Abnormally high EEG alpha synchrony during working memory maintenance in twins discordant for schizophrenia.

Full Abstract

BACKGROUND: The present analyses aimed to test the prediction that schizophrenia patients and their non-schizophrenic co-twins would display reduced efficiency of the neurocognitive mechanisms subserving active maintenance of spatial information in working memory. METHODS: Upper alpha frequency band EEG event-related desynchronization and synchronization (ERD/ERS) were calculated as percent changes in power relative to an inter-trial baseline across 4 memory loads in a spatial delayed-response task. RESULTS: During the delay, the diagnostic groups showed equivalent ERD/ERS activity over posterior scalp regions at the lowest memory load; however, as memory load increased, patients, and to an intermediate degree, their non-schizophrenic co-twins (monozygotic and dizygotic pairs collapsed together), showed significantly greater increases in ERD/ERS amplitude as compared with controls. CONCLUSIONS: These findings demonstrate abnormally increased ERD/ERS amplitudes with increasing memory load in patients with schizophrenia and their co-twins, consistent with inefficiency of the neurocognitive mechanisms supporting active maintenance of information across a delay.

Author information

Author/s: Bachman, Peter (P); Kim, Junghoon (J); Yee, Cindy M (CM); Therman, Sebastian (S); Manninen, Marko (M); Lönnqvist, Jouko (J); Kaprio, Jaakko (J); Huttunen, Matti O (MO); Näätänen, Risto (R); Cannon, Tyrone D (TD);

Affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, 1285 Franz Hall, Box 951563, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1563, United States. bachman(-atsign-)psych.ucla.edu

Grants: F31 MH068121 (Agency:NIMH NIH HHS) ; F31 MH068121-01A2 (Agency:NIMH NIH HHS) ; R01 MH052857 (Agency:NIMH NIH HHS) ; R01 MH052857-05 (Agency:NIMH NIH HHS) ; R01 MH052857-07 (Agency:NIMH NIH HHS) ; T32 MH014584 (Agency:NIMH NIH HHS) ; T32 MH014584-25 (Agency:NIMH NIH HHS) ; T32 MH014584-32 (Agency:NIMH NIH HHS)

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article; Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

Journal: Schizophrenia research (Schizophr Res), published in Netherlands. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2008-Aug; vol 103 (issue 1-3) : pp 293-7

Dates: Created 2008/07/22; Completed 2008/09/26; Revised 2009/08/04;

PMID: 18534822, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 8/21/2009, IMS Date: )

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