P300 subcomponents and clinical symptoms in schizophrenia

A small P300 component of the auditory event-related potential has been found to predict poor clinical outcome with a higher amount of thought disorders in schizophrenia and has been proposed as a marker for an underlying neurodevelopmental disorder with prominent thought disorders, early age of onset, prominent negative symptoms and positive family history. The present study was designed to confirm our previous findings with subcomponent analysis. Using dipole source analysis a temporo-basal (TB) P300 as well as a temporo-superior (TS) P300 and LP potential were separated. Fifty patients with schizophrenia (DSM-IV) were included in the study. Late auditory event-related P300 potentials were recorded to infrequent auditory stimuli after treatment psychopathology and family history were assessed. The TB-P300 amplitudes were significantly negatively correlated with thought disorders remaining after treatment and were positively correlated with age of onset. Illness duration was significantly correlated to TB-P300 and TS-P300 amplitudes in the group of patients with late onset. No significant correlations were found with negative symptoms. Family history did not show significant effects on P300. A smaller P300 in patients with more thought disorder remaining after stabilization on medication and an earlier age of onset support the hypothesis that P300 characterizes schizophrenic patients with an underlying neurodevelopmental disorder with specific clinical symptom clusters. On the other hand, diminished P300 with illness duration in the group of patients with later age of onset supports an underlying neurodegenerative progressive process in this subgroup of patients.