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Christofalos AL, Laks M, Wolfer S, Dias EC, Javitt DC, Sheridan H. Lower-level oculomotor deficits in schizophrenia during multi-line reading: Evidence from return-sweeps. Q J Exp Psychol (Hove) 2024; 77:1533-1543. [PMID: 38053311 PMCID: PMC11214805 DOI: 10.1177/17470218231220752] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/07/2023]
Abstract
Reading fluency deficits in schizophrenia (Sz) have been attributed to dysfunction in both lower-level, oculomotor processing and higher-level, lexical processing, according to the two-hit deficit model. Given that prior work examining reading deficits in individuals with Sz has primarily focused on single-line and single-word reading tasks, eye movements that are unique to passage reading, such as return-sweep saccades, have not yet been examined in Sz. Return-sweep saccades are large eye movements that are made when readers move from the end of one line to the beginning of the next line during natural passage reading. Examining return-sweeps provides an opportunity to examine lower-level, oculomotor deficits during reading under circumstances when upcoming higher-level, lexical information is not available for visual processing because visual acuity constraints do not permit detailed lexical processing of line-initial words when return-sweeps are programmed. To examine the source of reading deficits in Sz, we analysed an existing data set in which participants read multi-line passages with manipulations to line spacing. Readers with Sz made significantly more return-sweep targeting errors followed by corrective saccades compared with healthy controls. Both groups showed similar effects of line spacing on return-sweep targeting accuracy, suggesting similar sensitivities to visual crowding during reading. Furthermore, the patterns of fixation durations in readers with Sz corroborate prior work indicating reduced parafoveal processing of upcoming words. Together, these findings suggest that lower-level visual and oculomotor dysfunction contribute to reading deficits in Sz, providing support for the two-hit deficit model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andriana L Christofalos
- Department of Psychology, University at Albany, State University of New York, Albany, NY, USA
| | - Madison Laks
- Department of Psychology, University at Albany, State University of New York, Albany, NY, USA
| | - Stephanie Wolfer
- Program in Cognitive Neuroscience and Schizophrenia, Schizophrenia Research Division, Nathan S. Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY, USA
| | - Elisa C Dias
- Program in Cognitive Neuroscience and Schizophrenia, Schizophrenia Research Division, Nathan S. Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Daniel C Javitt
- Program in Cognitive Neuroscience and Schizophrenia, Schizophrenia Research Division, Nathan S. Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY, USA
- Division of Experimental Therapeutics, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Heather Sheridan
- Department of Psychology, University at Albany, State University of New York, Albany, NY, USA
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Whitford V, Byers N, O'Driscoll GA, Titone D. Eye movements and the perceptual span in disordered reading: A comparison of schizophrenia and dyslexia. Schizophr Res Cogn 2023; 34:100289. [PMID: 37435364 PMCID: PMC10331593 DOI: 10.1016/j.scog.2023.100289] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2023] [Revised: 06/16/2023] [Accepted: 06/20/2023] [Indexed: 07/13/2023]
Abstract
Increasing evidence of a common neurodevelopmental etiology between schizophrenia and developmental dyslexia suggests that neurocognitive functions, such as reading, may be similarly disrupted. However, direct comparisons of reading performance in these disorders have yet to be conducted. To address this gap in the literature, we employed a gaze-contingent moving window paradigm to examine sentence-level reading fluency and perceptual span (breadth of parafoveal processing) in adults with schizophrenia (dataset from Whitford et al., 2013) and psychiatrically healthy adults with dyslexia (newly collected dataset). We found that the schizophrenia and dyslexia groups exhibited similar reductions in sentence-level reading fluency (e.g., slower reading rates, more regressions) compared to matched controls. Similar reductions were also found for standardized language/reading and executive functioning measures. However, despite these reductions, the dyslexia group exhibited a larger perceptual span (greater parafoveal processing) than the schizophrenia group, potentially reflecting a disruption in normal foveal-parafoveal processing dynamics. Taken together, our findings suggest that reading and reading-related functions are largely similarly disrupted in schizophrenia and dyslexia, providing additional support for a common neurodevelopmental etiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Veronica Whitford
