ERPs in schizophrenia and alcohol dependence

描述（由申请人提供）： 1999年至2000年期间， 精神分裂症患者（SZ）的发病率（34%）与美国人群（13%）相比高得惊人。此外，合并AA或AD的SZ患者表现出治疗并发症和不良结局。 然而，目前尚不清楚为什么酒精障碍的患病率是近三倍，在SZ比一般人群，也不知道这些双重诊断（DD）患者是否显示额外的和更深刻的病理生理缺陷相比，非AD精神分裂症。SZ患者的酒精依赖可能反映了发展为AD的特定脆弱性，事实上，这种合并症与AD或单独SZ患者中观察到的更明显的病理生理学相关。家庭研究的结果表明，SZ和AA/AD可能有共同的脆弱性或双重独立的脆弱性可能是这种形式的精神共病的基础。很少有人知道这种并发症的功能性病理生理学底物。这些合并症SZ患者可能具有的脆弱性包括心理生理缺陷（例如，P50，听觉和视觉P300），已独立与SZ或AD。本研究的目的是确定与这种双重诊断相关的心理生理缺陷， 电生理测量对每种疾病都是敏感和特异的。我们预测，最近诊断为AD共病的禁欲SZ患者不仅会表现出与SZ广泛相关的心理生理缺陷，而且还会表现出与AD频繁相关的心理生理缺陷。在这些组中表征这些指标的功能缺陷将有助于鉴定表型亚型、病因机制和潜在的治疗靶点。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The estimated lifetime prevalence of alcohol dependence (AD) or abuse (AA) among schizophrenics (SZ) is alarmingly high (34%) compared to that of the US population (13%). In addition, people with SZ who are comorbid for AA or AD exhibit treatment complications and poor outcomes. However, it is unknown why the prevalence of alcohol disorders is nearly three times higher in SZ than in the general population; nor is it known whether these dually diagnosed (DD) patients show additional and more profound pathophysiological deficits compared to non-AD schizophrenics. It is possible that alcohol dependence in SZ patients reflects a specific vulnerability to develop AD and that this comorbidity is, in fact, associated with more pronounced pathophysiology than seen in AD or SZ alone. Findings from family studies indicate that SZ and AA/AD may share common vulnerabilities or that dual independent vulnerabilities may underlie this form of psychiatric comorbidity. Very little is known about functional pathophysiological substrates of this comorbidity. Among the vulnerabilities that these comorbid SZ patients may have are psychohysiological deficits (e.g., P50, and auditory & visual P300) that have been independently associated with either SZ or AD. The purpose of this study is to determine the psychophysiological deficits associated with this dual diagnosis using well characterized electrophysiological measures that are sensitive and specific to each illness. We predict that abstinent SZ patients with a recent comorbid diagnosis of AD will not only manifest psychophysiological deficits widely associated with SZ, but will also show the psychophysiological deficits frequently associated with AD. Characterizing functional deficits across these measures in these groups will contribute to the identification of phenotypic subtypes, etiological mechanisms, and potential targets of treatment.