Basic information

Investigator: PhDr. Mabel Virginia Rodriguez Manchola, Ph.D.
Main recipient: National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Research period: 1/1/2021 - 30/6/2024
Total budget: 7,054,000 CZK
Supported by: Czech Science Foundation (GAČR)

Annotation

The expression of cognitive deficit in schizophrenia can be heterogeneous in its depth and trajectory, suggesting the role of under-researched environmental and neurobiological factors. This project introduces two factors that potentially influence the character of the deficit, namely the cognitive and brain reserve. Cognitive reserve - the difference between brain pathology and its clinical manifestation- is measured using premorbid IQ and other proxies. Brain reserve, a passive model, is quantified as intracranial and gray matter volume. We aim to assess the relation between the reserves and cognition in individuals with a first-episode schizophrenia spectrum disorder and matched healthy controls. A neuropsychological examination will follow the characteristics of cognition, complemented by an MRI assessment of resting-state functional connectivity. The results might contribute to a broader theoretical understanding of the reserves, and clarify their relation to cognitive heterogeneity in schizophrenia. To the best of our knowledge, such research has not been conducted yet.