Changes in Brain Synchronization During Perceptual and Linguistic Tasks in Schizophrenic Patients

This study aims to identify electrophysiological correlates of impaired perceptual and linguistic processes in chronic schizophrenic patients, un-medicated first-episode schizophrenic patients and their healthy relatives.

Following administrating some questionnaires (demographic details and psychiatric history questionnaire, handedness questionnaire, reading abilities test and positive and negative symptoms questionnaire) and performing a perception test and a verbal abstract intelligence test, participants will conduct a brain scan during a series of perceptual and linguistic tasks.

Inclusion Criteria:

Inclusion criteria for chronic patients:

• Hebrew native speakers.
• Diagnosis of schizophrenia with a history of more than one episode.
• Capable and willing to provide informed consent.

Inclusion criteria for naive patients:

• Hebrew native speakers.
• Diagnosis of schizophrenia with a history of only one episode and unmedicated.
• Capable and willing to provide informed consent.

Inclusion criteria for patients' relatives (control group 1):

• Hebrew native speakers.
• Without any psychiatric history.
• Have a child and/or a sibling with schizophrenia.

Inclusion Criteria for students (control group 2):

• Hebrew native speakers.
• Without any psychiatric history.

Exclusion Criteria:

Exclusion Criteria for patient groups (chronic and "naïve"):

• Left handedness.
• Reading disability.
• Visual perception disability.
• Brain damage and/or a history of seizures.
• Impaired intelligence.
• Metal implants.

Exclusion Criteria for control groups (family members and students):

• Psychiatric history.
• Left handedness.
• Reading disability.
• Visual perception disability.
• Brain damage and/or a history of seizures.
• Impaired intelligence.
• Metal implants.