This study aims to assess the therapeutic effects of intermittent theta burst stimulation (iTBS) targeting the bilateral dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (DMPFC) on negative symptoms in patients with schizophrenia, utilizing functional near-infrared spectroscopy for evaluation.

Thirty-five schizophrenia patients with negative symptoms and moderate to severe cognitive impairment were randomly assigned to a treatment group (n = 18) or a control group (n = 17). The treatment group received iTBS via bilateral DMPFC. Negative symptoms, cognitive function, emotional state, and social function were assessed using Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms (SANS), Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), Calgary Depression Scale for Schizophrenia (CDSS), and Social Dysfunction Screening Questionnaire (SDSS) scales at pretreatment, posttreatment, and follow-up at 4, 8, and 12 weeks. Brain activation in regions of interest (ROIs) was evaluated through verbal fluency tasks.

Prior to treatment there was no significant difference in the two groups. After 20 iTBS sessions, a significant difference was observed in SANS total score, its related subscales, PANSS total score, and PANSS-negative symptoms (all P < 0.05). The group-by-time interaction showed statistical significance, indicating improvements in negative symptoms and related dimensions over time, with therapeutic effects persisting for at least 8 weeks posttreatment. Prior to treatment, there were no significant differences in activation across all ROIs between the two groups. Posttreatment, the activation of right inferior frontal gyrus (t = 2.19, P = 0.036) and right frontal eye field (t = 2.14, P = 0.04) in the treatment group was significantly higher than in the control group.

iTBS stimulation of bilateral DMPFC demonstrates therapeutic effects in improving negative symptoms in schizophrenia patients, and this treatment approach has the potential to enhance activation within the prefrontal cortex.

This study aims to evaluate the intervention effect of intermittent Theta burst stimulation (iTBS) on bilateral dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (DMPFC) for negative symptoms in schizophrenia using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to confirm the therapeutic significance of DMPFC in treating negative symptoms and provide new evidence for schizophrenia treatment and research.

Thirty-nine schizophrenia patients with negative symptoms and mild cognitive impairment were randomly divided into a treatment group (n=20) and a control group (n=19). The treatment group received iTBS in bilateral DMPFC. The control group received the sham treatment. Negative symptoms, cognitive function, emotional state, and social function were assessed at pre-treatment, post-treatment, 4-, 8-, and 12-week follow-ups. Brain activation in regions of interest (ROIs) was evaluated through verbal fluency tasks. Changes in scale scores were analyzed by repeated measures ANOVA.

After 20 sessions of iTBS, the Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms (SANS) total and sub-scale scores significantly improved in the treatment group, with statistically significant differences. SANS scores differed significantly between pre- and post-treatment in both groups, with post-treatment scores markedly lower than pre-treatment and better efficacy in the treatment group. However, there was no significant difference in cognitive function, emotional state, and social function. ROIs did not differ significantly between groups before intervention. After treatment, prefrontal cortex activation was significantly higher in the treatment group than in controls, with a statistically significant difference. Regarding functional connectivity, the small-world properties Sigma and Gamma were enhanced.

iTBS on bilateral DMPFC can effectively alleviate negative symptoms and enhance prefrontal cortex activation and the small-world properties in patients of schizophrenia.

Compared with current methods used to assess schizophrenia, near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) has the advantages of providing noninvasive and real-time monitoring of functional activities of the brain and providing direct and objective assessment information.

To explore the research field of NIRS in schizophrenia from the perspective of bibliometrics.

The Web of Science Core Collection was used as the search tool, and the last search date was April 21, 2024. Bibliometric indicators, such as the numbers of publications and citations, were recorded. Bibliometrix and VOS viewer were used for visualization analysis.

A total of 355 articles from 105 journals were included in the analysis. The overall trend of the number of research publications increased. Schizophrenia Research was identified as an influential journal in the field. Kasai K was one of the most influential and productive authors in this area of research. The University of Tokyo and Japan had the highest scientific output for an institution and a country, respectively. The top ten keywords were "schizophrenia", "activation", "near-infrared spectroscopy", "verbal fluency task", "cortex", "brain, performance", "working-memory", "brain activation", and "prefrontal cortex".

