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Abnormal neural oscillations in schizotypy during a visual working memory task: support for a deficient top-down
Ivan Koychev1, John Francis William Deakin, Corinna Haenschel
1The University of Manchester, Neuroscience and Psychiatry Unit, Manchester, United Kingdom. ivan.koychev@manchester.ac.uk
Neuropsychologia
|June 28, 2011
Summary
Individuals with high schizotypal traits show reduced neural synchrony in beta and gamma bands during working memory tasks. This suggests top-down processing deficits may be a vulnerability trait for schizophrenia spectrum disorders.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychiatry
- Cognitive Psychology
Background:
- Schizophrenia spectrum disorders are associated with neural oscillatory deficits.
- Schizotypal personality traits may represent a vulnerability marker for these disorders.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate neural oscillatory patterns in individuals with high schizotypal personality traits.
- To examine electroencephalography (EEG) theta, beta, and gamma band activity during a working memory task.
Main Methods:
- Event-related experiment using a delayed matching to sample working memory (WM) task.
- Participants were volunteers scoring high or low on the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire (SPQ).
- Analysis included phase-locking factor (PLF) and signal power in EEG oscillations.
Main Results:
- Reduced phase-locking factor (PLF) in beta and gamma bands in fronto-central and centraloccipital regions.
- Decreased beta band signal power in the fronto-occipital network in the high schizotypy group.
- Altered neural oscillations suggest deficient top-down modulation of sensory processing.
Conclusions:
- Abnormalities in functional connectivity extend from schizophrenia to schizotypy.
- Deficient top-down cognitive control may be a vulnerability trait for schizophrenia spectrum disorders, independent of disease state.
- Findings support the role of neural oscillation deficits in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia spectrum disorders.
