Understanding social disconnection in schizophrenia using digital signals and brain data
Official title: A Multimethod Approach of Social Disconnection in Schizophrenia: Leveraging Digital Phenotyping, Social Network Analyses, and Neuroimaging
Funded at VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System · NIH-11615928 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This grant explores how smartphones, social networks, and brain imaging can reveal why Veterans with schizophrenia have trouble forming and maintaining relationships, with the goal of guiding better treatments.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Los Angeles, United States) |
| Project start | September 1, 2024 |
| Project end | August 31, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| NIH project number | 5IK2CX002729-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11615928 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Veterans diagnosed with schizophrenia who are able to participate in smartphone-based assessments and brain imaging studies.
✕Less likely to help
Individuals without schizophrenia or those unable to use smartphone-based research tools or participate in MRI/fMRI sessions.
What this research studies
The project will follow Veterans with schizophrenia to collect real-time social activity data from their smartphones while also obtaining brain imaging to see how neural signals relate to social behavior. Researchers will use multiple methods to map social interactions, feelings of loneliness, and brain function to understand why social disconnection happens in daily life. This patient-centered approach aims to identify targets for new therapies by linking everyday social experiences with brain activity. The work emphasizes naturalistic observation outside clinic visits to capture genuine social patterns.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, findings could lead to personalized interventions that reduce loneliness and improve social functioning for people with schizophrenia.
How similar studies have gone: Previous work has shown links between digital behavior and cognitive/neural correlates in psychiatric populations, suggesting this multimethod approach could succeed.
Where this research is happening
-
VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System
Los Angeles, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Abplanalp, Samuel Joseph — VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System
- Study coordinator: Abplanalp, Samuel Joseph
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.