Tohoku University · Medicine
Professor Hiroshi Komatsu's research lab focuses on the intersection of neuroscience, psychiatric disorders, and biomedical imaging, with a particular emphasis on understanding the neurobiological underpinnings of schizophrenia-spectrum disorders. The lab investigates retinal changes, genetic factors such as OLIG2 polymorphisms, and their links to brain structure and function, using multimodal imaging and molecular genetics approaches. A key direction involves exploring the role of autistic and depressive symptoms in self-stigma and recovery processes among patients with schizophrenia, aiming to inform personalized interventions.
Figures are computed from collected data and may differ slightly.
Considering the prior report of retinal thinning in unaffected first-degree relatives and the results of the meta-analysis, the findings suggest that retinal changes in SSDs have both trait and state aspects. Future longitudinal multimodal retinal imaging studies are needed to clarify the pathophysiological mechanisms of these changes and to clarify their utility in individual patient monitoring efforts.
A Michelson interferometer of the reflection type was successfully used, for the first time, to observe the surface microtopography and the interfacial concentration gradient layers around protein crystals, which were either growing or dissolving in the solution. The significance of this technique was mentioned for the analysis of the growth kinetics of crystals from solution.
Previous studies have indicated associations between several OLIG2 gene single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and susceptibility to schizophrenia among Caucasians. Consistent with these findings, postmortem brain and diffusion tensor imaging studies have indicated that the schizophrenia-risk-associated allele (A) in the OLIG2 SNP rs1059004 predicts lower OLIG2 gene expression in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) of schizophrenia patients and reduced white matter (WM) integrity of the c
This study may provide meaningful insight into the psychological structure of recovery and could inform effective interventions for patients with schizophrenia-spectrum disorders. This was a cross-sectionally designed study; therefore, further longitudinal studies are needed to identify the causal relationships between self-stigma, autistic and depressive symptoms, and recovery.
This study is the first to reveal the association between autistic symptoms and self-stigma in patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders. Our results highlight the importance of considering autistic symptoms in the assessment and management of self-stigma in patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders.
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