We investigated the relationship between childhood trauma (CT) and sensorimotor gating in Chinese patients diagnosed with chronic schizophrenia. Seventy-five patients were assessed with the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire-Short Form (CTQ-SF), and then the modified paradigm, perceived spatial separation-induced prepulse inhibition (PSS PPI) and the perceived spatial co-location PPI (PSC PPI or classical PPI) were applied to test sensorimotor gating. Startling stimuli (90 dB) were presented either alone or preceded by discrete prepulse stimuli of 4 dB in a background 60-dB noise level. Associations between CT and various PPI paradigms were statistically analyzed. Univariate analysis revealed the absence of a significant correlation between CT and PPI paradigms (p > 0.05). However, multiple linear regression analyses revealed that sexual abuse and the positive and negative syndrome scale (PANSS) score were negatively correlated with PSS PPI (p = 0.029 and 0.008, respectively). On the other hand, female sex and history of smoking were positively correlated with PSS PPI (p = 0.044 and 0.043, respectively). In conclusion, the results of this study suggest that CT can be a predisposing factor that affects sensorimotor gating in schizophrenia patients.
Keywords: Childhood trauma; Chinese Han; Prepulse inhibition; Schizophrenia.
Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.