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Barnes SA, Dillon DG, Young JW, Thomas ML, Faget L, Yoo JH, Der-Avakian A, Hnasko TS, Geyer MA, Ramanathan DS. Modulation of ventromedial orbitofrontal cortical glutamatergic activity affects the explore-exploit balance and influences value-based decision-making. Cereb Cortex 2023; 33:5783-5796. [PMID: 36472411 PMCID: PMC10183731 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhac459] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2022] [Revised: 10/26/2022] [Accepted: 10/27/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The balance between exploration and exploitation is essential for decision-making. The present study investigated the role of ventromedial orbitofrontal cortex (vmOFC) glutamate neurons in mediating value-based decision-making by first using optogenetics to manipulate vmOFC glutamate activity in rats during a probabilistic reversal learning (PRL) task. Rats that received vmOFC activation during informative feedback completed fewer reversals and exhibited reduced reward sensitivity relative to rats. Analysis with a Q-learning computational model revealed that increased vmOFC activity did not affect the learning rate but instead promoted maladaptive exploration. By contrast, vmOFC inhibition increased the number of completed reversals and increased exploitative behavior. In a separate group of animals, calcium activity of vmOFC glutamate neurons was recorded using fiber photometry. Complementing our results above, we found that suppression of vmOFC activity during the latter part of rewarded trials was associated with improved PRL performance, greater win-stay responding and selecting the correct choice on the next trial. These data demonstrate that excessive vmOFC activity during reward feedback disrupted value-based decision-making by increasing the maladaptive exploration of lower-valued options. Our findings support the premise that pharmacological interventions that normalize aberrant vmOFC glutamate activity during reward feedback processing may attenuate deficits in value-based decision-making.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel A Barnes
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Dr, La Jolla, CA 92093, United States
- Department of Mental Health, VA San Diego Healthcare System, 3350 La Jolla Village Dr, La Jolla, CA 92093, United States
| | - Daniel G Dillon
- Center for Depression, Anxiety and Stress Research, McLean Hospital, 115 Mill St, Belmont, MA 02478, United States
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, 401 Park Drive, Boston, MA 02115, United States
| | - Jared W Young
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Dr, La Jolla, CA 92093, United States
- Department of Mental Health, VA San Diego Healthcare System, 3350 La Jolla Village Dr, La Jolla, CA 92093, United States
| | - Michael L Thomas
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Dr, La Jolla, CA 92093, United States
- Department of Psychology, 1876 Campus Delivery, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, United States
| | - Lauren Faget
- Department of Neurosciences, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Dr, La Jolla, CA 92093, United States
| | - Ji Hoon Yoo
- Department of Neurosciences, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Dr, La Jolla, CA 92093, United States
| | - Andre Der-Avakian
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Dr, La Jolla, CA 92093, United States
| | - Thomas S Hnasko
- Department of Neurosciences, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Dr, La Jolla, CA 92093, United States
- Research Service, VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA, 92161, United States
| | - Mark A Geyer
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Dr, La Jolla, CA 92093, United States
- Department of Mental Health, VA San Diego Healthcare System, 3350 La Jolla Village Dr, La Jolla, CA 92093, United States
| | - Dhakshin S Ramanathan
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Dr, La Jolla, CA 92093, United States
- Department of Mental Health, VA San Diego Healthcare System, 3350 La Jolla Village Dr, La Jolla, CA 92093, United States
- Center of Excellence for Stress and Mental Health, VA San Diego Healthcare System, 3350 La Jolla Village Dr, La Jolla, CA 92093, United States
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2
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Raucher-Chéné D, Lavigne KM, Lepage M. Episodic Memory and Schizophrenia: From Characterization of Relational Memory Impairments to Neuroimaging Biomarkers. Curr Top Behav Neurosci 2022; 63:115-136. [PMID: 35902545 DOI: 10.1007/7854_2022_379] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Episodic memory research in schizophrenia has a long history already which has clearly established significant impairments and strong associations with brain measures and functional outcome. The purpose of this chapter is not to make an exhaustive review of the recent literature but to highlight some relatively recent developments in the cognitive neuroscience field of episodic memory and schizophrenia. Hence, we present a contemporary view focusing specifically of relational memory which represents a form of episodic memory that refers to associations or binding among items or elements presented together. We describe the major tasks used and illustrate how their combination with brain imaging has: (1) favored the use of experimental memory tasks to isolate specific processes with specific neural correlates, (2) led to a distributed view of the neural correlates of memory impairments in schizophrenia where multiple regions are contributing, and (3) made possible the identification of fMRI biomarkers specific to episodic memory. We then briefly propose what we see as the next steps for memory research in schizophrenia so that the impact of this work can be maximized.
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Affiliation(s)
- Delphine Raucher-Chéné
- Cognition, Health, and Society Laboratory (EA 6291), University of Reims Champagne-Ardenne, Reims, France.,Academic Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital of Reims, EPSM Marne, Reims, France
| | - Katie M Lavigne
- Douglas Research Centre, Verdun, QC, Canada.,Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montréal, QC, Canada.,McGill Centre for Integrative Neuroscience, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
| | - Martin Lepage
- Douglas Research Centre, Verdun, QC, Canada. .,Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montréal, QC, Canada.
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3
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Pratt DN, Barch DM, Carter CS, Gold JM, Ragland JD, Silverstein SM, MacDonald AW. Reliability and Replicability of Implicit and Explicit Reinforcement Learning Paradigms in People With Psychotic Disorders. Schizophr Bull 2021; 47:731-739. [PMID: 33914891 PMCID: PMC8084427 DOI: 10.1093/schbul/sbaa165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Motivational deficits in people with psychosis may be a result of impairments in reinforcement learning (RL). Therefore, behavioral paradigms that can accurately measure these impairments and their change over time are essential. METHODS We examined the reliability and replicability of 2 RL paradigms (1 implicit and 1 explicit, each with positive and negative reinforcement components) given at 2 time points to healthy controls (n = 75), and people with bipolar disorder (n = 62), schizoaffective disorder (n = 60), and schizophrenia (n = 68). RESULTS Internal consistency was acceptable (mean α = 0.78 ± 0.15), but test-retest reliability was fair to low (mean intraclass correlation = 0.33 ± 0.25) for both implicit and explicit RL. There were no clear effects of practice for these tasks. Largely, performance on these tasks shows intact implicit and impaired explicit RL in psychosis. Symptom presentation did not relate to performance in any robust way. CONCLUSIONS Our findings replicate previous literature showing spared implicit RL and impaired explicit reinforcement in psychosis. This suggests typical basal ganglia dopamine release, but atypical recruitment of the orbitofrontal and dorsolateral prefrontal cortices. However, we found that these tasks have only fair to low test-retest reliability and thus may not be useful for assessing change over time in clinical trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danielle N Pratt
- Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
| | - Deanna M Barch
- Department of Psychology, Washington University, St. Louis, MO
| | - Cameron S Carter
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California at Davis, Davis, CA
| | - James M Gold
- Maryland Psychiatric Research Center, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - John D Ragland
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California at Davis, Davis, CA
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Avery SN, Armstrong K, McHugo M, Vandekar S, Blackford JU, Woodward ND, Heckers S. Relational Memory in the Early Stage of Psychosis: A 2-Year Follow-up Study. Schizophr Bull 2020; 47:75-86. [PMID: 32657351 PMCID: PMC7825006 DOI: 10.1093/schbul/sbaa081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Relational memory, the ability to bind information into complex memories, is moderately impaired in early psychosis and severely impaired in chronic schizophrenia, suggesting relational memory may worsen throughout the course of illness. METHODS We examined relational memory in 66 early psychosis patients and 64 healthy control subjects, with 59 patients and 52 control subjects assessed longitudinally at baseline and 2-year follow-up. Relational memory was assessed with 2 complementary tasks, to test how individuals learn relationships between items (face-scene binding task) and make inferences about trained relationships (associative inference task). RESULTS The early psychosis group showed impaired relational memory in both tasks relative to the healthy control group. The ability to learn relationships between items remained impaired in early psychosis patients, while the ability to make inferences about trained relationships improved, although never reaching the level of healthy control performance. Early psychosis patients who did not progress to schizophrenia at follow-up had better relational memory than patients who did. CONCLUSIONS Relational memory impairments, some of which improve and are less severe in patients who do not progress to schizophrenia, are a target for intervention in early psychosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suzanne N Avery
