Reductions in regional theta power and fronto-parietal theta-gamma phase-amplitude coupling during gaze processing in bipolar disorder.

Impaired social cognition is common in bipolar disorder (BD) and predicts poor functional outcomes. A critical determinant of social cognition is the ability to discriminate others' gaze direction, and its alteration may contribute to functional impairment in BD. However, the neural mechanisms underlying gaze processing in BD are unclear.

Abnormally Enhanced Midfrontal Theta Activity During Response Monitoring in Youths With Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder.

Background: Response monitoring, as reflected in electroencephalogram recordings after commission of errors, has been consistently shown to be abnormally enhanced in individuals with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). This has traditionally been quantified as error-related negativity (ERN) and may reflect abnormal neurophysiological mechanisms underlying OCD. However, the ERN reflects the increase in phase-locked activities, particularly in the theta-band (4-8 Hz), and does not reflect non-phase-locked activities.

Neural Oscillatory Abnormalities During Gaze Processing in Schizophrenia: Evidence of Reduced Theta Phase Consistency and Inter-areal Theta-Gamma Coupling.

Background: Abnormal gaze discrimination in schizophrenia (SZ) is associated with impairment in social functioning, but the neural mechanisms remain unclear. Evidence suggests that local neural oscillations and inter-areal communication through neural synchronization are critical physiological mechanisms supporting basic and complex cognitive processes. The roles of these mechanisms in abnormal gaze processing in SZ have not been investigated.