'Cognitive dysmetria' as an integrative theory of schizophrenia: A dysfunction in cortical-subcortical-cerebellar circuitry?

Abstract

Earlier efforts to localize the symptoms of schizophrenia in a single brain region have been replaced by models that postulate a disruption in parallel distributed or dynamic circuits. Based on empirical data derived from both magnetic resonance and positron emission tomography, we have developed a model that implicates connectivity among nodes located in prefrontal regions, the thalamic nuclei, and the cerebellum. A disruption in this circuitry produces 'cognitive dysmetria,' difficulty in prioritizing, processing, coordinating, and responding to information. This 'poor mental coordination' is a fundamental cognitive deficit in schizophrenia and can account for its broad diversity of symptoms.