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN
| | - Kristan Armstrong
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN
| | - Maureen McHugo
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN
| | - Simon Vandekar
- Department of Biostatistics, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN
| | - Jennifer Urbano Blackford
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN,Department of Research and Development, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Nashville, TN
| | - Neil D Woodward
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN
| | - Stephan Heckers
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN,To whom correspondence should be addressed; Vanderbilt Psychiatric Hospital, 1601 23rd Avenue South, Room 3060, Nashville, TN 37212; tel: (615)-322-2665, fax: (615)-343-8400, e-mail:
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5
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Abstract
Episodic memory deficits are consistently documented as a core aspect of cognitive dysfunction in schizophrenia patients, present from the onset of the illness and strongly associated with functional disability. Over the past decade, research using approaches from experimental cognitive neuroscience revealed disproportionate episodic memory impairments in schizophrenia (Sz) under high cognitive demand relational encoding conditions and relatively unimpaired performance under item-specific encoding conditions. These specific deficits in component processes of episodic memory reflect impaired activation and connectivity within specific elements of frontal-medial temporal lobe circuits, with a central role for the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), relatively intact function of ventrolateral prefrontal cortex and variable results in the hippocampus. We propose that memory deficits can be understood within the broader context of cognitive deficits in Sz, where impaired DLPFC-related cognitive control has a broad impact across multiple cognitive domains. The therapeutic implications of these findings are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- JY Guo
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Imaging Research Center, University of California at Davis, Sacramento, CA, United States,Department of Psychology, Center for Neuroscience, University of California at Davis, Davis, CA, United States
| | - JD Ragland
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Imaging Research Center, University of California at Davis, Sacramento, CA, United States
| | - CS Carter
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Imaging Research Center, University of California at Davis, Sacramento, CA, United States,Department of Psychology, Center for Neuroscience, University of California at Davis, Davis, CA, United States
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Armstrong K, Avery S, Blackford JU, Woodward N, Heckers S. Impaired associative inference in the early stage of psychosis. Schizophr Res 2018; 202:86-90. [PMID: 29954698 PMCID: PMC6767612 DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2018.06.049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2018] [Revised: 06/10/2018] [Accepted: 06/19/2018] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Relational memory is impaired in chronic schizophrenia. It is unclear if similar deficits are already present in the early stage of psychosis. We used the Associative Inference Paradigm to test relational memory ability in the early stage of a non-affective psychotic disorder. Eighty-two early stage psychosis patients and 67 healthy control subjects were trained on 3 sets of 30 paired associates: H-F1 (house paired with face), H-F2 (same house paired with new face), F3-F4 (two new faces). Subjects who reached 80% recall accuracy of the paired associates during training were then tested for their ability to recall the previously seen pairs and solve a novel, inferential pairing F1-F2 (faces linked through association to same house). Sixty early psychosis patients (73%) and 67 healthy control subjects (100%) successfully reached the accuracy threshold (80%) during training and were included in the analysis of relational memory. The early stage psychosis patients showed less of an associative inference effect than the healthy controls (pair type by group interaction: F (1,125) = 5.04, p < 0.05). However, the majority of early psychosis patients (52%) displayed intact inferential memory, compared to our prior study which revealed just 16% of chronic schizophrenia patients had intact inferential memory. Patients in the early stage of psychosis show a relational memory deficit, although less pronounced than in chronic schizophrenia. Longitudinal studies are needed to examine the progression of relational memory deficits in schizophrenia and its associations with clinical, functional, and biological measures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristan Armstrong
- Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Nashville, TN, USA.
| | - Suzanne Avery
- Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Jenni U Blackford
- Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Neil Woodward
- Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Stephan Heckers
- Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Nashville, TN, USA
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7
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Xing B, Han G, Wang MJ, Snyder MA, Gao WJ. Juvenile treatment with mGluR2/3 agonist prevents schizophrenia-like phenotypes in adult by acting through GSK3β. Neuropharmacology 2018; 137:359-371. [PMID: 29793154 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2018.05.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2018] [Revised: 04/22/2018] [Accepted: 05/12/2018] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Prodromal memory deficits represent an important marker for the development of schizophrenia (SZ), in which glutamatergic hypofunction occurs in the prefrontal cortex (PFC). The mGluR2/3 agonist LY379268 (LY37) attenuates excitatory N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR)-induced neurotoxicity, a central pathological characteristic of glutamatergic hypofunction. We therefore hypothesized that early treatment with LY37 would rescue cognitive deficits and confer benefits for SZ-like behaviors in adults. To test this, we assessed whether early intervention with LY37 would improve learning outcomes in the Morris Water Maze for rats prenatally exposed to methylazoxymethanol acetate (MAM), a neurodevelopmental SZ model. We found that a medium dose of LY37 prevents learning deficits in MAM rats. These effects were mediated through postsynaptic mGluR2/3 via improving GluN2B-NMDAR function by inhibiting glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK3β). Furthermore, dendritic spine loss and learning and memory deficits observed in adult MAM rats were restored by juvenile LY37 treatment, which did not change prefrontal neuronal excitability and glutamatergic synaptic transmission in adult normal rats. Our results provide a mechanism for mGluR2/3 agonists against NMDAR hypofunction, which may prove to be beneficial in the prophylactic treatment of SZ.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bo Xing
- Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, 19129, PA, USA
| | - Genie Han
- Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, 19129, PA, USA
| | - Min-Juan Wang
- Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, 19129, PA, USA
| | - Melissa A Snyder
- Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, 19129, PA, USA
| | - Wen-Jun Gao
- Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, 19129, PA, USA.
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8
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Pratt JA, Morris B, Dawson N. Deconstructing Schizophrenia: Advances in Preclinical Models for Biomarker Identification. Curr Top Behav Neurosci 2018; 40:295-323. [PMID: 29721851 DOI: 10.1007/7854_2018_48] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Schizophrenia is considered to develop as a consequence of genetic and environmental factors impacting on brain neural systems and circuits during vulnerable neurodevelopmental periods, thereby resulting in symptoms in early adulthood. Understanding of the impact of schizophrenia risk factors on brain biology and behaviour can help in identifying biologically relevant pathways that are attractive for informing clinical studies and biomarker development. In this chapter, we emphasize the importance of adopting a reciprocal forward and reverse translation approach that is iteratively updated when additional new information is gained, either preclinically or clinically, for offering the greatest opportunity for discovering panels of biomarkers for the diagnosis, prognosis and treatment of schizophrenia. Importantly, biomarkers for identifying those at risk may inform early intervention strategies prior to the development of schizophrenia.Given the emerging nature of this approach in the field, this review will highlight recent research of preclinical biomarkers in schizophrenia that show the most promise for informing clinical needs with an emphasis on relevant imaging, electrophysiological, cognitive behavioural and biochemical modalities. The implementation of this reciprocal translational approach is exemplified firstly by the production and characterization of preclinical models based on the glutamate hypofunction hypothesis, genetic and environmental risk factors for schizophrenia (reverse translation), and then the recent clinical recognition of the thalamic reticular thalamus (TRN) as an important locus of brain dysfunction in schizophrenia as informed by preclinical findings (forward translation).
