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Quantitative electroencephalography as a biomarker for proneness toward developing psychosis

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journal contribution
posted on 2014-10-23, 14:29 authored by Giorgio Fuggetta, Matthew A. Bennett, Philip A. Duke, Andrew M. J. Young
The fully dimensional approach to the relationship between schizotypal personality traits and schizophrenia describes schizotypy as a continuum throughout the general population ranging from low schizotypy (LoS) and psychological health to high schizotypy (HiS) and psychosis-proneness. However, no biological markers have yet been discovered that reliably quantify an individual's degree of schizotypy and/or psychosis. This study aimed to evaluate quantitative electroencephalographic (qEEG) measures of power spectra as potential biomarkers of the proneness towards the development of psychosis in schizotypal individuals. The resting-state oscillatory brain dynamics under eyes-closed condition from 16 LoS and 16 HiS individuals were analysed for qEEG measures of background rhythm frequency, relative power in δ, θ, low-α, high-α, low-β, high-β and low-γ frequency bands, and the high-temporal cross-correlation of power spectra between low- and high-frequency bands observed by averaging signals from whole-head EEG electrodes. HiS individuals at rest locked the thalamocortical loop in the low-α band at a lower-frequency oscillation and displayed an abnormally high level of neural synchronisation. In addition, the high-α band was found to be positively correlated with both the high-β and low-γ bands unlike LoS individuals, indicating widespread thalamocortical resonance in HiS individuals. The increase of regional alpha oscillations in HiS individuals suggests abnormal high-level attention, whereas the pattern of correlation between frequency bands resembles the thalamocortical dysrhythmia phenomenon which underlies the symptomatology of a variety of neuropsychiatric disorders including schizophrenia. These qEEG biomarkers may aid clinicians in identifying HiS individuals with a high-risk of developing psychosis.

History

Citation

Schizophrenia Research, 2014, 153 (1-3), pp. 68-77

Author affiliation

/Organisation/COLLEGE OF MEDICINE, BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES AND PSYCHOLOGY/Themes/Neuroscience & Behaviour

Version

  • AM (Accepted Manuscript)

Published in

Schizophrenia Research

Publisher

Elsevier for Schizophrenia International Research Society

issn

0920-9964

eissn

1573-2509

Copyright date

2014

Available date

2015-02-06

Publisher version

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0920996414000449

Notes

The file associated with this record is embargoed until 12 months after the date of publication. The final published version may be available through the links above.

Language

en

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