# Cortical Plasticity Across Phase of Illness in Schizophrenia

> **NIH NIH K23** · UNIVERSITY OF IOWA · 2020 · $165,871

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Individuals with schizophrenia suffer from marked cognitive impairment, which is highly predictive of social,
occupational, and community functioning. As a result, cognitive impairment is a prime target for intervention.
Abnormalities in cortical plasticity are hypothesized to underlie cognitive impairment. However, because it was
not possible to evaluate human cortical plasticity in vivo until very recently, the extent to which cortical plasticity
is impacted in schizophrenia is unclear. Furthermore, it is unknown whether cortical plasticity changes over
phase of illness. Animal studies indicate that cortical plasticity declines with age. It is possible that in
schizophrenia, normative maturational declines in cortical plasticity interact synergistically with disease
pathophysiology over the developmental course of the illness. Thus, cortical plasticity may be less
compromised in the early phase of illness. Finally, little is known about the real-world consequences of
abnormal cortical plasticity for individuals with schizophrenia. This K23 project is consistent with strategies
outlined in the NIMH Strategic Plan, particularly Strategy 1.1., to describe the neural circuits associated with
complex behaviors, Strategy 2.1, to characterize the developmental trajectories of brain maturation and
dimensions of behavior to understand the roots of mental illnesses across diverse populations, and Strategy
2.2, to identify clinically useful biomarkers that predict change across the trajectory of illness. Specifically, the
proposal involves a plan for the applicant to work closely with a diverse team of distinguished researchers with
expertise in neuroscience, clinical and developmental psychology, and biostatistics to investigate biomarkers of
cortical plasticity in schizophrenia within a neurodevelopmental framework. Using newly-developed EEG
paradigms that permit non-invasive assessment of plasticity in the human sensory cortex, we will study
individuals with recent-onset schizophrenia, chronic schizophrenia, and matched non-psychiatric comparison
participants to investigate: 1) whether cortical plasticity is abnormal in schizophrenia, 2) whether cortical
plasticity changes over phase of illness, and 3) potential correlates of cortical plasticity in schizophrenia,
including performance-based tasks of perceptual processing and higher-order cognition, and daily functioning.
The findings will inform the field about the developmental course of the neural underpinnings of impaired
cognition in schizophrenia, and will inform plasticity-based interventions to improve cognition in this population.
Mentored training in advanced EEG analytic methods and developmental psychopathology will permit the
applicant to develop an independent, interdisciplinary program of clinical research that combines
electrophysiology and behavioral methods to investigate cognition and functioning in severe psychopathology
across the lifespan.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10246696
- **Project number:** 7K23MH108829-06
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF IOWA
- **Principal Investigator:** Amanda McCleery
- **Activity code:** K23 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $165,871
- **Award type:** 7
- **Project period:** 2016-07-01 → 2023-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10246696

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10246696, Cortical Plasticity Across Phase of Illness in Schizophrenia (7K23MH108829-06). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10246696. Licensed CC0.

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