The P50 sensory gating deficit, measured via EEG, has been established as a strong potential endophenotype in genetic studies of schizophrenia. Our studies examining gating in bilateral superior temporal gyrus (STG) via MEG source modeling have shown that left M50 gating and bilateral M100 gating are impaired in schizophrenia. Because Cz P50 is multi-determined, generator-specific relationships in the genetic liability to auditory gating abnormalities are difficult to examine. Establishing such differences is needed to more specifically identify brain areas in the gating circuit manifesting the genetic traits. This is especially important in heritability studies where effect sizes are likely to be modest. During the last 5 years our lab has established that (1) bilateral STG is the primary source of the 50 ms activity;(2) the paired-click deficit is observed in left but not right STG in schizophrenia;(3) there is an association between impaired left-hemisphere auditory gating and impaired performance on attention and working memory tasks;(4) the impaired gating in schizophrenia apparent in the left hemisphere at 50 ms leads to bilateral STG deficits at 100 ms;and (5) STG generators for the first (S1) response account for 97% of the Cz P50 signal in normal controls but just 86% of the signal in schizophrenia, suggesting that other active generators contribute to S1, S2, and the gating deficit in schizophrenia. Since our previous dipole source localization techniques had significant limitations identifying non-STG activity, we examined other localization techniques and feel confident that a novel data analysis procedure developed by Dr. Huang of our team, called Vector-based Spatial-Temporal Analysis using L-1 minimum norm (VESTAL), will allow us to identify activity in non-STG areas and enable us to further investigate the neural circuitry of abnormal auditory processes in schizophrenia. Our preliminary data also suggest that, in contrast to the consistent STG activity found in controls from approximately 30 ms to 100 ms, subjects with schizophrenia demonstrate abnormal early lateral prefrontal cortex (LPFC) activation. We have recently begun to examine the role of the COMT Val158Met polymorphism in gating and have shown that gating can be predicted by allelic differences in COMT - the Val/Val genotype. In the next project period, we propose to apply VESTAL with a full sample of subjects and examine activity across a longer period of time to better characterize the spatial and temporal patterns of normal and abnormal brain activation during the paired-click task in persons with schizophrenia (SZ), unaffected first-degree relatives (UR), and normal controls (NC). We propose to demonstrate that the effect of COMT Val158Met polymorphism on left M100 gating will be progressively weaker from NC to UR to SZ samples, supporting a disrupted lateralized prefrontal cortex to auditory cortex connectivity contributing to the genetic liability of schizophrenia. This work is a critical next step in identifying the neural mechanisms of the gating deficit.

Public Health Relevance

We believe that, through the examination of the neural generators of M50 and M100, and potentially prefrontal activity, we will establish a more precise biological marker for molecular and cognitive analysis, so that this remarkably strong biological anomaly can be understood and gains in treatment of schizophrenia achieved.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01MH065304-09
Application #
8206844
Study Section
Adult Psychopathology and Disorders of Aging Study Section (APDA)
Program Officer
Meinecke, Douglas L
Project Start
2002-08-05
Project End
2013-12-31
Budget Start
2012-01-01
Budget End
2012-12-31
Support Year
9
Fiscal Year
2012
Total Cost
$500,068
Indirect Cost
$150,528
Name
University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center
Department
Internal Medicine/Medicine
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
829868723
City
Albuquerque
State
NM
Country
United States
Zip Code
87131
Edgar, J C; Fisk 4th, Charles L; Chen, Yu-Han et al. (2018) Identifying auditory cortex encoding abnormalities in schizophrenia: The utility of low-frequency versus 40 Hz steady-state measures. Psychophysiology 55:e13074
Edgar, J Christopher; Fisk IV, Charles L; Chen, Yu-Han et al. (2017) By our bootstraps: Comparing methods for measuring auditory 40 Hz steady-state neural activity. Psychophysiology 54:1110-1127
Chen, Yu-Han; Stone-Howell, Breannan; Edgar, J Christopher et al. (2016) Frontal slow-wave activity as a predictor of negative symptoms, cognition and functional capacity in schizophrenia. Br J Psychiatry 208:160-7
Caprihan, Arvind; Jones, Thomas; Chen, Hongji et al. (2015) The Paradoxical Relationship between White Matter, Psychopathology and Cognition in Schizophrenia: A Diffusion Tensor and Proton Spectroscopic Imaging Study. Neuropsychopharmacology 40:2248-57
Huang, Ming-Xiong; Huang, Charles W; Robb, Ashley et al. (2014) MEG source imaging method using fast L1 minimum-norm and its applications to signals with brain noise and human resting-state source amplitude images. Neuroimage 84:585-604
Edgar, J Christopher; Chen, Yu-Han; Lanza, Matthew et al. (2014) Cortical thickness as a contributor to abnormal oscillations in schizophrenia? Neuroimage Clin 4:122-9
Edgar, J Christopher; Hunter, Michael A; Huang, Mingxiong et al. (2012) Temporal and frontal cortical thickness associations with M100 auditory activity and attention in healthy controls and individuals with schizophrenia. Schizophr Res 140:250-7
Hunter, Michael; Villarreal, Gerardo; McHaffie, Greg R et al. (2011) Lateralized abnormalities in auditory M50 sensory gating and cortical thickness of the superior temporal gyrus in post-traumatic stress disorder: preliminary results. Psychiatry Res 191:138-44
Smith, Ashley K; Edgar, J Christopher; Huang, Mingxiong et al. (2010) Cognitive abilities and 50- and 100-msec paired-click processes in schizophrenia. Am J Psychiatry 167:1264-75
Thoma, Robert J; Monnig, Mollie; Hanlon, Faith M et al. (2009) Hippocampus volume and episodic memory in schizophrenia. J Int Neuropsychol Soc 15:182-95

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