Overview

• Individuals with early psychosis exhibit significantly reduced grip strength and well-being compared to healthy controls.
• Grip strength correlates with functional connectivity in the anterior cingulate cortex, sensorimotor cortex and cerebellum linked to the default mode network.
• Data from the Human Connectome Project for Early Psychosis included 89 patients within five years of psychosis onset and 51 healthy controls.
• Findings identify the default mode network and its associated motor and cognitive circuits as targets for transcranial magnetic stimulation and motor training.
• Reduced grip strength may serve as an accessible early indicator of psychosis and guide preemptive brain-based interventions.