title: P300 and conceptual loosening in normals: an event-related potential correlate of "thought disorder?".
abstract: Reduced amplitude of the P300 component of the event-related potential (ERP) has frequently been reported in schizophrenic patients and their first-degree relatives. The present study examined the relationship between this ERP measure of attentional processing and loosening of associations in normal university students (termed "allusive thinking"). Among male subjects, scores reflecting increased conceptual loosening, measured using the Lovibond scoring method for the Goldstein-Scheerer Object Sorting Test (OST), were significantly correlated with smaller P300 amplitude recorded during an auditory target detection task. There was no association between OST score and either performance of the target detection task or self-reported psychopathology. It is suggested that reduced P300 amplitude could reflect altered attentional processing in individuals with a constitutional trait factor of thought disorder.
authors.affiliation: School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Kensington, Australia.
authors.forename: P B
authors.initials: PB
authors.lastname: Ward
authors.forename: S V
authors.initials: SV
authors.lastname: Catts
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: McConaghy
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001143:Arousal / Q000502:physiology*; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology*; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000503:physiopathology; D004569:Electroencephalography; D005260:Female; D005608:Free Association; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010897:Pitch Discrimination / Q000502:physiology*; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology; D012016:Reference Values; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D013850:Thinking / Q000502:physiology*