The proposed studies will investigate regional brain disturbances in schizophrenia by examining event-related potential (ERP) indices of learning and memory in patients and normal controls. The focus on learning and memory is prompted by converging evidence that these functions are disproportionately impaired, and that neuroanatomic structures hypothetically linked to memory are abnormal, in schizophrenia. ERPs will be acquired while subjects engage in verbal and facial learning and recognition memory tasks. This will be done alone and in conjunction with ongoing 15-Oxygen PET Cerebral Blood Flow (CBF) studies, yielding simultaneous electrophysiologic and CBF measures of regional brain activation during the same tasks. Subjects will be 80 patients with schizophrenia and 80 normal controls, recruited and assessed using standard MHCRC procedures, ensuring socio- demographically balanced and well-categorized samples. There will be 40 men and 40 women in each group. The experimental dimensions to be examined are learning versus recognition memory, and verbal versus facial stimulus type. Electrophysiologic data will be recorded from each subject for all four of these cells. PET CBF activation data will be acquired simultaneously with ERPs, from half of the subjects, during the learning and recognition paradigms for one class of stimuli - either verbal or facial - in a counterbalanced design. The hypothesis is that ERP component(s) can be identified which represent physiologic indices of memory retrieval processes, and which differentiate recognition of familiar from unfamiliar stimuli. Verbal and facial stimuli are expected to asymmetrically affect homotopic left and right hemispheric regions, respectively, and to be discernible in topographic asymmetries of the ERP measures. Differences between patients and controls, in both absolute ERP measures and in the laterality of response to verbal and facial stimuli, will be examined. ERP measures will also be examined in relation to regionally-specific measures of activated CBF. It is hypothesized that abnormalities in laterality of the electrophysiologic response, in patients, will parallel abnormalities in laterality of activated CBF. Specifically, an association is expected between abnormal temporal lobe ERPs and reduced CBF activation in medial temporal lobe regions. The relationship of abnormal ERP indices to symptom severity, neuropsychological deficits and structural abnormalities, in patients will also be investigated.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Type
First Independent Research Support & Transition (FIRST) Awards (R29)
Project #
5R29MH051117-02
Application #
2250374
Study Section
Clinical Neuroscience Review Committee (CNR)
Project Start
1994-06-01
Project End
1999-05-31
Budget Start
1995-06-01
Budget End
1996-05-31
Support Year
2
Fiscal Year
1995
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Pennsylvania
Department
Psychiatry
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
042250712
City
Philadelphia
State
PA
Country
United States
Zip Code
19104