Our study reveals the evolution of knowledge and emerging trends in the field of NIRS in schizophrenia. the research focus is shifting from underlying disease characteristics to more in-depth studies of brain function and physiological mechanisms.

Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) is a noninvasive functional neuroimaging modality that can detect changes in blood oxygenation levels by tracking cortical neural activity. We recorded the resting-state brain activity of 24 individuals with schizophrenia and 90 healthy controls for 8 min using a whole-head NIRS arrangement and then used partial correlation analysis to estimate the resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) between 17 cortical regions. We found that the RSFC between the bilateral orbitofrontal cortices (OFCs) and between the right temporal and parietal lobes was significantly higher in patients with schizophrenia than in healthy controls. The RSFC between the bilateral OFCs was positively correlated with negative symptom severity, whereas the RSFC between the right temporal and parietal lobes was positively correlated with the chlorpromazine equivalent for antipsychotics prescribed to patients with schizophrenia. This finding was consistent with that for the RSFC calculated using the anterior 52-channel signals. Our results suggest that NIRS-based RSFC measurements have potential clinical applications.

Individuals with psychotic disorders often lead sedentary lives, heightening the risk of developing forward head posture. Forward head posture affects upper cervical vertebrae, raising the likelihood of daily discomforts like skeletal misalignment, neck pain, and reduced cardiorespiratory fitness. Improving cardiorespiratory fitness in psychotic disorders is relevant, given its proven benefits in enhancing physical and mental health. This study investigates forward head posture by measuring craniovertebral angles in psychotic disorders and the relationship with reduced cardiorespiratory fitness. To determine whether forward head posture is specific to psychotic disorders, we also included individuals with autism spectrum disorder and healthy controls. Among 85 participants (32 psychotic disorders, 26 autism spectrum disorder, 27 healthy controls), photogrammetric quantification revealed a significantly lower mean craniocervical angle in psychotic disorders compared to autism spectrum disorder (p =  < 0.02) and the healthy control group (p =  < 0.01). Reduced craniovertebral angle is related to diminished cardiorespiratory fitness in psychosis (R2 = 0.45, p =  < 0.01) but not in other control groups. This study found reduced craniovertebral angles, indicating forward head posture in psychotic disorders. Moreover, this relates to diminished cardiorespiratory fitness. Further research is needed to examine the underlying causes and to investigate whether this can be reversed through physical therapy.

Identifying structure-function correspondences is a major goal among biologists, cognitive neuroscientists, and brain mappers. Recent studies have identified relationships between performance on cognitive tasks and the presence or absence of small, shallow indentations, or sulci, of the human brain. Building on the previous finding that the presence of the ventral para-intermediate frontal sulcus (pimfs-v) in the left anterior lateral prefrontal cortex (aLPFC) was related to reasoning task performance in children and adolescents, we tested whether this relationship extended to a different sample, age group, and reasoning task. As predicted, the presence of this aLPFC sulcus was also associated with higher reasoning scores in young adults (ages 22-36). These findings have not only direct developmental, but also evolutionary relevance-as recent work shows that the pimfs-v is exceedingly rare in chimpanzees. Thus, the pimfs-v is a key developmental, cognitive, and evolutionarily relevant feature that should be considered in future studies examining how the complex relationships among multiscale anatomical and functional features of the brain give rise to abstract thought.

Identifying structure-function correspondences is a major goal among biologists, cognitive neuroscientists, and brain mappers. Recent studies have identified relationships between performance on cognitive tasks and the presence or absence of small, shallow indentations, or sulci, of the human brain. Building on the previous finding that the presence of one such sulcus in the left anterior lateral prefrontal cortex (aLPFC) was related to reasoning task performance in children and adolescents, we tested whether this relationship extended to a different sample, age group, and reasoning task. As predicted, the presence of this aLPFC sulcus-the ventral para-intermediate frontal sulcus-was also associated with higher reasoning scores in young adults (ages 22-36). These findings have not only direct developmental, but also evolutionary relevance-as recent work shows that the pimfs-v is exceedingly rare in chimpanzees. Thus, the pimfs-v is a novel developmental, cognitive, and evolutionarily relevant feature that should be considered in future studies examining how the complex relationships among multiscale anatomical and functional features of the brain give rise to abstract thought.