Early perceptual processing affects higher outcomes in schizophrenia

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09 February 2010

MedWire News: A measure of early perceptual processing is associated with work, independent living, and social perception in patients with schizophrenia, say US scientists in findings that support cascade models of information processing.

Mismatch negativity (MMN) is an electrophysiological measure of early auditory perception and is thought to reflect an automatic perceptual measure of change detection. Deficits in MMN have been observed in schizophrenia patients and have been linked to functioning.

To examine correlations among MMN, social cognition (specifically social perception and theory of mind), and four domains of functioning (work, independent living, social networks, and family networks), Jonathan Wynn, from the University of California, Los Angeles, and colleagues studied 33 schizophrenia patients and 42 healthy controls.

The participants underwent electroencephalography to assess MMN, as well as completing the Profile of Nonverbal Sensitivity (PONS), The Awareness of Social Interference Test (TASIT), and the Role of Functioning Scale.

The results, published in the journal Biological Psychiatry, show that 16 electrodes in the frontocentral region had significantly smaller MMN amplitudes in schizophrenia patients compared with healthy controls.

For 13 out of the 16 electrodes, MMN activity was significantly correlated with PONS scores. However, there were no significant correlations between TASIT scores and MMN activity.

Work functioning was significantly correlated with MMN activity at four electrodes, while level of independent living was correlated with activity at six electrodes. Social and family networks were not correlated with MMN activity, and there were few correlations between activity and social cognition and functioning outcomes in healthy controls.

The researchers conclude: “The results of this study suggest that neural deficits in early auditory processing may have downstream consequences on higher order social cognition and community functioning in schizophrenia patients.”

MedWire (www.medwire-news.md) is an independent clinical news service provided by Current Medicine Group, a trading division of Springer Healthcare Limited. © Springer Healthcare Ltd; 2010

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