Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 20, 2026

P50 Sensory Gating in Infants
Published on: December 26, 2013
The relationship between preattentive sensory processing deficits and age in schizophrenia patients
Michael Kiang1, David L Braff2, Joyce Sprock2
1Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ont., Canada.
Objective:
Auditory mismatch negativity (MMN) and P3a index preattentive detection of rare stimuli. Their amplitudes normally decrease with age. Previous studies have reported generally smaller than normal MMN and P3a in schizophrenia patients. We aimed to further characterize the course of these deficits over schizophrenia patients' lifespan.
Methods:
In 253 schizophrenia patients and 147 normal comparison participants (NCPs) encompassing a wide age range (18-65), event-related potentials were recorded while participants watched a silent video and were presented binaurally with 1-kHz tones 500ms apart, including standards (P=.90, 50-ms duration) and deviants (P=0.10, 100-ms).
Results:
Over the entire age range, MMN and P3a were smaller in schizophrenia patients than NCPs. MMN amplitude declined with age in both groups, though slightly less steeply in schizophrenia patients than NCPs. P3a amplitude declined with age in NCPs but not in schizophrenia patients.
Conclusions:
In our cohort of schizophrenia patients, MMN and P3a deficits were already present at the youngest ages. MMN declined further with age, whereas P3a amplitude remained stable.
Significance:
This knowledge about how MMN and P3a amplitudes vary with age in schizophrenia patients compared to NCPs can help improve the utility of these indices as clinical endophenotypes or biomarkers.
Related Concept Videos
Psychological and Sociocultural Causes of Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia
Biological Causes of Schizophrenia
Genetic Factors in Schizophrenia
The genetic basis of schizophrenia is strongly supported by family and twin studies.
Psychosis: Pathophysiology of Schizophrenia and Other Psychotic Disorders
Researchers have identified genetic factors that increase susceptibility to schizophrenia, underscoring the intricate interplay between genetics and environment in disease development. At the core of schizophrenia's pathophysiology is excessive dopaminergic neurotransmission within the...
Negative and Cognitive Symptoms of Schizophrenia
Negative Symptoms
Negative symptoms of schizophrenia manifest as deficits in normal emotional and behavioral functioning, profoundly impacting daily life. Individuals with schizophrenia often display a flat affect, characterized by a near-total absence of emotional expression,...
Positive Symptoms Schizophrenia: Hallucinations and Delusions
Hallucinations
Hallucinations in...

