Biomarkers of auditory processing in schizophrenia: do they reflect symptom severity? An investigation in schizotypy

听觉处理的生物标志物在精神分裂症中异常，这表明它们具有潜在的 识别在精神病发作之前经历精神分裂症样症状的个体。 然而，要使这些生物标志物有效，它们需要反映症状的严重程度。有一些 一般人群中表现出精神分裂症样特征但不经历精神病的个体， 通常被称为异型性。大多数普通人群被认为属于沿着一个光谱， 典型行为，有些人更有症状，被称为“高典型”。 该项目的目的是测试与精神分裂症相关的听觉生物标志物是否也存在于 具有高异型性的个体，以及不同的生物标志物如何相互关联。如果听觉 生物标志物在高异型性中受到影响，那么这将支持它们用于识别那些处于- 患精神分裂症的风险。如果不是，那么这表明精神分裂症患者绝对是 他们的听觉处理与普通人群不同，并表明在 精神病的发作在目前的研究中，我们集中在早期感觉记忆的生物标志物（错配 负性; MMN）和随后的听觉工作记忆（WM）使用脑电图（EEG）和行为 心理物理学我们还将探讨感觉记忆和工作记忆如何相互影响，作为一种潜在的机制 听觉处理的一种方式。该项目旨在将本科研究人员引入临床 research.他们将学习如何收集电生理数据，分析技术，并将参与 传播成果。 该项目将分为三个目标。目的1将在EEG中测量MMN以进行早期研究 感官记忆到听觉异常-音高不同的单一音调。目标2将研究WM性能 在使用行为和EEG测量的3-back任务中（例如刺激编码期间的N1）。我们将调查 MMN和WM独立，因此目标1的结果不会影响目标2。对于目标1和2，我们 假设与低型相比，高型患者MMN和WM表现均受损。 目标3然后将检查听觉处理的两个措施之间的关系。我们假设 受损的MMN将预测更差的WM表现（使用回归分析进行检查），并且这种关系 在高水平上会比在低水平上更强。这将表明一个潜在的机制，目标是 治疗：改善早期听觉记忆，影响后期听觉相关认知。如果没有显著 感觉记忆和工作记忆之间的关系，那么这将表明第三个变量，影响听觉 处理.这两个结果都将有助于建立一个拟真型的听觉处理模型。 本科研究人员将发展对精神病学生物标志物效用的理解， 如何利用基础科学来研究精神分裂症的潜在机制。

Biomarkers of auditory processing are abnormal in schizophrenia, suggesting their potential for identifying individuals who are experiencing schizophrenia-like symptoms before the onset of psychosis. However, for these biomarkers to be effective, they would need to reflect symptom severity. There are some individuals in the general population who exhibit schizophrenia-like traits but do not experience psychosis, commonly known as schizotypy. The majority of the general population is believed to fall along a spectrum of schizotypic behaviors, with some being more symptomatic and who are referred to as having `high schizotypy'. The aim of this project is to test whether auditory biomarkers associated with schizophrenia are also present in individuals with high schizotypy, and how the different biomarkers relate to one another. If the auditory biomarkers are impacted in high schizotypy, then this would support their use for identifying those who are at- risk of developing schizophrenia. If not, then this suggests that individuals with schizophrenia are categorically different in their auditory processing to the general population, and indicates substantial brain-wide changes at the onset of psychosis. In the current study, we focus on biomarkers of early sensory memory (mismatch negativity; MMN) and later auditory working memory (WM) using electroencephalography (EEG) and behavioral psychophysics. We will also explore how sensory memory and WM impact one other, as a potential mechanism of auditory processing in schizotypy. This project is designed to introduce undergraduate researchers to clinical research. They will learn how to collect electrophysiological data, analysis techniques, and will be involved in disseminating the results. The project will be divided into three Aims. Aim 1 will measure MMN in the EEG to investigate early sensory memory to auditory deviants – single tones that differ in pitch. Aim 2 will investigate WM performance in a 3-back task using behavioral and EEG measures (such as N1 during stimulus encoding). We will investigate MMN and WM independently so that the results from Aim 1 do not impact Aim 2. For Aims 1 and 2, we hypothesize that both MMN and WM performance will be impaired in those with high compared to low schizotypy. Aim 3 will then examine the relationship between the two measures of auditory processing. We hypothesize that impaired MMN will predict poorer WM performance (examined using regression analyses), and this relationship will be stronger in high compared to low schizotypy. This will indicate a potential mechanism to target for treatment: improve early auditory memory to impact later auditory-related cognition. If there is no significant relationship between sensory memory and WM, then this will indicate a third variable that impacts auditory processing. Either result will contribute to a model of auditory processing in schizotypy. Undergraduate researchers will develop an understanding of the utility of biomarkers in psychiatry, and how basic science can be used to investigate the mechanisms underlying schizophrenia.