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Affiliation(s)
- Judith A Pratt
- Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK.
| | - Brian Morris
- Institute of Neuroscience and Psychology, College of Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - Neil Dawson
- Division of Biomedical and Life Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medicine, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK
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9
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Schifani C, Sukhanov I, Dorofeikova M, Bespalov A. Novel reinforcement learning paradigm based on response patterning under interval schedules of reinforcement. Behav Brain Res 2017; 331:276-281. [PMID: 28457882 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2017.04.043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2017] [Revised: 04/21/2017] [Accepted: 04/22/2017] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
There is a need to develop cognitive tasks that address valid neuropsychological constructs implicated in disease mechanisms and can be used in animals and humans to guide novel drug discovery. Present experiments aimed to characterize a novel reinforcement learning task based on a classical operant behavioral phenomenon observed in multiple species - differences in response patterning under variable (VI) vs fixed interval (FI) schedules of reinforcement. Wistar rats were trained to press a lever for food under VI30s and later weekly test sessions were introduced with reinforcement schedule switched to FI30s. During the FI30s test session, post-reinforcement pauses (PRPs) gradually grew towards the end of the session reaching 22-43% of the initial values. Animals could be retrained under VI30s conditions, and FI30s test sessions were repeated over a period of several months without appreciable signs of a practice effect. Administration of the non-competitive N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist MK-801 ((5S,10R)-(+)-5-Methyl-10,11-dihydro-5H-dibenzo[a,d]cyclohepten-5,10-imine maleate) prior to FI30s sessions prevented adjustment of PRPs associated with the change from VI to FI schedule. This effect was most pronounced at the highest tested dose of MK-801 and appeared to be independent of the effects of this dose on response rates. These results provide initial evidence for the possibility to use different response patterning under VI and FI schedules with equivalent reinforcement density for studying effects of drug treatment on reinforcement learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christin Schifani
- Department of Pharmacology, Neuroscience Research, AbbVie, Ludwigshafen, Germany.
| | - Ilya Sukhanov
- Institute of Pharmacology, Pavlov Medical University, St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - Mariia Dorofeikova
- Institute of Pharmacology, Pavlov Medical University, St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - Anton Bespalov
- Department of Pharmacology, Neuroscience Research, AbbVie, Ludwigshafen, Germany; Institute of Pharmacology, Pavlov Medical University, St. Petersburg, Russia
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10
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Gomar JJ, Ragland JD, Uluğ AM, Sousa A, Huey ED, Conejero-Goldberg C, Davies P, Goldberg TE. Differential medial temporal lobe morphometric predictors of item- and relational-encoded memories in healthy individuals and in individuals with mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease. ALZHEIMERS & DEMENTIA-TRANSLATIONAL RESEARCH & CLINICAL INTERVENTIONS 2017; 3:238-246. [PMID: 29067330 PMCID: PMC5651447 DOI: 10.1016/j.trci.2017.03.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/01/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Episodic memory processes are supported by different subregions of the medial temporal lobe (MTL). In contrast to a unitary model of memory recognition supported solely by the hippocampus, a current model suggests that item encoding engages perirhinal cortex, whereas relational encoding engages parahippocampal cortex and the hippocampus. However, this model has not been examined in the context of aging, neurodegeneration, and MTL morphometrics. METHODS Forty-four healthy subjects (HSs) and 18 cognitively impaired subjects (nine mild cognitive impairment [MCI] and nine Alzheimer's disease [AD] patients) were assessed with the relational and item-specific encoding task (RISE) and underwent 3T magnetic resonance imaging. The RISE assessed the differential contribution of relational and item-specific memory. FreeSurfer was used to obtain measures of cortical thickness of MTL regions and hippocampus volume. RESULTS Memory accuracies for both item and relational memory were significantly better in the HS group than in the MCI/AD group. In MCI/AD group, relational memory was disproportionately impaired. In HSs, hierarchical regressions demonstrated that memory was predicted by perirhinal thickness after item encoding, and by hippocampus volume after relational encoding (both at trend level) and significantly by parahippocampal thickness at associative recognition. The same brain morphometry profiles predicted memory accuracy in MCI/AD, although more robustly perirhinal thickness for item encoding (R2 = 0.31) and hippocampal volume and parahippocampal thickness for relational encoding (R2 = 0.31). DISCUSSION Our results supported a model of episodic memory in which item-specific encoding was associated with greater perirhinal cortical thickness, while relational encoding was associated with parahippocampal thickness and hippocampus volume. We identified these relationships not only in HSs but also in individuals with MCI and AD. In the subjects with cognitive impairment, reductions in hippocampal volume and impairments in relational memory were especially prominent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jesus J Gomar
- The Litwin-Zucker Alzheimer's Research Center, Feinstein Institute for Medical Research, Northwell Health, Manhasset, NY, USA.,FIDMAG Hermanas Hospitalarias Research Foundation & CIBERSAM, Sant Boi de Llobregat, Spain
| | - J Daniel Ragland
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California Davis, Sacramento, CA, USA
| | - Aziz M Uluğ
- Susan and Leonard Feinstein Center for Neurosciences, Feinstein Institute for Medical Research, Northwell Health, Manhasset, NY, USA.,Hofstra Northwell School of Medicine, Hempstead, NY, USA
| | - Amber Sousa
- The Litwin-Zucker Alzheimer's Research Center, Feinstein Institute for Medical Research, Northwell Health, Manhasset, NY, USA
| | - Edward D Huey
- Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's disease and the Aging Brain, The Gertrude H. Sergievsky Center, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.,College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Concepcion Conejero-Goldberg
- The Litwin-Zucker Alzheimer's Research Center, Feinstein Institute for Medical Research, Northwell Health, Manhasset, NY, USA
| | - Peter Davies
- The Litwin-Zucker Alzheimer's Research Center, Feinstein Institute for Medical Research, Northwell Health, Manhasset, NY, USA.,Hofstra Northwell School of Medicine, Hempstead, NY, USA
| | - Terry E Goldberg
- The Litwin-Zucker Alzheimer's Research Center, Feinstein Institute for Medical Research, Northwell Health, Manhasset, NY, USA.,Hofstra Northwell School of Medicine, Hempstead, NY, USA
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11
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Cope ZA, Powell SB, Young JW. Modeling neurodevelopmental cognitive deficits in tasks with cross-species translational validity. GENES BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR 2016; 15:27-44. [PMID: 26667374 DOI: 10.1111/gbb.12268] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2015] [Revised: 10/14/2015] [Accepted: 10/27/2015] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Numerous psychiatric disorders whose cognitive dysfunction links to functional outcome have neurodevelopmental origins including schizophrenia, autism and bipolar disorder. Treatments are needed for these cognitive deficits, which require development using animal models. Models of neurodevelopmental disorders are as varied and diverse as the disorders themselves, recreating some but not all aspects of the disorder. This variety may in part underlie why purported procognitive treatments translated from these models have failed to restore functioning in the targeted patient populations. Further complications arise from environmental factors used in these models that can contribute to numerous disorders, perhaps only impacting specific domains, while diagnostic boundaries define individual disorders, limiting translational efficacy. The Research Domain Criteria project seeks to 'develop new ways to classify mental disorders based on behavioral dimensions and neurobiological measures' in hopes of facilitating translational research by remaining agnostic toward diagnostic borders derived from clinical presentation in humans. Models could therefore recreate biosignatures of cognitive dysfunction irrespective of disease state. This review highlights work within the field of neurodevelopmental models of psychiatric disorders tested in cross-species translational cognitive paradigms that directly inform this newly developing research strategy. By expounding on this approach, the hopes are that a fuller understanding of each model may be attainable in terms of the cognitive profile elicited by each manipulation. Hence, conclusions may begin to be drawn on the nature of cognitive neuropathology on neurodevelopmental and other disorders, increasing the chances of procognitive treatment development for individuals affected in specific cognitive domains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Z A Cope
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla
| | - S B Powell
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla.,Research Service, VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - J W Young
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla.,Research Service, VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA, USA
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12
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Onwuameze OE, Titone D, Ho BC. Transitive inference deficits in unaffected biological relatives of schizophrenia patients. Schizophr Res 2016; 175:64-71. [PMID: 27050477 PMCID: PMC4958543 DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2016.02.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2015] [Revised: 02/03/2016] [Accepted: 02/07/2016] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Currently available treatments have limited efficacy in remediating cognitive impairment in schizophrenia. Efforts to facilitate cognition-enhancing drug discovery recommend the use of varied experimental cognitive paradigms (including relational memory) as assessment tools in clinical drug trials. Although relational memory deficits are increasingly being recognized as a reliable cognitive marker of schizophrenia, relational memory performance among unaffected biological relatives remains unknown. Therefore, we evaluated 73 adolescents or young adults (22 first- and 26 second-degree relatives of schizophrenia patients and 25 healthy controls (HC)) using a well-validated transitive inference (TI) experimental paradigm previously used to demonstrate relational memory impairment in schizophrenia. We found that TI deficits were associated with schizophrenia risk with first-degree relatives showing greater impairment than second-degree relatives. First-degree relatives had poorer TI performance with significantly lower accuracy and longer response times than HC when responding to TI probe pairs. Second-degree relatives had significantly quicker response times than first-degree relatives and were more similar to HC in TI performance. We further explored the relationships between TI performance and neurocognitive domains implicated in schizophrenia. Among HC, response times were inversely correlated with FSIQ, verbal learning, processing speed, linguistic abilities and working memory. In contrast, relatives (first-degree in particular) had a differing pattern of TI-neurocognition relationships, which suggest that different brain circuits may be used when relatives encode and retrieve relational memory. Our finding that unaffected biological relatives of schizophrenia patients have TI deficits lends further support for the use of relational memory construct in future pro-cognition drug studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Obiora E. Onwuameze
- Department of Psychiatry, Southern Illinois University Medical
School, Springfield, IL, USA
| | - Debra Titone
- Department of Psychology, McGill University, Montreal, QC,
Canada
| | - Beng-Choon Ho
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, IA, USA.
