The neurobiological characterization of brain functions has typically treated as independent a) input-specific recruitment of functionally specialized regions and processes, and b) spontaneous organization of activity during rest, typically described in terms of widespread cortical networks. It is however obvious that these two aspects of brain activation interact systematically: input processing and response execution depend on the current brain state (e.g. thru vigilance), and the brains global state is constantly updated in dependence of the activation of specialized input/output processes (e.g. during a fear response). This is particularly relevant for schizophrenia, which is related to dysfunctional experiences and behavior, to abnormal resting states, and to abnormal input-related activation. Thus, for an integrative view of the disorder, understanding the interactions between global baseline states and momentary environmental demands is essential. EEG microstates are particularly well suited for this purpose, because they are subsecond global states of stable connectivity patterns that relate to the recruitment of particular information processing modes such as integration of top-down and button-up information, saliency assessment or access to different types of memory contents (e.g. visual or verbal). I will present an overview of findings on EEG microstates in relation to schizophrenia, showing that particular abnormalities in EEG microstate are related to deviant saliency processing, and auditory verbal hallucinations, and that these abnormalities may be normalized using conventional or neurofeedback interventions.