- Department of Psychology, University of New Brunswick, 38 Dineen Drive, Fredericton, New Brunswick, E3B 5A3, Canada
| | - Narissa Byers
- Department of Psychology, University of New Brunswick, 38 Dineen Drive, Fredericton, New Brunswick, E3B 5A3, Canada
| | - Gillian A. O'Driscoll
- Department of Psychology, McGill University, 2001 Avenue McGill College, Montréal, Québec, H3A 1G1, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, 1003 Avenue des Pins Ouest, Montréal, Québec, H3A 1A1, Canada
- Douglas Mental Health University Institute, 6875 Boulevard LaSalle, Verdun, Québec, H4H 1R3, Canada
- Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital, 3801 Rue University, Montréal, Québec, H3A 2B4, Canada
- Department of Neurology & Neurosurgery, McGill University, 1003 Avenue des Pins Ouest, Montréal, Québec, H3A 1A1, Canada
| | - Debra Titone
- Department of Psychology, McGill University, 2001 Avenue McGill College, Montréal, Québec, H3A 1G1, Canada
- Centre for Research on Brain, Language and Music, 3640 Rue de la Montagne, Montréal, Québec, H3G 2A8, Canada
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Sehatpour P, Kreither J, Lopez-Calderon J, Shastry AM, De Baun HM, Martinez A, Javitt DC. Network-level mechanisms underlying effects of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on visuomotor learning in schizophrenia. Transl Psychiatry 2023; 13:360. [PMID: 37993420 PMCID: PMC10665365 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-023-02656-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2023] [Revised: 10/24/2023] [Accepted: 11/07/2023] [Indexed: 11/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Motor learning is a fundamental skill to our daily lives. Dysfunction in motor performance in schizophrenia (Sz) has been associated with poor social and functional outcomes. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), a non-invasive electrical brain stimulation approach, can influence underlying brain function with potential for improving motor learning in Sz. We used a well-established Serial Reaction Time Task (SRTT) to study motor learning, in combination with simultaneous tDCS and EEG recording, to investigate mechanisms of motor and procedural learning deficits in Sz, and to develop refined non-invasive brain stimulation approaches to improve neurocognitive dysfunction. We recruited 27 individuals with Sz and 21 healthy controls (HC). Individuals performed the SRTT task as they received sham and active tDCS with simultaneous EEG recording. Reaction time (RT), neuropsychological, and measures of global functioning were assessed. SRTT performance was significantly impaired in Sz and showed significant correlations with motor-related and working memory measures as well as global function. Source-space time-frequency decomposition of EEG showed beta-band coherence across supplementary-motor, primary-motor and visual cortex forming a network involved in SRTT performance. Motor-cathodal and visual-cathodal stimulations resulted in significant modulation in coherence particularly across the motor-visual nodes of the network accompanied by significant improvement in motor learning in both controls and patients. Here, we confirm earlier reports of SRTT impairment in Sz and demonstrate significant reversal of the deficits with tDCS. The findings support continued development of tDCS for enhancement of plasticity-based interventions in Sz, as well as source-space EEG analytic approaches for evaluating underlying neural mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pejman Sehatpour
- Division of Experimental Therapeutics, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA.
- Schizophrenia Research Division, Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY, USA.
| | - Johanna Kreither
- PIA Ciencias Cognitivas, Centro de Investigación en Ciencias Cognitivas, Facultad de Psicología, and Laboratorio de Neurofisiología, Escuela de Medicina, Universidad de Talca, Talca, Chile
| | | | - Adithya M Shastry
- Division of Experimental Therapeutics, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Heloise M De Baun
- Division of Experimental Therapeutics, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Antigona Martinez
- Division of Experimental Therapeutics, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
- Schizophrenia Research Division, Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY, USA
| | - Daniel C Javitt
- Division of Experimental Therapeutics, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA.
- Schizophrenia Research Division, Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY, USA.
