Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology
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Neuropsychopharmacology · Apr 2004
P50 sensory gating in adolescents from a pacific island isolate with elevated risk for schizophrenia.
Gating or inhibition of the P50 auditory evoked potential is a heritable neurobiological trait that has shown strong potential to serve as an endophenotype for schizophrenia. P50 sensory gating deficits have been found repeatedly in schizophrenic patients and in their unaffected first-degree relatives. P50 sensory gating has not yet been studied in high-risk (HR) offspring nor in prodromal adolescents. ⋯ Our findings suggest that P50 deficits are associated with the presence of prodromal symptoms, regardless of genetic risk. The results are consistent with the hypothesis that genetic liability in HR offspring increases risk for prodromal symptoms, and prodromal symptoms, in turn, increase risk for impaired sensory gating.