Abnormal neural synchrony in schizophrenia.
Schizophrenia has been conceptualized as a failure of cognitive integration, and abnormalities in neural circuitry (particularly inhibitory interneurons) have been proposed as a basis for this disorder. We used measures of phase locking and phase coherence in the scalp-recorded electroencephalogram to examine the synchronization of neural circuits in schizophrenia. Compared with matched control subjects, schizophrenia patients demonstrated: (1) absence of the posterior component of the early visual gamma band response to Gestalt stimuli; (2) abnormalities in the topography, latency, and frequency of the anterior component of this response; (3) delayed onset of phase coherence changes; and (4) the pattern of anterior-posterior coherence increases in response to Gestalt stimuli found in controls was replaced by a pattern of interhemispheric coherence decreases in patients. These findings support the hypothesis that schizophrenia is associated with impaired neural circuitry demonstrated as a failure of gamma band synchronization, especially in the 40 Hz range.
Spencer
Kevin M
KM
Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School/Veterans Affairs Boston Healthcare System, Brockton, Massachusetts 02301, USA.
Nestor
Paul G
PG
Niznikiewicz
Margaret A
MA
Salisbury
Dean F
DF
Shenton
Martha E
ME
McCarley
Robert W
RW
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001519:Behavior; D004569:Electroencephalography; D005074:Evoked Potentials, Visual; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010507:Periodicity; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000503:physiopathology*; D014796:Visual Perception