Altered Neural Correlate of the Self-Agency Experience in First-Episode Schizophrenia-Spectrum Patients: An fMRI Study

Disturbance of the sense of self may be a core marker of schizophrenia. In patients with first-episode schizophrenia-spectrum disorders compared with healthy controls, self-agency experience was associated with reduced cortical activation in the medial frontal gyrus and posterior cingulate gyrus. The ability to judge whether an action is one's own or another's depends on anti-correlated switching between the default mode and central-executive networks, a mechanism substantially impaired in the patient group during the task.

Study at a glance

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The phenomenology of the clinical symptoms indicates that disturbance of the sense of self be a core marker of schizophrenia. AIMS: To compare neural activity related to the self/other-agency judgment in patients with first-episode schizophrenia-spectrum disorders (FES, n = 35) and healthy controls (HC, n = 35). METHOD: A functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) using motor task with temporal distortion of the visual feedback was employed. A task-related functional connectivity was analyzed with the use of independent component analysis (ICA). RESULTS: (1) During self-agency experience, FES showed a deficit in cortical activation in medial frontal gyrus (BA 10) and posterior cingulate gyrus, (BA 31; P < .05, Family-Wise Error [FWE] corrected). (2) Pooled-sample task-related ICA revealed that the self/other-agency judgment was dependent upon anti-correlated default mode and central-executive networks (DMN/CEN) dynamic switching. This antagonistic mechanism was substantially impaired in FES during the task. DISCUSSION: During self-agency experience, FES demonstrate deficit in engagement of cortical midline structures along with substantial attenuation of anti-correlated DMN/CEN activity underlying normal self/other-agency discriminative processes.