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Genetic and Disorder-Specific Aspects of Resting State EEG Abnormalities in Schizophrenia

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Check out this Knowledge Base article from StressTherapy Solutions: Genetic and Disorder-Specific Aspects of Resting State EEG Abnormalities in Schizophrenia.

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Study at a glance

Area
Other research
Study type
Observational study
Authors
Venables NC, Bernat EM, Sponheim SR
Journal
Schizophrenia Bulletin
Year
2008
Protocol
resting EEG with COMT genotyping

Key findings

  • Schizophrenia patients and their first-degree relatives showed increased beta activity; bipolar patients and their relatives did not
  • Increased delta and theta appeared in schizophrenia patients but generally not in bipolar patients or either relative group
  • The COMT Val158Met polymorphism was most strongly associated with delta and theta in schizophrenia patients, with Met homozygotes showing more low-frequency activity than controls
  • Excess frontal beta is proposed as an endophenotype of genetic vulnerability for schizophrenia

DOI 10.1093/schbul/sbn021 → PubMed 18381357 →

This study tested whether abnormal resting EEG in schizophrenia reflects inherited risk by also recording first-degree relatives, and whether it is specific by including bipolar disorder patients and their relatives. Schizophrenia patients and their relatives, but not the bipolar groups, showed excess high-frequency beta activity, while only schizophrenia patients showed increased slow delta and theta activity. A variant of the catechol-O-methyl transferase (COMT) gene was linked to slow-wave activity in patients. The authors suggest excess frontal beta may mark genetic vulnerability to schizophrenia.