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Javitt D, Sehatpour P, Kreither J, Lopez-Calderon J, Shastry A, De-Baun H, Martinez A. Network-level mechanisms underlying effects of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on visuomotor learning impairments in schizophrenia. RESEARCH SQUARE 2023:rs.3.rs-2711867. [PMID: 37066410 PMCID: PMC10104242 DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-2711867/v1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/18/2023]
Abstract
Motor learning is a fundamental skill to our daily lives. Dysfunction in motor performance in schizophrenia (Sz) is associated with poor social and functional outcomes, but nevertheless remains understudied relative to other neurocognitive domains. Moreover, transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) can influence underlying brain function in Sz and may be especially useful in enhancing local cortical plasticity, but underlying neural mechanisms remain incompletely understood. Here, we evaluated performance of Sz individuals on the Serial Reaction Time Task (SRTT), which has been extensively used in prior tDCS research, in combination with concurrent tDCS and EEG source localization first to evaluate the integrity of visuomotor learning in Sz relative to other cognitive domains and second to investigate underlying neural mechanisms. Twenty-seven individuals with Sz and 21 healthy controls (HC) performed the SRTT task as they received sham or active tDCS and simultaneous EEG recording. Measures of motor, neuropsychological and global functioning were also assessed. Impaired SRTT performance correlated significantly with deficits in motor performance, working memory, and global functioning. Time-frequency ("Beamformer") EEG source localization showed beta-band coherence across supplementary-motor, primary-motor and visual cortex regions, with reduced visuomotor coherence in Sz relative to HC. Cathodal tDCS targeting both visual and motor regions resulted in significant modulation in coherence particularly across the motor-visual nodes of the network accompanied by significant improvement in motor learning in both controls and patients. Overall, these findings demonstrate the utility of the SRTT to study mechanisms of visuomotor impairment in Sz and demonstrate significant tDCS effects on both learning and connectivity when applied over either visual or motor regions. The findings support continued study of dysfunctional dorsal-stream visual connectivity and motor plasticity as components of cognitive impairment in Sz, of local tDCS administration for enhancement of plasticity, and of source-space EEG-based biomarkers for evaluation of underlying neural mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Javitt
- Columbia University Medical Center/Nathan Kline Institute
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Javitt DC, Martinez A, Sehatpour P, Beloborodova A, Habeck C, Gazes Y, Bermudez D, Razlighi QR, Devanand DP, Stern Y. Disruption of early visual processing in amyloid-positive healthy individuals and mild cognitive impairment. Alzheimers Res Ther 2023; 15:42. [PMID: 36855162 PMCID: PMC9972790 DOI: 10.1186/s13195-023-01189-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2022] [Accepted: 02/12/2023] [Indexed: 03/02/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Amyloid deposition is a primary predictor of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and related neurodegenerative disorders. Retinal changes involving the structure and function of the ganglion cell layer are increasingly documented in both established and prodromal AD. Visual event-related potentials (vERP) are sensitive to dysfunction in the magno- and parvocellular visual systems, which originate within the retinal ganglion cell layer. The present study evaluates vERP as a function of amyloid deposition in aging, and in mild cognitive impairment (MCI). METHODS vERP to stimulus-onset, motion-onset, and alpha-frequency steady-state (ssVEP) stimuli were obtained from 16 amyloid-positive and 41 amyloid-negative healthy elders and 15 MCI individuals and analyzed using time-frequency approaches. Social cognition was assessed in a subset of individuals using The Awareness of Social Inference Test (TASIT). RESULTS Neurocognitively intact but amyloid-positive participants and MCI individuals showed significant deficits in stimulus-onset (theta) and motion-onset (delta) vERP generation relative to amyloid-negative participants (all p < .01). Across healthy elders, a composite index of these measures correlated highly (r = - .52, p < .001) with amyloid standardized uptake value ratios (SUVR) and TASIT performance. A composite index composed of vERP measures significant differentiated amyloid-positive and amyloid-negative groups with an overall classification accuracy of > 70%. DISCUSSION vERP may assist in the early detection of amyloid deposition among older individuals without observable neurocognitive impairments and in linking previously documented retinal deficits in both prodromal AD and MCI to behavioral impairments in social cognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel C Javitt
- Division of Experimental Therapeutics, Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, 1051 Riverside Drive, Unit 21, New York, NY, 10032, USA.
