Neuronal oscillations: early biomarkers of psychiatric disease?

Abstract

Our understanding of the environmental and genetic factors contributing to the wide spectrum of neuropsychiatric disorders has significantly increased in recent years. Impairment of neuronal network activity during early development has been suggested as a contributor to the emergence of neuropsychiatric pathologies later in life. Still, the neurobiological substrates underlying these disorders remain yet to be fully understood and the lack of biomarkers for early diagnosis has impeded research into curative treatment options. Here, we briefly review current knowledge on potential biomarkers for emerging neuropsychiatric disease. Moreover, we summarize recent findings on aberrant activity patterns in the context of psychiatric disease, with a particular focus on their potential as early biomarkers of neuropathologies, an essential step towards pre-symptomatic diagnosis and, thus, early intervention.

Developmental olfactory dysfunction and abnormal odor memory in immune-challengedDisc1+/-mice

“…Indeed, we recently demonstrated that transient inhibition of OB outputs at the start of the second postnatal week in mice reduces coordinated activity in the hippocampal formation and impairs cognitive abilities later in life [23]. These findings resemble the developmental deficits observed in mouse models of neuropsychiatric disorders [24,25]. Accumulating evidence suggests an association of olfactory impairment with neuropsychiatric disorders.…”

“…Both, WT and GE mice showed continuous activity in the local field potential (LFP) recorded in the OB with the typical dominant respiration rhythm (RR, 2-4 Hz) that reverses polarity at the MCL (Fig 2C). However, the power in RR and theta (4-12 Hz) frequency bands were significantly reduced in GE mice (RR p=5.1x10 -4 , theta p=0.004), whereas the power in beta (12)(13)(14)(15)(16)(17)(18)(19)(20)(21)(22)(23)(24)(25)(26)(27)(28)(29)(30) was not significantly different (p=0.09) (Fig 2D). Further, the firing rate of single units in the OB was reduced in GE mice, particularly for neurons in the MCL (MCL p=0.023; GCL p=0.51), indicating a reduction in the activity of OB projection neurons in the absence of odor stimulation (Fig 2E).…”

“…Time-frequency power plots were calculated with a continuous wavelet transform (Morlet wavelet). Frequency bands for statistical comparisons were defined as RR (2-4 Hz), theta (4-12 Hz) and beta (12)(13)(14)(15)(16)(17)(18)(19)(20)(21)(22)(23)(24)(25)(26)(27)(28)(29)(30). Frequency resolved amplitude correlation.…”

Innovation at the Intersection: Emerging Translational Research in Neurology and Psychiatry

“…Neural oscillations are involved in various cognitive functions, such as memory, attention, and decision making, and are modulated by various factors, such as sensory input, task demands, and emotional states [160][161][162][163]. Neural oscillations are also affected by neuropsychiatric disorders, including SCZ, BD, and autism, and may serve as biomarkers or targets for diagnosis and intervention [164][165][166][167]. In this subsection, we review two papers that explore the role of alpha oscillations, a type of brain wave that occurs in the range of 8-12 Hz, in various cognitive functions, and how they are affected by neuropsychiatric disorders.…”

Consideration of Research Approaches in Systems Neurobiology

“…These oscillations are a key indicator of the communication status between neurons that together form circuits that collectively make up neural networks. In our search to understand the mechanisms that underlie behavior or cognition, and in our pursuit of novel biomarkers of disorder pathology, researchers have long assessed how circuit/network function alterations may contribute to neurological disorder manifestation ( 3 , 4 ). Unfortunately, we have not been as successful as hoped, with inconsistencies in many of the findings.…”