Temporal Dynamics of Distributed Brain Networks in Schizophrenia

Darren Price¹, Lena Palaniyappan¹, Peter F. Liddle¹, Elizabeth B. Liddle¹, Emma Louise Hall¹, Helen J. Smith¹, Mary C. Stephenson¹, Peter G. Morris¹, Matthew J. Brookes¹

fMRI has revolutionised systems neuroscience via the identification of a small number of remarkably robust spatially distributed networks that are active under many circumstances. However, whilst fMRI provides excellent spatial characterisation, its indirect nature and poor temporal resolution mean that it fails to provide information on the electrophysiological basis or precise timing of network events. Here, we use magnetoencephalography (MEG) to assess network electrodynamics and healthy subjects and patients with schizophrenia. We show that patients exhibit significant differences in amplitude and timing of task-induced electrophysiological responses. In this way we highlight the advantages of a multi-modal approach to network characterisation.