Impaired mismatch negativity generation in prodromal subjects and patients with schizophrenia

Brockhaus-Dumke, Anke; Tendolkar, Indira; Pukrop, Ralf; Schultze-Lutter, Frauke; Klosterkötter, Joachim; Ruhrmann, Stephan

doi:10.1016/j.schres.2004.05.016

« Previous Next »Schizophrenia Research
Volume 73, Issue 2 , Pages 297-310, 1 March 2005

Impaired mismatch negativity generation in prodromal subjects and patients with schizophrenia

Anke Brockhaus-Dumke
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Cologne, Joseph-Stelzmann-Str. 9, D-50924 Cologne, Germany
- Corresponding author. Tel.: +49 221 478 4001; fax: +49 221 478 3738.
Indira Tendolkar
- Department of Psychiatry, University Medical College Nijmegen, Postbus 9101, 6500 HB Nijmegen
- FC Donders Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Postbus 9101, 6500 HB Nijmegen
Ralf Pukrop
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Cologne, Joseph-Stelzmann-Str. 9, D-50924 Cologne, Germany
Frauke Schultze-Lutter
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Cologne, Joseph-Stelzmann-Str. 9, D-50924 Cologne, Germany
Joachim Klosterkötter
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Cologne, Joseph-Stelzmann-Str. 9, D-50924 Cologne, Germany
Stephan Ruhrmann
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Cologne, Joseph-Stelzmann-Str. 9, D-50924 Cologne, Germany

Received 23 March 2004; received in revised form 28 May 2004; accepted 31 May 2004.

Abstract

Background

Mismatch negativity (MMN) specifically the response to tone duration deviants has consistently been shown to be reduced in schizophrenia suggesting dysfunction in auditory sensory memory.

As part of a multidimensional approach to the early recognition of psychosis, MMN was investigated as a possible risk factor for later development of psychosis in subjects with a prodromal syndrome. Forty-three prodromal subjects, 31 neuroleptic-free inpatients with schizophrenia and 33 healthy controls were studied. A prodromal state was defined by a cluster ‘Cognitive Disturbances’ as defined by the ‘Bonn Scale for the Assessment of Basic Symptomsʼ (BSABS), which was found highly predictive of first-episode schizophrenia. To elicit MMN, a three-tone auditory oddball paradigm with 10% ‘duration deviants’ and 10% ‘frequency deviants’ was used.

Results

MMN amplitudes to tone duration deviants were significantly reduced in the patients with schizophrenia compared to controls. The putatively prodromal subjects also showed a slight, though non-significant reduction of the MMN amplitude that was intermediate between normal controls and patients with schizophrenia, and with a larger within-group variance.

Conclusion

These results support the view that abnormalities in temporal processing are particularly pronounced in patients with schizophrenia. Prodromal subjects are a heterogeneous group with regard to outcome and time until transition to a first psychotic episode. Follow-up of these putatively prodromal subjects will show whether MMN amplitudes further reduce over time in those developing psychosis and if a reduction is state-dependent.

Keywords: Prodromal state, Early detection, Psychosis, Schizophrenia, Auditory information processing, Mismatch negativity