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O'Reilly KC, Perica MI, Fenton AA. Memory deficits with intact cognitive control in the methylazoxymethanol acetate (MAM) exposure model of neurodevelopmental insult. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2016; 134 Pt B:294-303. [PMID: 27485950 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2016.07.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2016] [Revised: 07/26/2016] [Accepted: 07/30/2016] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
Cognitive impairments are amongst the most debilitating deficits of schizophrenia and the best predictor of functional outcome. Schizophrenia is hypothesized to have a neurodevelopmental origin, making animal models of neurodevelopmental insult important for testing predictions that early insults will impair cognitive function. Rats exposed to methylazoxymethanol acetate (MAM) at gestational day 17 display morphological, physiological and behavioral abnormalities relevant to schizophrenia. Here we investigate the cognitive abilities of adult MAM rats. We examined brain activity in MAM rats by histochemically assessing cytochrome oxidase enzyme activity, a metabolic marker of neuronal activity. To assess cognition, we used a hippocampus-dependent two-frame active place avoidance paradigm to examine learning and spatial memory, as well as cognitive control and flexibility using the same environment and evaluating the same set of behaviors. We confirmed that adult MAM rats have altered hippocampal morphology and brain function, and that they are hyperactive in an open field. The latter likely indicates MAM rats have a sensorimotor gating deficit that is common to many animal models used for schizophrenia research. On first inspection, cognitive control seems impaired in MAM rats, indicated by more errors during the two-frame active place avoidance task. Because MAM rats are hyperactive throughout place avoidance training, we considered the possibility that the hyperlocomotion may account for the apparent cognitive deficits. These deficits were reduced on the basis of measures of cognitive performance that account for motor activity differences. However, though other aspects of memory are intact, the ability of MAM rats to express trial-to-trial memory is delayed compared to control rats. These findings suggest that spatial learning and cognitive abilities are largely intact, that the most prominent cognitive deficit is specific to acquiring memory in the MAM neurodevelopmental model, and that hyperactivity can confound assessments of cognition in animal models of mental dysfunction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kally C O'Reilly
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY 10003, United States
| | - Maria I Perica
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY 10003, United States
| | - André A Fenton
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY 10003, United States; Department of Physiology, SUNY Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, NY, United States.
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Chen Y, Ekstrom T. Perception of faces in schizophrenia: Subjective (self-report) vs. objective (psychophysics) assessments. J Psychiatr Res 2016; 76:136-42. [PMID: 26938027 PMCID: PMC4789083 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2016.02.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2015] [Accepted: 02/18/2016] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Face perception impairment in schizophrenia has been demonstrated, mostly through experimental studies. How this laboratory-defined behavioral impairment is associated with patients' perceptual experience of various faces in everyday life is however unclear. This question is important because a first-person account of face perception has direct consequences on social functioning of patients. In this study, we adapted and administered a self-reported questionnaire on narrative perceptual experience of faces along with psychophysical assessments of face perception in schizophrenia. METHODS The self-reported questionnaire includes six rating items of face-related functioning in everyday life, providing a subjective measure of face perception. The psychophysical assessment determines perceptual threshold for discriminating different facial identities, providing an objective measure of face perception. RESULTS Compared to controls (n = 25), patients (n = 35) showed significantly lower scores (worse performance) in the subjective assessment and significantly higher thresholds (worse performance) in the objective assessment. The subjective and objective face perception assessments were moderately correlated in controls but not in patients. The subjective face perception assessments were significantly correlated with measurements of a social cognitive ability (Theory of Mind), again in controls but not in patients. CONCLUSION These results suggest that in schizophrenia the quality of face-related functioning in everyday life is degraded and the role that basic face discrimination capacity plays in face-related everyday functioning is disrupted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yue Chen
- McLean Hospital, United States; Harvard Medical School, United States.
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Feifel D, Shilling PD, MacDonald K. A Review of Oxytocin's Effects on the Positive, Negative, and Cognitive Domains of Schizophrenia. Biol Psychiatry 2016; 79:222-33. [PMID: 26410353 PMCID: PMC5673255 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2015.07.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 81] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2015] [Revised: 07/16/2015] [Accepted: 07/31/2015] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Schizophrenia is a disabling, heterogeneous disorder with clinical features that can be parsed into three domains: positive symptoms, negative symptoms, and cognitive deficits. Current antipsychotic drugs produce fairly robust clinical benefit against positive symptoms but typically have minimal therapeutic effects on negative symptoms and cognitive deficits. Oxytocin (OT) is a nonapeptide that, in addition to its role as a hormone regulating peripheral reproductive-relevant functions, acts as a neurotransmitter in the brain. Several lines of preclinical and clinical research suggest that the OT system may play a role in regulating the expression of schizophrenia spectrum disorders and that targeting the central OT system may yield novel treatments to address these symptoms. In this review, we summarize the extant preclinical and clinical evidence relevant to the role of OT in schizophrenia with particular emphasis on its putative therapeutic effects on each of the three above-mentioned clinical domains.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Feifel
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California.
| | - Paul D Shilling
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California
| | - Kai MacDonald
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California
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Jung W, Lee SH. Memory deficit in patients with schizophrenia and posttraumatic stress disorder: relational vs item-specific memory. Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat 2016; 12:1157-66. [PMID: 27274250 PMCID: PMC4869787 DOI: 10.2147/ndt.s104384] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
It has been well established that patients with schizophrenia have impairments in cognitive functioning and also that patients who experienced traumatic events suffer from cognitive deficits. Of the cognitive deficits revealed in schizophrenia or posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) patients, the current article provides a brief review of deficit in episodic memory, which is highly predictive of patients' quality of life and global functioning. In particular, we have focused on studies that compared relational and item-specific memory performance in schizophrenia and PTSD, because measures of relational and item-specific memory are considered the most promising constructs for immediate tangible development of clinical trial paradigm. The behavioral findings of schizophrenia are based on the tasks developed by the Cognitive Neuroscience Treatment Research to Improve Cognition in Schizophrenia (CNTRICS) initiative and the Cognitive Neuroscience Test Reliability and Clinical Applications for Schizophrenia (CNTRACS) Consortium. The findings we reviewed consistently showed that schizophrenia and PTSD are closely associated with more severe impairments in relational memory compared to item-specific memory. Candidate brain regions involved in relational memory impairment in schizophrenia and PTSD are also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wookyoung Jung
- Clinical Emotions and Cognition Research Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, Inje University, Ilsan-Paik Hospital, Goyang, Korea
| | - Seung-Hwan Lee
- Clinical Emotions and Cognition Research Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, Inje University, Ilsan-Paik Hospital, Goyang, Korea; Department of Psychiatry, Inje University, Ilsan-Paik Hospital, Goyang, Korea
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Chen C, Takahashi T, Nakagawa S, Inoue T, Kusumi I. Reinforcement learning in depression: A review of computational research. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2015; 55:247-67. [PMID: 25979140 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2015.05.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 129] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2014] [Revised: 04/20/2015] [Accepted: 05/04/2015] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Despite being considered primarily a mood disorder, major depressive disorder (MDD) is characterized by cognitive and decision making deficits. Recent research has employed computational models of reinforcement learning (RL) to address these deficits. The computational approach has the advantage in making explicit predictions about learning and behavior, specifying the process parameters of RL, differentiating between model-free and model-based RL, and the computational model-based functional magnetic resonance imaging and electroencephalography. With these merits there has been an emerging field of computational psychiatry and here we review specific studies that focused on MDD. Considerable evidence suggests that MDD is associated with impaired brain signals of reward prediction error and expected value ('wanting'), decreased reward sensitivity ('liking') and/or learning (be it model-free or model-based), etc., although the causality remains unclear. These parameters may serve as valuable intermediate phenotypes of MDD, linking general clinical symptoms to underlying molecular dysfunctions. We believe future computational research at clinical, systems, and cellular/molecular/genetic levels will propel us toward a better understanding of the disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chong Chen
- Department of Psychiatry, Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine, Sapporo 060-8638, Japan.
