Background: Patients with schizophrenia have many cognitive deficits. Gamma oscillations exist in the human brain and are closely related to neurocognition. Auditory Steady-State Responses (ASSRs) is an electroneurophysiological index that could reflect gamma oscillations. It was found that the energy evoked by 40 Hz ASSRs in schizophrenic patients was significantly lower than that in healthy subjects. However, the correlation between ASSRs phase index and clinical symptoms and neurocognitive deficits has yet to be systematically studied. The purpose of this study was to investigate the dysfunction of neural activity of gamma rhythmdys function and its association with clinical symptoms and neurocognition in patients with schizophrenia.
Aims: To compare and verify the difference in energy and phase coherence of 20 Hz and 40 Hz ASSRs between schizophrenia and healthy participants, and to explore the correlation between schizophrenia ASSRs and neurocognitive deficits.
Method: Auditory steady-state evoked potentials by repeated auditory stimuli in 24 patients with schizophrenia and 30 healthy controls were recorded. The Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) was used to assess the clinical symptoms of the patients. MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery (MCCB) was used for the assessment of neurocognitive function. The correlation between indices, such as ASSRs energy, phase locking factor and phase coherence, and clinical and cognitive assessment was also systematically compared between two groups.
Results: Compared with the control group, the patient group had differences in cognitive domains including information processing speed (t=-2.39, p=0.021), attention/vigilance (t=-2.36, p=0.023), verbal learning (t=-3.11, p=0.003), and reasoning and problem solving (t=-2.60, p=0.012). The energy of 40 Hz ASSRs in the patient group was significantly lower than that in the control group (t=-2.291, p=0.032), and their phase locking factor and inter-trial phase coherence index were lower than control group (t=-3.017, p=0.004 and t=3.131, p=0.003), which was also significantly correlated to reasoning and problem solving function deficits.
Conclusion: Patients with schizophrenia had defects in multiple cognitive domains, and their 40 Hz ASSRs energy was low. Specifically, their phase locking characteristics and phase coherence were poor, which was to some extent related to reasoning ability and thinking disorder.
背景: 精神分裂症患者存在多种认知功能缺陷。 Gamma 振荡存在人脑中，与神经认知关系密切。听觉 稳态反应（Auditory Steady-State Responses, ASSRs）是 一种反映gamma 振荡的神经电生理指标，既往研究发 现精神分裂症患者40 Hz ASSRs 诱发能量较健康者明显 降低，不过ASSRs 的相位指标与临床症状及神经认知 缺陷的相关性尚有待系统研究。本研究旨在深入探索 精神分裂症患者gamma 节律神经活动缺陷及其与临床 症状和神经认知间的相关性。.
目的: 比较并验证精神分裂症与健康人群20 Hz 和40 Hz ASSRs 能量和相位一致性的差异，探索精神分裂症 ASSRs 与神经认知缺陷的相关性。.
方法: 记录24 名精神分裂症患者和30 名健康对照重 复听觉刺激引起的听觉稳态诱发电位，采用阳性与阴 性症状量表（PANSS）评估患者的临床症状，采用认知 功能成套测验- 共识版（MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery, MCCB）评估神经认知功能，计算ASSRs 能量、 锁相因子和相位一致性等指标与临床和认知评估的相 关性。.
结果: 病例组在信息处理速度（t=-2.39, p=0.021）、 注意/ 警觉（t=-2.36, p=0.023）、词语学习（t=-3.11, p=0.003）、推理和问题解决（t=-2.60, p=0.012）等认 知领域与对照组比较存在差异，40 Hz ASSRs 能量比对 照组明显降低（t=-2.291, p=0.032），锁相因子和试次 间相位一致性指标均弱于健康对照（t=-3.017, p=0.004 和t=3.131, p=0.003），且与推理和问题解决功能缺陷 显著相关。.
结论: 精神分裂症患者在多个认知领域存在缺陷且40 Hz ASSRs 能量偏低，特别是相位锁定特性和相位一致 性较差，与推理能力和思维障碍存在一定关联。.
Keywords: Gamma oscillation; auditory steady-state response; neurocognition; schizophrenia.