The relationship between auditory ERP and neuropsychological assessments in schizophrenia☆

Abstract

To clarify the cognitive significance of event-related potential (ERP) abnormalities in schizophrenia, we examined the relationships of amplitudes and latencies of ERP components with performance on neuropsyhological tests in schizophrenic patients. Twenty patients underwent the Trail Making B Test (TM-B), which is sensitive to frontal lobe dysfunction, and the logical memory, verbal paired-association, and visual reproduction subtests of the Wechsler Memory Scale (WMS), which are sensitive to temporal lobe dysfunctions, and ERP recordings during performance of an oddball auditory discrimination task. Pearson product-moment correlations indicated that an increased P200 amplitude was correlated with poor performance on the TM-B, whereas a decreased P300 amplitude was correlated with poor performance on the verbal paired-association subtest of the WMS. These findings suggest that a P200 abnormality represents the frontal lobe dysfunction, and a P300 abnormality represents the left temporal lobe dysfunction in schizophrenia.

Auditory P300 in individuals clinically at risk for psychosis

“…Poor verbal memory and temporal P300 amplitude differences were correlated in our EIPS sample, suggesting that lateralized structural abnormalities may underlie both these deficits. Two other studies with schizophrenia patients showed the same association between left temporal P300 amplitude and verbal memory (Nagasawa et al, 1999;Kim et al, 2003).…”

Relationships among Event-Related Potentials, Memory, and Schizophrenic Symptoms in College Students with Schizotypal-Traits

“…For example, patients with schizophrenia exhibit reductions in gray matter volume in the frontal and temporoparietal areas [51] and an association between reduced P300 amplitudes and reduced volumes of the left superior temporal gyrus [52] and parietal areas [53] has been reported. Negative correlations have also been observed between P300 amplitudes and performance on verbal memory tests [12] [16]. However, in the present study, the schizotypal-trait and control groups did not differ in terms of performance on the verbal and nonverbal memory tests.…”

“…An examination of the relationship between P300 abnormalities and neuropsychological performance may contribute to a better understanding of the clinical significance associated with reduced P300 amplitudes. Patients with schizophrenia exhibit significant negative associations between P300 amplitudes and performance on the verbal paired-association [16] and visual memory [17] tests of the Wechsler Memory Scale. Additionally, P300 amplitudes and verbal memory performance on the Luria-Nebraska Verbal Learning Test are negatively correlated [12].…”

“…However, the clinical implications of reduced P300 amplitudes in patients with schizophrenia remain poorly understood [16] [17]. An examination of the relationship between P300 abnormalities and neuropsychological performance may contribute to a better understanding of the clinical significance associated with reduced P300 amplitudes.…”

Consensus paper of the WFSBP Task Force on Biological Markers: Criteria for biomarkers and endophenotypes of schizophrenia part I: Neurophysiology

“…As the P300 has been shown to vary as a function of many factors, among others attention and vigilance, P300 waves from subjects who did not perform the P300 task properly behaviorally (e.g., number of correct responses, number of correctly counted deviant stimuli) should not be considered valid measures. On the other hand, Strick et al (1991) suggest it is very specifi c to schizophrenia and is not positive in other paranoid or delusional diseases; some studies fi nd strong correlation between P300 alterations and abnormal responses to neuropsychological tests (Nagasawa et al 1999).…”