| | - Taiki Takahashi
- Department of Behavioral Science/Center for Experimental Research in Social Sciences, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-0810, Japan
| | - Shin Nakagawa
- Department of Psychiatry, Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine, Sapporo 060-8638, Japan
| | - Takeshi Inoue
- Department of Psychiatry, Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine, Sapporo 060-8638, Japan
| | - Ichiro Kusumi
- Department of Psychiatry, Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine, Sapporo 060-8638, Japan
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Young JW, Geyer MA. Developing treatments for cognitive deficits in schizophrenia: the challenge of translation. J Psychopharmacol 2015; 29:178-96. [PMID: 25516372 PMCID: PMC4670265 DOI: 10.1177/0269881114555252] [Citation(s) in RCA: 87] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Schizophrenia is a life-long debilitating mental disorder affecting tens of millions of people worldwide. The serendipitous discovery of antipsychotics focused pharmaceutical research on developing a better antipsychotic. Our understanding of the disorder has advanced however, with the knowledge that cognitive enhancers are required for patients in order to improve their everyday lives. While antipsychotics treat psychosis, they do not enhance cognition and hence are not antischizophrenics. Developing pro-cognitive therapeutics has been extremely difficult, however, especially when no approved treatment exists. In lieu of stumbling on an efficacious treatment, developing targeted compounds can be facilitated by understanding the neural mechanisms underlying altered cognitive functioning in patients. Equally importantly, these cognitive domains will need to be measured similarly in animals and humans so that novel targets can be tested prior to conducting expensive clinical trials. To date, the limited similarity of testing across species has resulted in a translational bottleneck. In this review, we emphasize that schizophrenia is a disorder characterized by abnormal cognitive behavior. Quantifying these abnormalities using tasks having cross-species validity would enable the quantification of comparable processes in rodents. This approach would increase the likelihood that the neural substrates underlying relevant behaviors will be conserved across species. Hence, we detail cross-species tasks which can be used to test the effects of manipulations relevant to schizophrenia and putative therapeutics. Such tasks offer the hope of providing a bridge between non-clinical and clinical testing that will eventually lead to treatments developed specifically for patients with deficient cognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- JW Young
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - MA Geyer
- Research Service, VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA, USA
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Isolation rearing effects on probabilistic learning and cognitive flexibility in rats. COGNITIVE AFFECTIVE & BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE 2014; 14:388-406. [PMID: 23943516 DOI: 10.3758/s13415-013-0204-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Isolation rearing is a neurodevelopmental manipulation that produces neurochemical, structural, and behavioral alterations in rodents that in many ways are consistent with schizophrenia. Symptoms induced by isolation rearing that mirror clinically relevant aspects of schizophrenia, such as cognitive deficits, open up the possibility of testing putative therapeutics in isolation-reared animals prior to clinical development. We investigated what effect isolation rearing would have on cognitive flexibility, a cognitive function characteristically disrupted in schizophrenia. For this purpose, we assessed cognitive flexibility using between- and within-session probabilistic reversal-learning tasks based on clinical tests. Isolation-reared rats required more sessions, though not more task trials, to acquire criterion performance in the reversal phase of the task, and were slower to adjust their task strategy after reward contingencies were switched. Isolation-reared rats also completed fewer trials and exhibited lower levels of overall activity in the probabilistic reversal-learning task than did the socially reared rats. This finding contrasted with the elevated levels of unconditioned investigatory activity and reduced levels of locomotor habituation that isolation-reared rats displayed in the behavioral pattern monitor. Finally, isolation-reared rats also exhibited sensorimotor gating deficits, reflected by decreased prepulse inhibition of the startle response, consistent with previous studies. We concluded that isolation rearing constitutes a valuable, noninvasive manipulation for modeling schizophrenia-like cognitive deficits and assessing putative therapeutics.
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Owoso A, Carter CS, Gold J, MacDonald A, Ragland J, Silverstein S, Strauss ME, Barch DM. Cognition in schizophrenia and schizo-affective disorder: impairments that are more similar than different. Psychol Med 2013; 43:2535-45. [PMID: 23522057 PMCID: PMC4149253 DOI: 10.1017/s0033291713000536] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cognition is increasingly being recognized as an important aspect of psychotic disorders and a key contributor to functional outcome. In the past, comparative studies have been performed in schizophrenia and schizo-affective disorder with regard to cognitive performance, but the results have been mixed and the cognitive measures used have not always assessed the cognitive deficits found to be specific to psychosis. A set of optimized cognitive paradigms designed by the Cognitive Neuroscience Test Reliability and Clinical Applications for Schizophrenia (CNTRACS) Consortium to assess deficits specific to schizophrenia was used to measure cognition in a large group of individuals with schizophrenia and schizo-affective disorder. METHOD A total of 519 participants (188 with schizophrenia, 63 with schizo-affective disorder and 268 controls) were administered three cognitive paradigms assessing the domains of goal maintenance in working memory, relational encoding and retrieval in episodic memory and visual integration. RESULTS Across the three domains, the results showed no major quantitative differences between patient groups, with both groups uniformly performing worse than healthy subjects. CONCLUSIONS The findings of this study suggests that, with regard to deficits in cognition, considered a major aspect of psychotic disorder, schizophrenia and schizo-affective disorder do not demonstrate major significant distinctions. These results have important implications for our understanding of the nosological structure of major psychopathology, providing evidence consistent with the hypothesis that there is no natural distinction between cognitive functioning in schizophrenia and schizo-affective disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- A. Owoso
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - C. S. Carter
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, Davis, Sacramento, CA, USA
| | - J.M. Gold
- Maryland Psychiatric Research Center, Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - A.W. MacDonald
- Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - J.D. Ragland
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, Davis, Sacramento, CA, USA
| | - S.M. Silverstein
- Division of Schizophrenia Research, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, USA
| | - M. E. Strauss
- Department of Psychology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - D. M. Barch
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, USA
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Schlagenhauf F, Huys QJM, Deserno L, Rapp MA, Beck A, Heinze HJ, Dolan R, Heinz A. Striatal dysfunction during reversal learning in unmedicated schizophrenia patients. Neuroimage 2013; 89:171-80. [PMID: 24291614 PMCID: PMC3991847 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2013.11.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 193] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2013] [Revised: 10/31/2013] [Accepted: 11/17/2013] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Subjects with schizophrenia are impaired at reinforcement-driven reversal learning from as early as their first episode. The neurobiological basis of this deficit is unknown. We obtained behavioral and fMRI data in 24 unmedicated, primarily first episode, schizophrenia patients and 24 age-, IQ- and gender-matched healthy controls during a reversal learning task. We supplemented our fMRI analysis, focusing on learning from prediction errors, with detailed computational modeling to probe task solving strategy including an ability to deploy an internal goal directed model of the task. Patients displayed reduced functional activation in the ventral striatum (VS) elicited by prediction errors. However, modeling task performance revealed that a subgroup did not adjust their behavior according to an accurate internal model of the task structure, and these were also the more severely psychotic patients. In patients who could adapt their behavior, as well as in controls, task solving was best described by cognitive strategies according to a Hidden Markov Model. When we compared patients and controls who acted according to this strategy, patients still displayed a significant reduction in VS activation elicited by informative errors that precede salient changes of behavior (reversals). Thus, our study shows that VS dysfunction in schizophrenia patients during reward-related reversal learning remains a core deficit even when controlling for task solving strategies. This result highlights VS dysfunction is tightly linked to a reward-related reversal learning deficit in early, unmedicated schizophrenia patients. Probabilistic reversal learning was examined in unmedicated schizophrenia patients. Computational modeling assessed subjects ability to use the latent task structure. SZ patients showed lower reinforcement sensitivity and higher switch tendency. Blunted striatal prediction error signal in unmedicated schizophrenia patients. PFC activation during reversal errors intact in SZ patients able to do the task.