- Division of Schizophrenia Research, Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY, 10962, USA.
| | - Antigona Martinez
- Division of Experimental Therapeutics, Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, 1051 Riverside Drive, Unit 21, New York, NY, 10032, USA
- Division of Schizophrenia Research, Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY, 10962, USA
| | - Pejman Sehatpour
- Division of Experimental Therapeutics, Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, 1051 Riverside Drive, Unit 21, New York, NY, 10032, USA
- Division of Schizophrenia Research, Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY, 10962, USA
| | - Anna Beloborodova
- Division of Experimental Therapeutics, Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, 1051 Riverside Drive, Unit 21, New York, NY, 10032, USA
| | - Christian Habeck
- Cognitive Neuroscience Division, Department of Neurology, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY, 10032, USA
| | - Yunglin Gazes
- Cognitive Neuroscience Division, Department of Neurology, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY, 10032, USA
| | - Dalton Bermudez
- Division of Schizophrenia Research, Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY, 10962, USA
| | - Qolamreza R Razlighi
- Quantitative Neuroimaging Laboratory, Department of Radiology, Weill Cornell Medicine, Brain Health Image Institute, New York, NY, 10065, USA
| | - D P Devanand
- Area Brain Aging and Mental Health, Columbia University Irving Medical Center/New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, 10032, USA
| | - Yaakov Stern
- Cognitive Neuroscience Division, Department of Neurology, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY, 10032, USA
- Area Brain Aging and Mental Health, Columbia University Irving Medical Center/New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, 10032, USA
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Javitt DC. Cognitive Impairment Associated with Schizophrenia: From Pathophysiology to Treatment. Annu Rev Pharmacol Toxicol 2023; 63:119-141. [PMID: 36151052 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-pharmtox-051921-093250] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Cognitive impairment is a core feature of schizophrenia and a major contributor to poor functional outcomes. Methods for assessment of cognitive dysfunction in schizophrenia are now well established. In addition, there has been increasing appreciation in recent years of the additional role of social cognitive impairment in driving functional outcomes and of the contributions of sensory-level dysfunction to higher-order impairments. At the neurochemical level, acute administration of N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) antagonists reproduces the pattern of neurocognitive dysfunction associated with schizophrenia, encouraging the development of treatments targeted at both NMDAR and its interactome. At the local-circuit level, an auditory neurophysiological measure, mismatch negativity, has emerged both as a veridical index of NMDAR dysfunction and excitatory/inhibitory imbalance in schizophrenia and as a critical biomarker for early-stage translational drug development. Although no compounds have yet been approved for treatment of cognitive impairment associated with schizophrenia, several candidates are showing promise in early-phase testing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel C Javitt
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA; .,Schizophrenia Research Division, Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, New York, USA
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Hoptman MJ, Tural U, Lim KO, Javitt DC, Oberlin LE. Relationships between Diffusion Tensor Imaging and Resting State Functional Connectivity in Patients with Schizophrenia and Healthy Controls: A Preliminary Study. Brain Sci 2022; 12:brainsci12020156. [PMID: 35203920 PMCID: PMC8870342 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci12020156] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2021] [Revised: 01/02/2022] [Accepted: 01/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Schizophrenia is widely seen as a disorder of dysconnectivity. Neuroimaging studies have examined both structural and functional connectivity in the disorder, but these modalities have rarely been integrated directly. We scanned 29 patients with schizophrenia and 25 healthy control subjects, and we acquired resting state fMRI and diffusion tensor imaging. We used the Functional and Tractographic Connectivity Analysis Toolbox (FATCAT) to estimate functional and structural connectivity of the default mode network. Correlations between modalities were investigated, and multimodal connectivity scores (MCS) were created using principal component analysis. Of the 28 possible region pairs, 9 showed consistent (>80%) tracts across participants. Correlations between modalities were found among those with schizophrenia for the prefrontal cortex, posterior cingulate, and lateral temporal lobes, with frontal and parietal regions, consistent with frontotemporoparietal network involvement in the disorder. In patients, MCS correlated with several aspects of the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale, with higher multimodal connectivity associated with outward-directed (externalizing) behavior and lower multimodal connectivity related to psychosis per se. In this preliminary sample, we found FATCAT to be a useful toolbox to directly integrate and examine connectivity between imaging modalities. A consideration of conjoint structural and functional connectivity can provide important information about the network mechanisms of schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew J. Hoptman
- Clinical Research Division, Nathan S. Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY 10962, USA;
