Credit: Graphic courtesy Susan Whitfield-Gabrieli, McGovern Institute for Brain Research at MIT
Altered brain connectivity of default brain network in people with schizophrenia and first-degree relatives Colored areas represent an interconnected network of brain regions that show synchronized activity (overlapping black and blue traces) when subjects rest and allow their minds to wander. The amount of synchrony, which reflects the strength of functional connections between the different areas, is increased in patients with schizophrenia. First-degree relatives of people with this illness also show some increase, although less than patients; this may reflect genetic effects on the brain that increase the risk of developing the disease. Black circle: medial prefrontal cortex. Blue circle: posterior cingulate/precuneus.