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Affiliation(s)
- Florian Schlagenhauf
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Campus Charité Mitte, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany; Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Quentin J M Huys
- Gatsby Computational Neuroscience Unit and Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging, University College London, London WC1N 3BG, UK; Translational Neuromodeling Unit, Department of Biomedical Engineering, ETH Zurich and University of Zurich, Switzerland; Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University Hospital of Psychiatry Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Lorenz Deserno
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Campus Charité Mitte, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany; Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Michael A Rapp
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Campus Charité Mitte, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany; Department of Psychiatry, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Anne Beck
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Campus Charité Mitte, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany
| | - Hans-Joachim Heinze
- Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany; Department of Neurology, Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Ray Dolan
- Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging, University College London, London WC1N 3BG, UK; Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Berlin, Germany
| | - Andreas Heinz
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Campus Charité Mitte, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany; Cluster of Excellence NeuroCure, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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Testing long-term memory in animal models of schizophrenia: Suggestions from CNTRICS. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2013; 37:2141-8. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2013.06.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2012] [Revised: 04/30/2013] [Accepted: 06/10/2013] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
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Markou A, Salamone JD, Bussey TJ, Mar AC, Brunner D, Gilmour G, Balsam P. Measuring reinforcement learning and motivation constructs in experimental animals: relevance to the negative symptoms of schizophrenia. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2013; 37:2149-65. [PMID: 23994273 PMCID: PMC3849135 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2013.08.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 76] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2013] [Revised: 08/12/2013] [Accepted: 08/16/2013] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
The present review article summarizes and expands upon the discussions that were initiated during a meeting of the Cognitive Neuroscience Treatment Research to Improve Cognition in Schizophrenia (CNTRICS; http://cntrics.ucdavis.edu) meeting. A major goal of the CNTRICS meeting was to identify experimental procedures and measures that can be used in laboratory animals to assess psychological constructs that are related to the psychopathology of schizophrenia. The issues discussed in this review reflect the deliberations of the Motivation Working Group of the CNTRICS meeting, which included most of the authors of this article as well as additional participants. After receiving task nominations from the general research community, this working group was asked to identify experimental procedures in laboratory animals that can assess aspects of reinforcement learning and motivation that may be relevant for research on the negative symptoms of schizophrenia, as well as other disorders characterized by deficits in reinforcement learning and motivation. The tasks described here that assess reinforcement learning are the Autoshaping Task, Probabilistic Reward Learning Tasks, and the Response Bias Probabilistic Reward Task. The tasks described here that assess motivation are Outcome Devaluation and Contingency Degradation Tasks and Effort-Based Tasks. In addition to describing such methods and procedures, the present article provides a working vocabulary for research and theory in this field, as well as an industry perspective about how such tasks may be used in drug discovery. It is hoped that this review can aid investigators who are conducting research in this complex area, promote translational studies by highlighting shared research goals and fostering a common vocabulary across basic and clinical fields, and facilitate the development of medications for the treatment of symptoms mediated by reinforcement learning and motivational deficits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Athina Markou
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, M/C0603, La Jolla, CA 92093-0603, USA.
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Harnessing cognitive neuroscience to develop new treatments for improving cognition in schizophrenia: CNTRICS selected cognitive paradigms for animal models. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2013; 37:2087-91. [PMID: 24090823 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2013.09.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Over the past two decades, the awareness of the disabling and treatment-refractory effects of impaired cognition in schizophrenia has increased dramatically. In response to this still unmet need in the treatment of schizophrenia, the Cognitive Neuroscience Treatment Research to Improve Cognition in Schizophrenia (CNTRICS) initiative was developed. The goal of CNTRICS is to harness cognitive neuroscience to develop a brain-based set of tools for measuring cognition in schizophrenia and to test new treatments. CNTRICS meetings focused on development of tasks with cognitive construct validity for use in both human and animal model studies. This special issue presents papers discussing the cognitive testing paradigms selected by CNTRICS for animal model systems. These paradigms are designed to measure cognitive constructs within the domains of perception, attention, executive function, working memory, object/relational long-term memory, and social/affective processes.
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Young JW, Geyer MA. Evaluating the role of the alpha-7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor in the pathophysiology and treatment of schizophrenia. Biochem Pharmacol 2013; 86:1122-32. [PMID: 23856289 DOI: 10.1016/j.bcp.2013.06.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 100] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2013] [Revised: 06/27/2013] [Accepted: 06/28/2013] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
The group of schizophrenia disorders affects approximately 1% of the population and has both genetic and environmental etiologies. Sufferers report various behavioral abnormalities including hallucinations and delusions (positive symptoms), reduced joy and amotivation (negative symptoms), plus inattention and poor learning (cognitive deficits). Despite the heterogeneous symptoms experienced, most patients smoke. The self-medication hypothesis posits that patients smoke to alleviate symptoms, consistent with evidence for nicotine-induced enhancement of cognition. While nicotine acts on multiple nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs), the primary target of research is often the homomeric α7 nAChR. Given genetic linkages between schizophrenia and this receptor, its association with P50 sensory gating deficits, and its reduced expression in post-mortem brains, many have attempted to develop α7 nAChR ligands for treating schizophrenia. Recent evidence that ligands can be orthosteric agonists or positive allosteric modulators (PAMs) has revitalized the hope for treatment discovery. Herein, we present evidence regarding: (1) pathophysiological alterations of α7 nAChRs that might occur in patients; (2) mechanistic evidence for the normal action of α7 nAChRs; (3) preclinical studies using α7 nAChR orthosteric agonists and type I/II PAMs; and (4) where successful translational testing has occurred for particular compounds, detailing what is still required. We report that the accumulating evidence is positive, but that greater work is required using positron emission tomography to understand current alterations in α7 nAChR expression and their relationship to symptoms. Finally, cross-species behavioral tasks should be used more regularly to determine the predictive efficacy of treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jared W Young
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093-0804, United States; Research Service, San Diego Veteran's Affairs Hospital, 3350 La Jolla Drive, San Diego, CA 92037, United States.
