Structural and functional analyses of the mirror neuron system and their application to early diagnosis in schizophrenia

A diffusion tensor imaging(DTI) study revealed disturbed white matter integrity in bundles connecting the frontal lobe with the thalamus and temporal lobe, a part of which is suggested to implicate the negative symptoms in schizophrenia. A functional magnetic resonance imaging(fMRI) study using self-and other-evaluation tasks demonstrated functional abnormalities in the prefrontal cortex, cerebral midline stuructures, and inferior parietal lobule, which provide evidence for neural basis of deficits in self-awareness in schizophrenia. A structural MRI study in patients with early phase of psychosis suggested the implication of the anterior cingulate cortex in manifestation of overt psychosis in schizophrenia.