P300 amplitude is insensitive to working memory load in schizophrenia

Pablo A. Gaspar; Sergio Ruiz; Francisco Zamorano; Marcela Altayó; Carolina Pérez; Conrado A. Bosman; Francisco Aboitiz

doi:10.1186/1471-244X-11-29

P300 amplitude is insensitive to working memory load in schizophrenia

Pablo A. Gaspar^*, Sergio Ruiz, Francisco Zamorano, Marcela Altayó, Carolina Pérez, Conrado A. Bosman, Francisco Aboitiz

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

26 Scopus citations

Abstract

Background: Working memory (WM) tasks usually elicit a P300 ERP component, whose amplitude decreases with increasing WM load. So far, this effect has not been studied in schizophrenics (SZs), a group that is considered to have an aberrant brain connectivity and impairments in WM capacity. The aim of this study was to determine the dependency of the P300 component on WM load in a sample of SZ subjects.Methods: We recorded 26 subjects (13 SZ patients and their matched controls) with an 80-channel electroencephalogram. Subjects performed an N-back task, a WM paradigm that manipulates the number of items to be stored in memory.Results: In healthy subjects, P300 amplitude was highest in the low WM load condition, and lowest in both the attentional control condition and the high WM load condition. In contrast, SZs evidenced low P300 amplitude in all conditions. A significant between group difference in P300 amplitude was evidenced only at the low WM load condition (1 -back), being smaller in SZs.Conclusions: SZ subjects display a lower than normal P300 amplitude, which does not vary as a function of memory load. These results are consistent with a general impairment in WM capacity in these patients.

Original language	English
Article number	29
Journal	BMC Psychiatry
Volume	11
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-244X-11-29
State	Published - 2011
Externally published	Yes

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
Funding for this study was provided by the millenium center for integrative neuroscience and the millenium center for the neurobiology of memory. Gaspar PA is supported by Clinical Hospital of University of Chile and CONICYT bicentennial Becas - Chile. Special thanks to Diego Cosmelli and Pablo Billeke for the critical revision of this manuscript; Claudia Andrade for her constant support and fundación Senderos for their generous contribution of patients. Finally, we are very grateful to the reviewers of this work for providing helpful insights for both the organization of the manuscript and its theoretical interpretations.

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Psychiatry and Mental health

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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10.1186/1471-244X-11-29

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title = "P300 amplitude is insensitive to working memory load in schizophrenia",

abstract = "Background: Working memory (WM) tasks usually elicit a P300 ERP component, whose amplitude decreases with increasing WM load. So far, this effect has not been studied in schizophrenics (SZs), a group that is considered to have an aberrant brain connectivity and impairments in WM capacity. The aim of this study was to determine the dependency of the P300 component on WM load in a sample of SZ subjects.Methods: We recorded 26 subjects (13 SZ patients and their matched controls) with an 80-channel electroencephalogram. Subjects performed an N-back task, a WM paradigm that manipulates the number of items to be stored in memory.Results: In healthy subjects, P300 amplitude was highest in the low WM load condition, and lowest in both the attentional control condition and the high WM load condition. In contrast, SZs evidenced low P300 amplitude in all conditions. A significant between group difference in P300 amplitude was evidenced only at the low WM load condition (1 -back), being smaller in SZs.Conclusions: SZ subjects display a lower than normal P300 amplitude, which does not vary as a function of memory load. These results are consistent with a general impairment in WM capacity in these patients.",

author = "Gaspar, \{Pablo A.\} and Sergio Ruiz and Francisco Zamorano and Marcela Altay{\'o} and Carolina P{\'e}rez and Bosman, \{Conrado A.\} and Francisco Aboitiz",

note = "Funding Information: Funding for this study was provided by the millenium center for integrative neuroscience and the millenium center for the neurobiology of memory. Gaspar PA is supported by Clinical Hospital of University of Chile and CONICYT bicentennial Becas - Chile. Special thanks to Diego Cosmelli and Pablo Billeke for the critical revision of this manuscript; Claudia Andrade for her constant support and fundaci{\'o}n Senderos for their generous contribution of patients. Finally, we are very grateful to the reviewers of this work for providing helpful insights for both the organization of the manuscript and its theoretical interpretations.",

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AU - Gaspar, Pablo A.

AU - Ruiz, Sergio

AU - Zamorano, Francisco

AU - Altayó, Marcela

AU - Pérez, Carolina

AU - Bosman, Conrado A.

AU - Aboitiz, Francisco

N1 - Funding Information: Funding for this study was provided by the millenium center for integrative neuroscience and the millenium center for the neurobiology of memory. Gaspar PA is supported by Clinical Hospital of University of Chile and CONICYT bicentennial Becas - Chile. Special thanks to Diego Cosmelli and Pablo Billeke for the critical revision of this manuscript; Claudia Andrade for her constant support and fundación Senderos for their generous contribution of patients. Finally, we are very grateful to the reviewers of this work for providing helpful insights for both the organization of the manuscript and its theoretical interpretations.

PY - 2011/2/15

Y1 - 2011/2/15

N2 - Background: Working memory (WM) tasks usually elicit a P300 ERP component, whose amplitude decreases with increasing WM load. So far, this effect has not been studied in schizophrenics (SZs), a group that is considered to have an aberrant brain connectivity and impairments in WM capacity. The aim of this study was to determine the dependency of the P300 component on WM load in a sample of SZ subjects.Methods: We recorded 26 subjects (13 SZ patients and their matched controls) with an 80-channel electroencephalogram. Subjects performed an N-back task, a WM paradigm that manipulates the number of items to be stored in memory.Results: In healthy subjects, P300 amplitude was highest in the low WM load condition, and lowest in both the attentional control condition and the high WM load condition. In contrast, SZs evidenced low P300 amplitude in all conditions. A significant between group difference in P300 amplitude was evidenced only at the low WM load condition (1 -back), being smaller in SZs.Conclusions: SZ subjects display a lower than normal P300 amplitude, which does not vary as a function of memory load. These results are consistent with a general impairment in WM capacity in these patients.

AB - Background: Working memory (WM) tasks usually elicit a P300 ERP component, whose amplitude decreases with increasing WM load. So far, this effect has not been studied in schizophrenics (SZs), a group that is considered to have an aberrant brain connectivity and impairments in WM capacity. The aim of this study was to determine the dependency of the P300 component on WM load in a sample of SZ subjects.Methods: We recorded 26 subjects (13 SZ patients and their matched controls) with an 80-channel electroencephalogram. Subjects performed an N-back task, a WM paradigm that manipulates the number of items to be stored in memory.Results: In healthy subjects, P300 amplitude was highest in the low WM load condition, and lowest in both the attentional control condition and the high WM load condition. In contrast, SZs evidenced low P300 amplitude in all conditions. A significant between group difference in P300 amplitude was evidenced only at the low WM load condition (1 -back), being smaller in SZs.Conclusions: SZ subjects display a lower than normal P300 amplitude, which does not vary as a function of memory load. These results are consistent with a general impairment in WM capacity in these patients.

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P300 amplitude is insensitive to working memory load in schizophrenia

Abstract

Bibliographical note

ASJC Scopus subject areas

UN SDGs

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