Auditory brainstem response (ABR) profiling in schizoaffective disorder

Abstract

<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:sec id="S0924270820000071_as1" sec-type="other"><jats:title>Objective:</jats:title><jats:p>The aim of the study was to assess whether the auditory brainstem response (ABR) profiling test for schizophrenia (SZ) would recognise schizoaffective disorder (SZA) patients as SZ or not.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec id="S0924270820000071_as2" sec-type="other"><jats:title>Method:</jats:title><jats:p>Male and female SZA patients (<jats:italic>n</jats:italic> = 16) from the psychosis unit at Uppsala University Hospital were investigated. Coded sets of randomised ABR recordings intermingled with patients with SZ, adult attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and healthy controls were analysed by an independent party blinded to clinical diagnoses.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec id="S0924270820000071_as3" sec-type="other"><jats:title>Results:</jats:title><jats:p>The ABR profiling test for SZ was positive in 5/16 patients (31%) and negative in 11/16 patients (69%) with SZA. A surprising finding was that 4/16 (25%) SZA patients were positive for the ABR profiling test for ADHD.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec id="S0924270820000071_as4" sec-type="other"><jats:title>Conclusion:</jats:title><jats:p>With the ABR profiling test, a minority of patients with SZA tested positive for SZ. In contrast, a majority (85%) of patients with SZ in a previous study tested positive. These preliminary results leave us ignorant whether SZA should be regarded as a SZ-like disorder or a psychotic mood disorder and add to the questions regarding the validity of this diagnostic entity. However, the ABR profiling method is still in its infancy and its exploration in a range of psychiatric disorders is warranted.</jats:p></jats:sec>