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Acheson DT, Twamley EW, Young JW. Reward learning as a potential target for pharmacological augmentation of cognitive remediation for schizophrenia: a roadmap for preclinical development. Front Neurosci 2013; 7:103. [PMID: 23785309 PMCID: PMC3684768 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2013.00103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2013] [Accepted: 05/23/2013] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Rationale: Impaired cognitive abilities are a key characteristic of schizophrenia. Although currently approved pharmacological treatments have demonstrated efficacy for positive symptoms, to date no pharmacological treatments successfully reverse cognitive dysfunction in these patients. Cognitively-based interventions such as cognitive remediation (CR) and other psychosocial interventions however, may improve some of the cognitive and functional deficits of schizophrenia. Given that these treatments are time-consuming and labor-intensive, maximizing their effectiveness is a priority. Augmenting psychosocial interventions with pharmacological treatments may be a viable strategy for reducing the impact of cognitive deficits in patients with schizophrenia. Objective: We propose a strategy to develop pharmacological treatments that can enhance the reward-related learning processes underlying successful skill-learning in psychosocial interventions. Specifically, we review clinical and preclinical evidence and paradigms that can be utilized to develop these pharmacological augmentation strategies. Prototypes for this approach include dopamine D1 receptor and α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor agonists as attractive targets to specifically enhance reward-related learning during CR. Conclusion: The approach outlined here could be used broadly to develop pharmacological augmentation strategies across a number of cognitive domains underlying successful psychosocial treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dean T Acheson
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego La Jolla, San Diego, CA, USA ; Research Service, San Diego Veteran's Affairs Hospital San Diego, CA, USA
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Constraints on decision making: Implications from genetics, personality, and addiction. COGNITIVE AFFECTIVE & BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE 2013; 13:417-36. [DOI: 10.3758/s13415-013-0164-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
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Mouri A, Nagai T, Ibi D, Yamada K. Animal models of schizophrenia for molecular and pharmacological intervention and potential candidate molecules. Neurobiol Dis 2013; 53:61-74. [DOI: 10.1016/j.nbd.2012.10.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2012] [Revised: 10/23/2012] [Accepted: 10/28/2012] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
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van Enkhuizen J, Minassian A, Young JW. Further evidence for ClockΔ19 mice as a model for bipolar disorder mania using cross-species tests of exploration and sensorimotor gating. Behav Brain Res 2013; 249:44-54. [PMID: 23623885 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2013.04.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2013] [Revised: 04/12/2013] [Accepted: 04/16/2013] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Bipolar disorder (BD) is a pervasive neuropsychiatric disorder characterized by episodes of mania and depression. The switch between mania and depression may reflect seasonal changes and certainly can be affected by alterations in sleep and circadian control. The circadian locomotor output cycles kaput (CLOCK) protein is a key component of the cellular circadian clock. Mutation of the Clock gene encoding this protein in ClockΔ19 mutant mice leads to behavioral abnormalities reminiscent of BD mania. To date, however, these mice have not been assessed in behavioral paradigms that have cross-species translational validity. In the present studies of ClockΔ19 and wildtype (WT) littermate mice, we quantified exploratory behavior and sensorimotor gating, which are abnormal in BD manic patients. We also examined the saccharin preference of these mice and their circadian control in different photoperiods. ClockΔ19 mice exhibited behavioral alterations that are consistent with BD manic patients tested in comparable tasks, including hyperactivity, increased specific exploration, and reduced sensorimotor gating. Moreover, compared to WT mice, ClockΔ19 mice exhibited a greater preference for sweetened solutions and greater sensitivity to altered photoperiod. In contrast with BD manic patients however, ClockΔ19 mice exhibited more circumscribed movements during exploration. Future studies will extend the characterization of these mice in measures with cross-species translational relevance to human testing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jordy van Enkhuizen
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego (UCSD), 9500 Gilman Drive MC 0804, La Jolla, CA 92093-0804, United States
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Abstract
Clinical studies report associations between cannabis use during adolescence and later onset of schizophrenia. We examined the causal relationship between developmental cannabinoid administration and long-term behavioral and molecular alterations in mice. Mice were administered either WIN 55,212-2 (WIN), a cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1) agonist or vehicle (Veh) during adolescence (postnatal day 30-35) or early adulthood (postnatal day 63-70). Behavioral testing was conducted after postnatal day 120 followed by biochemical assays. Adolescent cannabinoid treatment (ACU) leads to deficits in prepulse inhibition and fear conditioning in adulthood. Metabotropic glutamate receptors type 5 (mGluR5), a receptor critically involved in fear conditioning and endocannabinoid (eCB) signaling, is significantly reduced in the ACU mouse hippocampus. Next, we examined expression profiles of genes involved in eCB synthesis (diacylglycerol lipase (DGL)) and uptake (monoacylglycerol lipase (MGL) and fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH)) in the experimental mice. We find evidence of increased MGL and FAAH in ACU mice, reflecting increases in eCB uptake and degradation. These data suggest that administration of cannabinoids during adolescence leads to a behavioral phenotype associated with a rodent model of schizophrenia, as indexed by alterations in sensorimotor gating and hippocampal-dependent learning and memory deficits. Further, these deficits are associated with a reduction in hippocampal mGluR5 and a sustained change in eCB turnover, suggesting reduced eCB signaling in the ACU hippocampus. These data suggest that significant cannabis use during adolescence may be a contributory causal factor in the development of certain features of schizophrenia and may offer mGluR5 as a potential therapeutic target.
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31
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Tamminga CA, Thomas BP, Chin R, Mihalakos P, Youens K, Wagner AD, Preston AR. Hippocampal novelty activations in schizophrenia: disease and medication effects. Schizophr Res 2012; 138:157-63. [PMID: 22480957 DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2012.03.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2011] [Revised: 03/03/2012] [Accepted: 03/07/2012] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
We examined hippocampal activation in schizophrenia (SZ) with fMRI BOLD in response to the presentation of novel and familiar scenes. Voxel-wise analysis showed no group differences. However, anatomical region-of-interest analyses contrasting normal (NL), SZ-on-medication (SZ-ON), SZ-off-medication (SZ-OFF) showed substantial differences in MTL-based novelty responding, accounted for by the reduction in novelty responses in the SZ-OFF predominantly in the anterior hippocampus and parahippocampal cortex. These differences in novelty-based activation in the SZ-OFF group represent disease characteristics of schizophrenia without confounding effects of antipsychotic medication and illustrate the tendency of antipsychotic drug treatment to improve memory functions in schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carol A Tamminga
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical School, Dallas, TX, United States.
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Armstrong K, Williams LE, Heckers S. Revised associative inference paradigm confirms relational memory impairment in schizophrenia. Neuropsychology 2012; 26:451-8. [PMID: 22612578 DOI: 10.1037/a0028667] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Patients with schizophrenia have widespread cognitive impairments, with selective deficits in relational memory. We previously reported a differential relational memory deficit in schizophrenia using the Associative Inference Paradigm (AIP), a task suggested by the Cognitive Neuroscience Treatment Research to Improve Cognition in Schizophrenia (CNTRICS) initiative to examine relational memory. However, the AIP had limited feasibility for testing in schizophrenia because of high attrition of schizophrenia patients during training. Here we developed and tested a revised version of the AIP to improve feasibility. METHOD 30 healthy control and 37 schizophrenia subjects received 3 study-test sessions on 3 sets of paired associates: H-F1 (house paired with face), H-F2 (same house paired with new face), and F3-F4 (two novel faces). After training, subjects were tested on the trained, noninferential Face-Face pairs (F3-F4) and novel, inferential Face-Face pairs (F1-F2), constructed from the faces of the trained House-Face pairs. RESULTS Schizophrenia patients were significantly more impaired on the inferential F1-F2 pairs than the noninferential F3-F4 pairs, providing evidence for a differential relational memory deficit. Only 8% of schizophrenia patients were excluded from testing because of poor training performance. CONCLUSIONS The revised AIP confirmed the previous finding of a relational memory deficit in a larger and more representative sample of schizophrenia patients.
