Topographic Auditory Event-Related Potential P300 and Psychopathology of the Patients with Schizophrenia

Han, Sang Ick; Jeon, Yang Whan

Abstract

OBJECTS: This study was designed to investigate the characteristics of components of topographic auditory event-related potential P300 in the patients with schizophrenia and to evaluate the correlation between the findings of components of P300 and psychopathology.
METHODS
The subjects consisted of 28 patients with schizophrenia and 28 normal controls who were matched by age and sex. The topographic auditory event-related P300 was recorded in oddball paradigm and analyzed by computerized brain mapping system. The latency of P300 was determined by global field power measurement. The psychopathology of the patients with chizophrenia were rated by PANSS.
RESULTS
There were significant differences in both latency(schizophrenia 369.5+/-40.6msec, normal controls 332.6+/-34.8msec) and amplitude(schizophrenia: 4.1+/-3.1micro V, normal controls 6.7+/-3.2micro V). However, there was no difference in the electrode location of maximum area of P300 between the patients with schizophrenia and normal controls. The latency of P300 showed positive correlation and the amplitude showed negative correlation with PANSS scores of the patients with schizophrenia.
CONCLUSION
The results implicate that the patients with schizoprenia might have mental dysfunction in the aspects of cognise process affected by both positive and negative symptoms.