# Functional MRI in Schizophrenia

> **NIH NIH R21** · FEINSTEIN INSTITUTE FOR MEDICAL RESEARCH · 2022 · $273,162

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
The hippocampus (HPC) is one area of the brain that is broadly implicated in the pathophysiology of
schizophrenia (SZ). Functional connectivity models of SZ suggest that disturbances also exist in the functional
connections between the HPC and multiple other brain regions and networks. Aberrant HPC resting-state
functional connectivity (rsFC) has been reported with multiple brain regions and networks, but has not yet been
consistent across the literature. Such inconsistency is mainly caused by the inherent limitation of the BOLD-
based rsFC techniques in large susceptibility regions like HPC. Due to this limitation, HPC (as well as other
susceptible regions) is often essentially excluded from contributing to whole-brain rsFC analyses. The
inconsistency of findings for abnormal HPC rsFC not only severely hampers our understanding of the role of
HPC in SZ neuropathology, but also markedly constrains the generalization of findings from various preliminary
studies with small sample sizes, and may ultimately stunt the validation of potential biomarkers for SZ diagnosis
and treatment.
In this proof-of-concept study, we propose a single-shot single-label background-suppressed dynamic arterial
spin labeling (sbDASL) technique to study rsFC with the HPC, both for the importance of elucidating its role in
the pathophysiology of SZ, but also because it provides an ideal case to validate this novel imaging technique
more broadly to examine FC with other areas and for whole brain analyses. The proposed sbDASL technique
overcomes several current limitations of existing techniques in the study of rsFC in SZ. Most importantly, sbDASL
improves the spatial and temporal resolution of existing DASL-based approaches for robust assessment of HPC
rsFC.
In the proposal, we will seek to develop the sbDASL technique and demonstrate its superiority in detecting HPC
rsFC anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) in healthy subjects, and its improved
reproducibility at baseline and sensitivity to acute caffeine challenge, compared to the BOLD technique. We will
compare the effect sizes of the HPC rsFC with ACC and PCC in antipsychotic-free patients with SZ, relative to
matched healthy controls, using sbDASL and BOLD. We will further explore the capability of sbDASL, compared
to BOLD, in differentiating between SZ patients and healthy controls using rsFC measures across multiple brain
networks.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10373212
- **Project number:** 1R21MH126260-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** FEINSTEIN INSTITUTE FOR MEDICAL RESEARCH
- **Principal Investigator:** Weiying Dai
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $273,162
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2022-09-01 → 2024-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10373212

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10373212, Functional MRI in Schizophrenia (1R21MH126260-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-07-20 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10373212. Licensed CC0.

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