Abstract
BackgroundAbnormalities in dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) oscillations are neurophysiological signatures of schizophrenia thought to underlie its cognitive deficits. Transcranial magnetic stimulation with electroencephalography (EEG) provides a measure of cortical oscillations unaffected by sensory relay functionality and/or patients’ level of engagement, which are important confounding factors in schizophrenia. Previous transcranial magnetic stimulation–EEG work showed reduced fast, gamma-range oscillations and a slowing of the main DLPFC oscillatory frequency, or natural frequency, in chronic schizophrenia. However, it is unclear whether this DLPFC natural frequency slowing is present in early-course schizophrenia (EC-SCZ) and is associated with symptom severity and cognitive dysfunction. MethodsWe applied transcranial magnetic stimulation–EEG to the left DLPFC in 30 individuals with EC-SCZ and 28 healthy control participants. Goal-directed working memory performance was assessed using the “AX” Continuous Performance Task. The EEG frequency with the highest cumulative power at the stimulation site, or natural frequency, was extracted. We also calculated the local relative spectral power as the average power in each frequency band divided by the broadband power. ResultsCompared with the healthy control group, the EC-SCZ group had reduced DLPFC natural frequency (p = .0000002, Cohen’s d = −2.32) and higher DLPFC beta-range relative spectral power (p = .0003, Cohen’s d = 0.77). In the EC-SCZ group, the DLPFC natural frequency was inversely associated with negative symptoms. Across all participants, the beta band relative spectral power negatively correlated with AX–Continuous Performance Task performance. ConclusionsDLPFC oscillatory slowing is an early pathophysiological biomarker of schizophrenia that is associated with its symptom severity and cognitive impairments. Future work should assess whether noninvasive neurostimulation can ameliorate prefrontal oscillatory deficits and related clinical functions in patients with EC-SCZ.
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