BACKGROUND: Formal thought disorder (FTD) is a core dimension of schizophrenia, which has been associated in previous studies with increased brain functional connectivity between temporal gyri and striatal regions as measured with fMRI. Cannabis use is highly prevalent in schizophrenia population as compared with the general population and, in the context of elevated...
Anomalous self-experiences (ASEs) are a core feature of psychotic disorders and reflect disturbances in ipseity. Impairments in corollary discharge mechanism have been proposed as a neurobiological substrate of ASEs, and an imbalance between brain network integration and segregation, may impair the coherent flow of mental contents, thereby disrupting their fluid and implicit character. However,...
Command auditory verbal hallucinations (CAVH) are a subtype of auditory hallucinations perceived as instructing the hearer to perform specific actions, carrying an elevated risk of harm due to potential compliance with harmful behaviours. Despite the risk, the prevalence, clinical associations and content of CAVH in first episode psychosis (FEP) remain largely underexplored, leaving important...
Background: Disturbances in the self are central to schizophrenia-spectrum disorders (SZ) and may arise from abnormalities in emotional embodiment, or the representation of emotions through bodily sensations. The insular cortex plays a central role in interoception and emotional awareness, yet the relationship between emotional embodiment and insular functional connectivity (FC) remains...
BACKGROUND Altered experiences of space and time are core features of schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSD) and mood disorders (MOD). In this study, we investigated whether patients with SSD and MOD exhibit shared or distinct patterns of subjective spatiotemporal experience. METHODS We examined 62 ICD-11 patients (33 SSD, 29 MOD) using the Scale for Space and Time Experience in Psychosis...
Schizophrenia ResearchJune 16, 2026David Olivares-Berjaga, Natàlia Rodríguez, Albert Martínez-pinteño et al.
Schizophrenia (SZ) is a neurodevelopmental disorder involving excitatory/inhibitory imbalance and apoptotic dysregulation. VDAC1, a voltage-dependent anion channel protein located in the mitochondrial outer membrane, plays a pivotal role in mitochondria-mediated apoptosis. However, its involvement in SZ remains underexplored. This study aimed to investigate VDAC1 protein levels in the...
Formal Thought Disorder (FTD) presents psychiatry's central paradox: it is one of the robust predictors of poor outcomes and polygenic risk in psychosis yet remains poorly defined and rarely measured clinically. We systematically reviewed 50 years of FTD assessment (16 rating scales, 32 factor analyses) to understand this paradox. Research to date has implicitly treated FTD as a natural kind, a...
Serotonergic psychedelics are re-emerging as therapeutic candidates across psychiatry, particularly for treatment-resistant depression. Their rapid and sustained antidepressant effects, alongside evidence for neuroplastic, dopaminergic, and glutamatergic modulation, have prompted interest in whether they could address depressive and negative symptoms in schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSDs)....
Language disorganization is a hallmark of psychosis which has traditionally been assessed through clinical interviews and standardized scales. Recent advances in Natural Language Processing (NLP) and graph theory provide innovative, objective methodologies to analyze language production in psychosis. In particular, dream reports, as a unique form of narrative, offer a valuable lens through...
Mindfulness- and acceptance-based interventions (MBIs/ABIs) for persons with schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSD) aim to cultivate purposeful attention, mind-body awareness, and targeted action-taking. This systematic meta-review assessed the current body of evidence regarding the effects of MBIs/ABIs for SSD symptoms. The study was registered with PROSPERO (CRD42024535284) on June 3, 2024....
Self-disorders (SDs), central features of schizophrenia spectrum disorders, primarily affect the pre-reflective sense of self, the fundamental experience of existing as a conscious subject. This disruption also impacts reflective self-consciousness. This study aims to further explore the neural correlates of self-disorders in individuals with schizophrenia spectrum disorders by using a...
Schizophrenia (SCZ) has limited treatment options, often with significant side effects. Cannabidiol (CBD), a non-euphoric phytocannabinoid, has shown potential as a novel therapeutic option in SCZ due to antipsychotic-like, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties. We compared the therapeutic effects of CBD and risperidone (RISP) in a rat model of SCZ induced by sub-chronic ketamine (KET),...
The concept of basic Self-disorders (SD) captures the experiential aspects associated with vulnerability to schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSD). SD emerge prior to, and constitute the underlying structure for, the emergence of major diagnostic symptoms, including positive psychotic ones. SD are also detectable in populations with familial risk for SSD. This paper proposes a two-stage...
Catatonia, documented since the 19th century, remains a significant challenge in terms of recognition and treatment. Over the last two decades, ketamine has brought new perspectives to psychiatry, sparking widespread interest. Concurrently, catatonia has attracted heightened scientific attention. Preliminary evidence suggests the therapeutic potential of ketamine for catatonia. We...
Schizophrenia continues its resistance to the pathogenetic understanding. We believe that one of the reasons is an oblivion of schizophrenia's characteristic Gestalt expressive of its psychopathological structure. In this article we argue for a crucial role of disorders of selfhood in the constitution of this Gestalt. First, we present a phenomenological account of the self. This is followed by...
Background: Neurocognitive deficits have been widely reported in clinical high-risk for psychosis (CHR) populations. Additionally, rates of cannabis use are high among CHR youth and are associated with greater symptom severity. Cannabis use has been sometimes shown to be associated with better neurocognition in more progressed psychosis cohorts, therefore in this study we aimed to determine...
BACKGROUND Data-driven classification of long-term psychotic symptom trajectories and identification of associated risk factors could assist treatment planning and improve long-term outcomes in psychosis. However, few studies have used this approach, and knowledge about underlying mechanisms is limited. Here, we identify long-term psychotic symptom trajectories and investigate the role of...
Despite the historically consolidated psychopathological perspective, on the one hand, contemporary organicistic psychiatry often highlights abnormalities in neurotransmitter systems like dysregulation of dopamine transmission, neural circuitry, and genetic factors as key contributors to schizophrenia. Neuroscience, on the other, has so far almost entirely neglected the first-person...
This study presents phenomenological features of auditory verbal hallucinations (AVH) in schizophrenia and associated anomalies of experience. The purpose is to compare the lived experience of AVH to the official definition of hallucinations as a perception without object. Furthermore, we wish to explore the clinical and research implication of the phenomenological approach to AVH. Our...
In 20th century psychiatry, various disturbances of imagination were discussed in the context of schizophrenia. Today, these notions have almost completely vanished from mainstream psychopathology. However, recent work has suggested that specific phenomena within this area have a relevance for differential diagnosis and early detection of psychosis. This paper first provides an overview of 20th...
Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) have emerged as secular practices, including elements of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT). While MBIs have been widely adopted for physical and mental illness, only a few available programs are explicitly adapted for psychosis. However, previous reviews have reported the vital heterogeneity regarding...
Catatonia is featured by complex symptoms combining motor, affective and behavioral phenomena as well as by its syndrome character with trans-diagnostic occurrence. It paradigmatically shows the limits of current forms of psychopathology like affective and cognitive approaches with respect to both clinical symptoms and brain mechanisms. We therefore suggest Spatiotemporal Psychopathology (STPP)...
Contemporary models of psychosis imply that cognitive biases such as the jumping to conclusions (JTC), the bias against disconfirmatory evidence (BADE), and the liberal acceptance (LA) bias play a role in the pathogenesis of delusions. Most of the studies investigating the role of cognitive biases, however, have been conducted with socially neutral or abstract stimuli and have assessed patients...