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This page is an AI-assisted Turkish summary of the study presented at the 26th World Congress of Psychiatry. The study belongs to the presenting authors; please refer to the original source when citing it.

EEG microstates in schizophrenia: alterations in spatiotemporal brain dynamics as markers of negative symptoms

Eeg microstates in schizophrenia: alterations in spatiotemporal brain dynamics as markers of negative symptoms

Alterations in EEG microstate characteristics may serve as markers of large-scale network dysfunction in schizophrenia and are particularly associated with negative symptom dimensions characterized by motivational deficits.

This talk addresses the neurophysiological correlates of negative symptoms, a core feature of schizophrenia and among the strongest predictors of poor functional outcomes, low quality of life, and limited recovery; these symptoms respond inadequately to current treatments and represent a substantial unmet treatment need. In recent years, electroencephalography (EEG) microstate analysis has emerged as a powerful tool for investigating the rapid spatiotemporal dynamics of large-scale brain networks; microstates are transient patterns of scalp electrical activity lasting approximately 50–150 milliseconds and have been linked to resting-state functional networks, including the salience, attention, and default mode systems. Analysis of microstate sequences and temporal characteristics can reveal neural alterations that conventional EEG approaches fail to capture; alterations in microstate characteristics such as duration, coverage, occurrence, contribution, and topography have been consistently reported in schizophrenia and other psychiatric disorders. The presentation reviews findings from recent resting-state and task-based EEG studies investigating microstate abnormalities in schizophrenia, with particular emphasis on their associations with negative symptoms. Emerging evidence indicates that specific microstate alterations are associated with motivational deficits such as avolition, asociality, and anticipatory anhedonia, supporting the hypothesis that negative symptom dimensions may have distinct neurobiological substrates. By integrating neurophysiological and clinical perspectives, microstate research may contribute to patient stratification, treatment monitoring, and the development of targeted interventions for negative symptoms.

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