Advanced MRI Scans Could Help Predict Risk of Schizophrenia

New scanning methods may allow early identification of individuals at risk for developing schizophrenia by targeting a regional pathway transmission, which is hindered in those at risk of developing the condition. Researchers from Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC), the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, Kings College London and the University of Bristol have published their findings in the journal Human Brain Mapping, where they describe a specialized MRI that focuses on network wiring. The MRI was used to analyze the brains of 123 participants at-risk for schizophrenia, as well as a control group with no reported vulnerability. “The technique employs a branch of mathematics called ‘graph theory’, which allows us to examine complex architectural features of networks, such as efficiency of information transfer. This approach is traditionally used in computer science, but is now giving neuroscientists and psychiatrists new insights into how configurations of brain networks are altered in mental illness,” explained the author. To learn more about this study, click here.