Prepulse inhibition (PPI) and habituation of the acoustic startle reflex (ASR) are considered to be candidate endophenotypes of schizophrenia. However, to our knowledge, only one group has investigated these startle measures in Asian patients with schizophrenia. In the present study, we evaluated these startle measures in 51 Japanese patients with schizophrenia and compared them with those of 55 healthy age- and sex-matched Japanese controls. A human startle response monitoring system was used to deliver acoustic startle stimuli, and record and score the electromyographic activity of the orbicularis oculi muscle. The startle measures examined were mean magnitude of ASR to pulse alone trials in initial block (SR), habituation of ASR during the session (HAB), and PPI at prepulse intensities of 82 dB (PPI82), 86 dB (PPI86), and 90 dB (PPI90) sound pressure level. SR was not significantly different between the patients and controls. Patients displayed significantly reduced HAB and PPI for all prepulse intensities compared to controls. The greatest statistical difference in PPI between patients and controls was found with PPI86. This did not correlate with any clinical variable in each group. Our results indicate that PPI and habituation of ASR are impaired in Asian patients with schizophrenia.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.neures.2008.08.006DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

patients schizophrenia
16
acoustic startle
12
startle measures
12
prepulse inhibition
8
habituation acoustic
8
startle response
8
japanese patients
8
ppi habituation
8
asian patients
8
habituation asr
8

Similar Publications

Background: People with an intellectual disability have a higher risk of developing mental disorders compared to the general population. Available evidence suggests those with an intellectual disability receiving inpatient treatment in general psychiatric wards may have certain unique characteristics.

Method: Data gathered from a retrospective review of records of adults with intellectual disability admitted to general psychiatry wards in a tertiary psychiatric hospital in Singapore were analysed.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Neurobiological fingerprints of negative symptoms in schizophrenia identified by connectome-based modeling.

Psychiatry Clin Neurosci

January 2025

Department of Radiology, and Functional and Molecular Imaging key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.

Aim: As a central component of schizophrenia psychopathology, negative symptoms result in detrimental effects on long-term functional prognosis. However, the neurobiological mechanism underlying negative symptoms remains poorly understood, which limits the development of novel treatment interventions. This study aimed to identify the specific neural fingerprints of negative symptoms in schizophrenia.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Physical Restraint (PR) is a coercive procedure used in emergency psychiatric care to ensure safety in life-threatening situations. Because of its traumatic nature, studies emphasize the importance of considering the patient's subjective experience. We pursued this aim by overcoming classic qualitative approaches and innovatively applying a multilayered semiautomated language analysis to a corpus of narratives about PR collected from 99 individuals across seven mental health services in Italy.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Digital health for early psychosis in Ghana: patient and caregiver needs and preferences.

Schizophrenia (Heidelb)

January 2025

Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.

In West Africa, the long-term consequences of poor early psychosis recovery include poverty, neglect, and community ostracization. To understand the potential for digital health approaches to support early psychosis care in Ghana, we conducted a survey study among early psychosis patients and their caregivers about mental health needs, technology use and access, and interest in digital mental health. Hospital staff at Accra Psychiatric Hospital reviewed hospital medical records from January 2023 - December 2023 identifying young adults (≥18 years old) who had experienced psychosis symptoms for the first time within the prior five years.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: Daily oral antipsychotics (OAPs) are the mainstay of schizophrenia treatment; however, long-acting injectable antipsychotics (LAIs) are associated with better treatment adherence and improved outcomes.

Methods: This study assessed the real-world comparative effectiveness of LAIs and daily OAPs using claims data from a nationally representative sample of fee-for-service Medicare beneficiaries with schizophrenia. Antipsychotic discontinuation, psychiatric hospitalization, and treatment failure were compared relative to different reference groups using within-individual Cox regression models.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!