0219@163.com 
Phone: +86 18800118581                      

Read full press release