Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 16, 2026

P50 Sensory Gating in Infants
Published on: December 26, 2013
Sensory Gating Deficits in First-Episode Psychosis: Evidence From Neurophysiology, Psychophysiology, and
Isabel Morales-Muñoz1, Rosa Jurado-Barba, Sara Fernández-Guinea
1*Neuroscience Center, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland; †Laboratory of Clinical Psychophysiology and ‡Department of Psychiatry, Hospital 12 de Octubre, Madrid; §Department of Basic Psychology II (Cognitive Processes), Complutense University of Madrid; ∥Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental, CIBERSAM, Madrid; ¶Department of Psychiatry, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain; and #Department of Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA.
Abstract:
Sensory gating deficits are commonly found in patients with schizophrenia. However, there is still scarce research on this issue. Thirty-eight patients with first-episode psychosis (FEP) were compared to thirty-eight controls. A condition-test paradigm of event-related potentials (ERP), prepulse inhibition (PPI), and some specific tasks of the MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery (MCCB) were used (i.e., TMT, BACS-SC, and Fluency for processing speed and CPT-IP for attention and vigilance). The ERP components measured were P50, N1, and P2. The PPI intervals examined were 30, 60, and 120 msec. Regarding the MCCB, processing speed and attention/vigilance cognitive domains were selected. FEP patients showed significant deficits in N1 and P2 components, at 30 and 60 PPI levels and in all the MCCB subtests selected. We obtained significant relationships in N1 with PPI-60, and with one MCCB subtest for processing speed. In addition, this same subtest showed significant association with P2. Therefore, sensory gating functioning is widely impaired since the very early stages of schizophrenia.
Related Concept Videos
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...
Ligand-Gated Ion Channel Receptor: Gating Mechanism
Postsynaptic Potential (PSP)
There are two types of receptors: ionotropic and metabotropic.
The ionotropic receptor is the membrane protein that has an...
Biological Causes of Schizophrenia
Genetic Factors in Schizophrenia
The genetic basis of schizophrenia is strongly supported by family and twin...

