1,735 views
Lecture by the Nencki Foundation, April 24, 2024, Nencki Institute of the Polish Academy of Sciences: "Schizophrenia as a Disorder of Significance - Neuronal Base, Cognitive Mechanism, Psychopathological Symptoms", Dr. Joachim Kowalski, Laboratory of Experimental Psychopathology, Institute of Psychology of the Polish Academy of Sciences. How can abnormalities in the functioning of striatal neurons lead to the belief that someone is following us and wants to kill us? Schizophrenia is described as one of the most severe mental illnesses and such beliefs, called delusions, are a common experience of people who experience psychotic episodes. The lecture will begin with a presentation of the characteristics of schizophrenia and the experience of psychosis. This part will discuss popular myths about schizophrenia, which may contribute to discrimination against people experiencing a mental health crisis. Then, the concept linking the symptoms of psychosis with abnormal dopamine metabolism, especially in the subcortical system, will be discussed. Next, the results of behavioral and fMRI studies that link brain function to the cognitive mechanism of aberrant salience will be discussed. Then, it will be explained how impaired salience can lead to and intensify the symptoms of psychotic episodes. Dr. Joachim Kowalski has been working as an assistant professor at the Experimental Psychopathology Laboratory of the Institute of Psychology of the Polish Academy of Sciences since 2020. He is currently conducting two research projects. The first concerns the cognitive and metacognitive mechanisms of hallucinations in people with schizophrenia, and the second the effectiveness and neural mechanisms of procrastination psychotherapy. Before taking up a position in the Laboratory, Dr. Kowalski worked at the Psychological Counseling Center of the University of Warsaw, the Bródnowski Pomost Association, completed many clinical internships and defended his doctorate at the Faculty of Psychology of the University of Warsaw. He attended psychotherapeutic training in the cognitive-behavioral approach and is a member of the Polish Society for Cognitive and Behavioral Therapy.