Led by Siân E Robson, Matthew J Brookes, and Emma L Hall, fellow researchers at the Sir Peter Mansfield Imaging Centre, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Nottingham, UK

Highlights

• Mild disturbances in motor function are common features of schizophrenia that impact patient quality of life greatly. 
• Abnormalities in sensorimotor processing can be observed in schizophrenia patients using simple magnetoencephalography (MEG) paradigm.
• Published in Neuroimage Clinical.

Summary

1. Electrophysiological data in healthy people shows a decrease in beta band oscillations in the sensorimotor cortex during execution of movements, suggesting event-related beta desynchronization (ERBD) in this part of the brain. 
2. ERBD is followed by post-movement beta rebound (PMBR), which is characterized by an increase above the baseline for a short while after the movement. 
3. Peak-to-peak change in the amplitude from ERBD to PMBR is comparatively lower in schizophrenia patients. 
4. MEG studies can be used to evaluate motor function in schizophrenia patients.

Image

Peak-to-peak change in the amplitude from ERBD to PMBR is lower in schizophrenia patients compared to healthy individuals.