Background
N100 evoked potential amplitude and gating abnormalities have been widely observed
in schizophrenia patients. However, previous studies have been inconclusive as to
whether similar deficits are present in unaffected family members. The Consortium
on the Genetics of Schizophrenia (COGS) is a multisite National Institute of Mental
Health (NIMH) initiative examining neurocognitive and neurophysiological measures
as endophenotypes for genetic studies of schizophrenia. We report initial results
from the COGS dataset of auditory N100 amplitude and gating as candidate endophenotypes.
Methods
Evoked potential data were acquired from 142 schizophrenia probands, 373 unaffected
first-degree relatives, and 221 community comparison subjects (CCS), using an auditory
paired-click stimulation paradigm. Amplitude of the N100 response to each click and
the click 2/click 1 ratio were dependent variables. Heritability was estimated based
on kinships using Solar v.2.1.2. Group differences were examined after subjects were
categorized as either “broad” or “narrow,” based on the presence (broad) or absence
(narrow) of nonpsychotic psychiatric comorbidity.
Results
Heritability estimates were .40 and .29 for click1 and click2 amplitudes and .22 for
the ratio. Broad and narrow patients both had impaired click 1 amplitudes. Broad relatives,
but not narrow relatives, exhibited similar impairments. There were no group differences
for either click 2 amplitude or the gating ratio.
Conclusions
N100 amplitude is a heritable measure that is abnormal in patients and a subset of
relatives for whom psychiatric comorbidity may be a genetically associated phenotype.
Auditory N100 gating, although heritable, is less viable as a schizophrenia endophenotype.
Key Words
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: August 14, 2008
Accepted:
June 30,
2008
Received in revised form:
June 5,
2008
Received:
March 18,
2008
Identification
Copyright
© 2008 Society of Biological Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
