Association of intracortical inhibition with social cognition deficits in schizophrenia: Findings from a transcranial magnetic stimulation study

• Published in: Schizophrenia research Vol. 158; no. 1; pp. 146 - 150
• Main Authors: Mehta, Urvakhsh Meherwan, Thirthalli, Jagadisha, Basavaraju, Rakshathi, Gangadhar, Bangalore N
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier B.V 01.09.2014
• Subjects: Antipsychotic Agents - therapeutic use; Antipsychotics; Cerebral Cortex - drug effects; Cerebral Cortex - physiopathology; Cognition - drug effects; Cognition - physiology; Cortical inhibition; GABA; Humans; Linear Models; Neurobiology; Neuropsychological Tests; Psychiatry; Psychosis; Schizophrenia - drug therapy; Schizophrenia - physiopathology; Social cognition; Social Perception; Time Factors; Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation - methods; Psychosis; GABA; Cortical inhibition; Antipsychotics; Neurobiology; Social cognition
• ISSN: 0920-9964; 1573-2509
• DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2014.06.043

Abstract Abnormal cortical-inhibition has been hypothesized to underlie social-cognition deficits in schizophrenia. Studies using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) as a neurophysiological probe have demonstrated cortical-inhibition deficits in this group. We compared TMS-measured short- and long-interval intracortical-inhibition (SICI & LICI) in antipsychotic-naïve (n = 33) and medicated (n = 21) schizophrenia patients and in healthy comparison subjects (n = 45). We also studied the association between cortical-inhibition and social-cognition deficits in the patients. Antipsychotic-naïve patients had significant deficits in SICI (i.e., less inhibitory response). In this group, SICI had significant inverse correlations with emotion processing and a global social-cognition score. Impaired intracortical-inhibition may thus contribute to social-cognition deficits in schizophrenia.