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Clinical Psychology and Special Education
2025. Vol. 14, no. 3, 136–153
doi:10.17759/cpse.2025140309
ISSN: 2304-0394 (online)

Features of the organization of the default system of the brain in connection with the severity of delusions and hallucinations in schizophrenia

 
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Abstract

Objective. The main objective of the study was to identify the extent to which symptoms such as hallucinations and delusions, the severity of which was assessed quantitatively using the corresponding PANSS scales, are interconnected both in their manifestations and in terms of the corresponding brain processes. Methods and materials. The article presents the materials of an empirical study of women (N = 22) who were treated at the Mental-Health Clinic № 1 named after N.A. Alexeev with a diagnosis of schizophrenia (including 17 cases of F20.0, 3 cases of F23), undergoing similar drug therapy at the age of 23 to 65 years (M = 41.8, SD = 10.4). The 19-channel EEG was recorded for 1–3 minutes in a state of calm wakefulness. Results. The use of a new method for localizing brain activity, the “virtual implanted electrode”, allowed us to reconstruct electrical signals at 41 points selected from the MNI152 atlas. As a result, for each subject separately (1) the activity level of each of the structures was assessed, as well as (2) the functional connectivity of these structures by calculating the correlation coefficients between all pairs of these structures. This in turn made it possible to find correlations between the severity of delusions and hallucinations and changes in the functional connections of the brain. Conclusions. The results indicate that the qualities under study, delusions and hallucinations, are largely independent of each other, and their severity is associated with various systemic changes in functional connections.

General Information

Keywords: delusions, hallucinations, schizophrenia, brain default system, EEG, functional connectivity

Journal rubric: Empirical Research

Article type: scientific article

DOI: https://doi.org/10.17759/cpse.2025140309

Funding. The work was carried out with the financial support of the Russian Science Foundation, project 20-18-00067-П.

Received 29.10.2024

Revised 12.09.2025

Accepted

Published

For citation: Vartanov, A.V., Krysko, M.D., Leonovich, D.A., Shevaldova, O.V., Савенкова, V.I., Ochneva, A.G., Reznik, A.M. (2025). Features of the organization of the default system of the brain in connection with the severity of delusions and hallucinations in schizophrenia. Clinical Psychology and Special Education, 14(3), 136–153. (In Russ.). https://doi.org/10.17759/cpse.2025140309

© Vartanov A.V., Krysko M.D., Leonovich D.A., Shevaldova O.V., Савенкова V.I., Ochneva A.G., Reznik A.M., 2025

License: CC BY-NC 4.0

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Information About the Authors

Alexandr V. Vartanov, Candidate of Science (Psychology), professor, Senior Researcher, Department of Psychophysiology, Faculty of Psychology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leading Researcher, Mental-Health Clinic № 1 named after N.A. Alexeev, Moscow, Russian Federation, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8844-9643, e-mail: a_v_vartanov@mail.ru

Maria D. Krysko, Student, Faculty of Psychology, Lomonosov Moscow State University (MSU), Moscow, Russian Federation, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9263-5203, e-mail: mariya.krysko@mail.ru

Daria A. Leonovich, Lomonosov Moscow State University (MSU), Postgraduate Student, Program “Interdisciplinary Studies of Cognitive Processes”, The Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (RANEPA), Moscow, Russian Federation, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0001-3028-2278, e-mail: dagubareva@gmail.com

Olga V. Shevaldova, Specialist of the Laboratory of Rehabilitation and Sports Psychophysiology, Federal Research Center for Innovator and Emerging Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Technologies, Moscow, Russian Federation, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8577-4280, e-mail: shevaldovaolga@yandex.ru

Valeriia I. Савенкова, Junior researcher, Scientific and Clinical Research Center for Neuropsychiatry, Psychiatric Clinical Hospital No. 1 named after N.A. Alekseev, Moscow, Russian Federation, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8381-5445, e-mail: savva9806@yandex.ru

Alexandra G. Ochneva, Junior Researcher, Department of Schizophrenia and Other Primary Psychotic Disorders, Psychiatric Clinical Hospital No. 1 named after N.A. Alekseev, Junior Researcher, Federal State Budgetary Institution National Medical Research Center for Psychiatry and Narcology named after. V.P. Serbsky" of the Ministry of Health of Russia, Moscow, Russian Federation, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4182-5503, e-mail: aleksochneva@yandex.ru

Alexander M. Reznik, Candidate of Science (Medicine), Associate Professor, psychiatrist, Psychiatric Clinical Hospital No. 1 named after N.A. Alekseev, Russian Biotechnological University (ROSBIOTECH); Mental-health Clinic No. 4 named after P.B. Gannushkin , Moscow, Russian Federation, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7076-5901, e-mail: a.m.reznik1969@gmail.com

Contribution of the authors

Alexandr V. Vartanov — research ideas; processing of EEG data by a new method of localization of sources; writing and formatting of the manuscript; research planning; control over research.

Maria D. Krysko — conducting EEG examinations of patients with schizophrenia; data processing and analysis.

Darya A. Leonovich — conducting EEG examinations of patients with schizophrenia; data processing and analysis.

Olga V. Shevaldova — conducting EEG examinations of patients with schizophrenia; data processing and analysis.

Valeria I. Savenkova — conducting neuropsychological examination of patients with schizophrenia; data processing and analysis.

Aleksandra G. Ochneva — conducting neuropsychological examination of patients with schizophrenia; data processing and analysis.

Alexander M. Reznik — conducting neuropsychological examination of patients with schizophrenia; analyzing and interpreting the results; writing and formatting the manuscript; monitoring the research.

All authors participated in the discussion of the results and agreed on the final text of the manuscript.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Ethics statement

All studies were conducted in accordance with the principles of biomedical ethics as outlined in the 1964 Declaration of Helsinki and its later amendments. They were also approved by the Local Ethical Committee of Mental-Health Clinic № 1 named after N.A. Alexeev (protocol no. 5 dated 29 June 2023).

Each participant in the study provided a voluntary written informed consent after receiving an explanation of the potential risks and benefits, as well as the nature of the upcoming study.

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