- Department of Psychiatry, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
- Correspondence: or ; Tel.: +1-845-398-6569
| | - Umit Tural
- Clinical Research Division, Nathan S. Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY 10962, USA;
| | - Kelvin O. Lim
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55454, USA;
| | - Daniel C. Javitt
- Schizophrenia Research Division, Nathan S. Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY 10962, USA; or
- Division of Experimental Therapeutics, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Lauren E. Oberlin
- Department of Psychiatry, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10065, USA;
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Wen M, Dong Z, Zhang L, Li B, Zhang Y, Li K. Depression and Cognitive Impairment: Current Understanding of Its Neurobiology and Diagnosis. Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat 2022; 18:2783-2794. [PMID: 36471744 PMCID: PMC9719265 DOI: 10.2147/ndt.s383093] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2022] [Accepted: 11/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Eye movement is critical for obtaining precise visual information and providing sensorimotor processes and advanced cognitive functions to the brain behavioral indicator. METHODS In this article, we present a narrative review of the eye-movement paradigms (such as fixation, smooth pursuit eye movements, and memory-guided saccade tasks) in major depression. RESULTS Characteristics of eye movement are considered to reflect several aspects of cognitive deficits regarded as an aid to diagnosis. Findings regarding depressive disorders showed differences from the healthy population in paradigms, the characteristics of eye movement may reflect cognitive deficits in depression. Neuroimaging studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of different eye movement paradigms for MDD screening. CONCLUSION Depression can be distinguished from other mental illnesses based on eye movements. Eye movement reflects cognitive deficits that can help diagnose depression, and it can make the entire diagnostic process more accurate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Min Wen
- School of Psychology and Mental Health, North China University of Science and Technology, Tangshan, People's Republic of China.,Hebei Provincial Mental Health Center, Baoding, People's Republic of China.,Hebei Provincial Key Laboratory of Major Mental and Behavioral Disorders, Baoding, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhen Dong
- Hebei Provincial Mental Health Center, Baoding, People's Republic of China
| | - Lili Zhang
- Hebei Provincial Mental Health Center, Baoding, People's Republic of China
| | - Bing Li
- Hebei Provincial Mental Health Center, Baoding, People's Republic of China.,Hebei Provincial Key Laboratory of Major Mental and Behavioral Disorders, Baoding, People's Republic of China
| | - Yunshu Zhang
- Hebei Provincial Mental Health Center, Baoding, People's Republic of China.,Hebei Provincial Key Laboratory of Major Mental and Behavioral Disorders, Baoding, People's Republic of China
| | - Keqing Li
- Hebei Provincial Mental Health Center, Baoding, People's Republic of China.,Hebei Provincial Key Laboratory of Major Mental and Behavioral Disorders, Baoding, People's Republic of China
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Scott KJ, Tashakori-Sabzevar F, Bilkey DK. Maternal immune activation alters the sequential structure of ultrasonic communications in male rats. Brain Behav Immun Health 2021; 16:100304. [PMID: 34589796 PMCID: PMC8474666 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbih.2021.100304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2021] [Revised: 06/16/2021] [Accepted: 07/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Maternal immune activation (MIA) is a risk factor for schizophrenia and many of the symptoms and neurodevelopmental changes associated with this disorder have been modelled in the rodent. While several previous studies have reported that rodent ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) are affected by MIA, no previous study has examined whether MIA affects the way that individual USVs occur over time to produce vocalisation sequences. The sequential aspect of this behaviour may be particularly important because changes in sequencing mechanisms have been proposed as a core deficit in schizophrenia. The present research generates MIA with POLY I:C administered to pregnant Sprague-Dawley rat dams at GD15. Male pairs of MIA adult offspring or pairs of their saline controls were placed into a two-chamber apparatus where they were separated from each other by a perforated plexiglass barrier. USVs were recorded for a period of 10 min and automated detection and call review were used to classify short call types in the nominal 50 kHz band of social affiliative calls. Our data show that the duration of these 50-kHz USVs is longer in MIA rat pairs and the time between calls is shorter. Furthermore, the transition probability between call pairs was different in the MIA animals compared to the control group, indicating alterations in sequential behaviour. These results provide the first evidence that USV call sequencing is altered by the MIA intervention and suggest that further investigations of these temporally extended aspects of USV production are likely to reveal useful information about the mechanisms that underlie sequence generation. This is particularly important given previous research suggesting that sequencing deficits may have a significant impact on both behaviour and cognition.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - David K. Bilkey
- Department of Psychology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
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