Vollenweider Csomor

Fakultäten » Medizinische Fakultät » Psychiatrische Universitätsklinik » Psychiatrie, Psychotherapie und Psychosomatik, Klinik für » Prof. Dr. Daniel Hell (emeritiert) » Vollenweider Csomor

Completed research project

Title / Titel	Multimodal approach to identify endophenotypes in first episode schizophrenia patients using PPI and P50-suppression in combination with functional imaging (EEG-ERP-LORETA)
PDF	Abstract (PDF, 14 KB)
Summary / Zusammenfassung	In accordance with recent findings, we propose the hypothesis that positive and cognitive symptoms of schizophrenia stem from early information processing deficits leading to the inability to inhibit or gate extraneous stimuli rising to the cortex and to attend to salient features of the environment. Two paradigms designed to assess central inhibition or gating are prepulse inhibition (PPI) of the acoustic startle response and p50-suppression of auditory event-related potential. Evidence indicates that PPI and P50 gating may be linked to different neuronal networks including fronto-limbic-striato-thalamic pathways, a trend the current work will assess through subgrouping of patients according to PPI and P50 suppression deficiencies and correlative analysis with both psychopatholgic and neuropsychological profiles. Secondarily, we will assess the finding that some groups have reported showing selectively better improvement in clinical status and gating deficits with atypical compared to typical antipsychotic treatment. The study will provide novel insight into the relationship between PPI and P50 suppression deficits in first-break unmedicated schizophrenics and how such deficits correlate with symptomatology and medication-related improvements in clinical condition. Through concomitant high density EEG measures, the understanding of the electrophysiological bases of sensory gating phenomena (P50 suppression, PPI) and their derangement in schizophrenia may be significantly furthered.
Publications / Publikationen	Csomor PA, Yee BK, Feldon J, Theodoridou A, Studerus E, Vollenweider FX (2007): Impaired prepulse inhibition and prepulse elicited reactivity but intact reflex circuit excitability in unmedicated schizophrenia patients: a comparison with healthy subjects and medicated schizophrenia patients. Schizophrenia Bulletin (in press).
Keywords / Suchbegriffe	Information processing,prepulse inhibition (PPI),P50 suppression, EEG,ERP,LORETA,first-episode schizophrenia,atypical antipsychotics
Project leadership and contacts / Projektleitung und Kontakte	Prof.Dr. F.X. Vollenweider (Project Leader) vollen@bli.uzh.ch Dr. Philipp Csomor (Project Leader) philipp.csomor@bli.uzh.ch
Funding source(s) / Unterstützt durch	Foundation NARSAD (USA), Stiftung für Klinische Neuro-Psychiatrische Forschung,Bern
In collaboration with / In Zusammenarbeit mit	Prof. J. Feldon, Laboratory of Behavioural Neurobiology, ETH Zurich Switzerland Prof. M. Geyer, Dept. of Psychiatry, UC San Diego United States IPD Brugg, CA Dr. M. Etzensberger IPD Winterthur, CA Dr. A. Andrea und LA Dr. T. Bertel Switzerland
Duration of Project / Projektdauer	Oct 2004 to Dec 2008