Female schizophrenia patients have prepulse inhibition deficits.
BACKGROUND
Prepulse inhibition (PPI) of startle shows sexual dimorphism: women have lower levels of PPI than do men, and have menstrual cycle shifts in PPI. Many studies report PPI deficits in male schizophrenia patients; one recent report identified PPI deficits in male but not female patients. This study was designed to determine whether female schizophrenia patients have lower levels of PPI than normal females.


METHODS
Twenty-five female schizophrenia patients, and 26 normal females were tested in a startle paradigm using 115 dB startle pulses and prepulses of 8 and 16 dB above a 70 dB background, with 30 and 120 msec prepulse intervals.


RESULTS
Female patients had significantly less PPI compared with normal females, particularly when 16 dB prepulses were utilized. Patients also exhibited a nonsignificant trend towards lower levels of habituation compared to normal subjects.


CONCLUSIONS
Under the present paradigmatic and subject acquisition conditions, female schizophrenia patients had PPI deficits compared to normal females.
Braff
David L
DL
Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093-0804, USA. dbraff@ucsd.edu
Light
Gregory A
GA
Ellwanger
Joel
J
Sprock
Joyce
J
Swerdlow
Neal R
NR
D000161:Acoustic Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D004307:Dose-Response Relationship, Radiation; D005260:Female; D006185:Habituation, Psychophysiologic; D006801:Humans; D007266:Inhibition, Psychological; D008875:Middle Aged; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D013216:Reflex, Startle / Q000502:physiology* / Q000528:radiation effects; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D013997:Time Factors