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Armstrong K, Kose S, Williams L, Woolard A, Heckers S. Impaired associative inference in patients with schizophrenia. Schizophr Bull 2012; 38:622-9. [PMID: 21134974 PMCID: PMC3329990 DOI: 10.1093/schbul/sbq145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022]
Abstract
The ability to learn, store, and retrieve information about relationships is impaired in schizophrenia. Here, we tested 38 control and 61 schizophrenia subjects for their ability to identify the novel pairing of stimuli, based on associations learned during training. Subjects were trained on 3 sets of paired associates: 30 face-house pairs (H-F1), 30 face-house pairs (H-F2, same house with new face), and 30 face-face pairs (F3-F4). After training, participants were tested on the 3 explicitly trained pair types, as well as 30 new face-face pairs (F1-F2), which could only be linked together via the same house during the H-F1/H-F2 training blocks. Of 99 subjects tested, 37 patients with schizophrenia and 36 age-matched healthy control subjects learned the premise pairs and performed the relational memory test. Healthy control subjects were significantly more accurate in identifying the inferential (F1-F2) pairs than the noninferential (F3-F4) pairs. In contrast, schizophrenia patients were equally accurate on inferential and noninferential pairs, providing evidence for a relational memory deficit in schizophrenia. However, the current version of the associative inference paradigm, suggested by the Cognitive Neuroscience Treatment Research to Improve Cognition in Schizophrenia initiative, has limited feasibility, calling into question the generalizability of the findings for the larger schizophrenia population.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Stephan Heckers
- To whom correspondence should be addressed; tel: 615-322-2665, fax: 615-343-8400, e-mail:
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Intact relational memory and normal hippocampal structure in the early stage of psychosis. Biol Psychiatry 2012; 71:105-13. [PMID: 22055016 PMCID: PMC3322647 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2011.09.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2011] [Revised: 09/20/2011] [Accepted: 09/20/2011] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Previous studies indicate that the transition to psychosis is associated with dynamic changes of hippocampal integrity. Here we explored hippocampal volume and neural activation during a relational memory task in patients who were in the early stage of a psychotic illness. METHODS Forty-one early psychosis patients and 34 healthy control subjects completed a transitive inference (TI) task used previously in chronic schizophrenia patients. Participants learned to select the "winner" of two sets of stimulus pairs drawn from an overlapping sequence (A > B > C > D > E) and a nonoverlapping set (a > b, c > d, e > f, g > h). During a functional magnetic resonance imaging scan, participants were tested on the trained pairs and made inferential judgments on novel pairings that could be solved based on training (e.g., B vs. D). Hippocampal volumes were manually segmented and compared between groups. Functional magnetic resonance imaging analyses included 27 early psychosis patients and 30 control subjects who met memory training criteria. RESULTS Groups did not differ on inference performance or hippocampal volume and exhibited similar activation of medial temporal regions when judging nonoverlapping pairs. However, patients who failed to meet memory training criteria had smaller hippocampal volumes. Neural activity during TI was less widespread in early psychosis patients, but between-group differences were not significant. Hippocampal activity during TI was positively correlated with inference performance only in control subjects. CONCLUSIONS Our results provide evidence that relational memory impairment and hippocampal abnormalities, well established in chronic schizophrenia, are not fully present in early psychosis patients. This provides a rationale for early intervention, targeting the possible delay, reduction, or prevention of these deficits.
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Gold JM, Barch DM, Carter CS, Dakin S, Luck SJ, MacDonald AW, Ragland JD, Ranganath C, Kovacs I, Silverstein SM, Strauss M. Clinical, functional, and intertask correlations of measures developed by the Cognitive Neuroscience Test Reliability and Clinical Applications for Schizophrenia Consortium. Schizophr Bull 2012; 38:144-52. [PMID: 22101961 PMCID: PMC3245578 DOI: 10.1093/schbul/sbr142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
The goal of the Cognitive Neuroscience Test Reliability and Clinical Applications for Schizophrenia (CNTRACS) Consortium was to develop measures of discrete cognitive processes, allowing for the interpretation of specific deficits that could be linked to specific neural systems. Here we report on the intertask, clinical, and functional correlates of the 4 tasks that were investigated in large groups of patients with schizophrenia (>100) and healthy controls (>73) at 5 sites across the United States. In both healthy and patient groups, the key dependent measures from the CNTRACS tasks were minimally intercorrelated, suggesting that they are measuring discrete abilities. Correlations were examined between CNTRACS tasks and measures of functional capacity, premorbid IQ, symptom severity, and level of community functioning. Performance on tasks measuring relational memory encoding, goal maintenance, and visual gain control were correlated with premorbid IQ and the former 2 tasks with the functional capacity. Goal maintenance task performance was negatively correlated with negative symptom severity and informant reports of community function. These correlations reflect the relationship of specific abilities with functional outcome. They are somewhat lower than functional outcome correlations observed with conventional neuropsychological tests that confound multiple cognitive and motivational deficits. The measures of visual integration and gain control were not significantly correlated with clinical symptoms or function. These results suggest that the CNTRACS tasks measure discrete cognitive abilities, some of which relate to aspects of functional capacity/outcome in schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- James M Gold
- Maryland Psychiatric Research Center, Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, PO Box 21247, Baltimore, MD 21228, USA.
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Carter CS, Barch DM, the CNTRICS Executive Committee. Imaging biomarkers for treatment development for impaired cognition: report of the sixth CNTRICS meeting: Biomarkers recommended for further development. Schizophr Bull 2012; 38:26-33. [PMID: 21914642 PMCID: PMC3245593 DOI: 10.1093/schbul/sbr109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
The Cognitive Neuroscience Treatment Research to Improve Cognition in Schizophrenia initiative, funded by an R13 conference grant from the National Institute of Mental Health, has sought to facilitate the translation of measures from the basic science of cognition into practical brain-based tools to measure treatment effects on cognition in schizophrenia. In this overview article, we summarize the process and products of the sixth meeting in this series, which focused on the identification of promising imaging paradigms, based on the measurement of cognitive evoked potentials (event-related potential) of cognition-related time-frequency analyses of the electroencephalography as well as functional magnetic resonance imaging. A total of 23 well-specified paradigms from cognitive neuroscience that measure cognitive functions previously identified as targets for treatment development were identified at the meeting as being recommended for the further developmental work needed in order to validate and optimize them as biomarker measures. Individual paradigms are discussed in detail in 6 domain-based articles in this volume. Ongoing issues related to the development of these and other measures as valid, sensitive and reliable measurement, and assessment tools, as well as the steps necessary for the development of specific measures for use as biomarkers for treatment development and personalized medicine, are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cameron S. Carter
- Departments of Psychiatry and Psychology and Center for Neuroscience, University of California, Davis, CA,To whom correspondence should be addressed; tel: 916 7347783, fax: 916 7347783, e-mail:
| | - Deanna M. Barch
- Departments of Psychology and Psychiatry, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO
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Abstract
Cognitive dysfunction is a core aspect of schizophrenia that constitutes a major obstacle toward reintegration of patients into society. Although multiple cognitive deficits are evident in schizophrenia patients, no medication is currently approved for their amelioration. Although consensus clinical test batteries have been developed for the assessment of putative cognition enhancers in patients with schizophrenia, parallel animal tests remain to be validated. Having no approved treatment for cognitive symptoms means no positive control can be used to examine pharmacological predictive validity of animal models. Thus, focus has been placed on animal paradigms that have demonstrable construct validity for the cognitive domain being assessed.This review describes the growing arsenal of animal paradigms under development that have putative construct validity to cognitive domains affected in schizophrenia. We discuss (1) the construct validity of the paradigms; (2) compounds developed to investigate putative treatment targets; and (3) manipulations used to first impair task performance. Focus is placed on the paradigm design, including how the use of multivariate assessments can provide evidence that main effects of treatment are not confounded by extraneous effects.
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Barak S, Weiner I. Putative cognitive enhancers in preclinical models related to schizophrenia: The search for an elusive target. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2011; 99:164-89. [DOI: 10.1016/j.pbb.2011.03.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2010] [Revised: 02/27/2011] [Accepted: 03/12/2011] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
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Schmidt U, Oldershaw A, van Elburg A. Translating experimental neuroscience into treatment of eating disorders: two examples. Curr Top Behav Neurosci 2011; 6:253-268. [PMID: 21243480 DOI: 10.1007/7854_2010_76] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a serious mental disorder with impaired functioning including not only the cognitive and socio-emotional but also physical domains. Improved treatments, especially for adults with AN, are urgently needed. The insights gained from basic research in experimental animal models and the advent of cognitive neuroscience have produced major advances in our understanding of the condition, but translating these into clinical research or practice remains a challenge. We describe here what the eating disorders field can gain from schizophrenia research in this area. We use the example of socio-emotional impairments in AN to describe the iterative process between basic research and intervention development for neurobiologically informed and based treatments for this condition and briefly touch on some other examples that stem from translational science.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ulrike Schmidt
- Section of Eating Disorders, King's College London, Institute of Psychiatry, De Crespigny Park, London SE5 8AF, UK.
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Waters-Metenier SL, Toulopoulou T. Qualifying brain functional MRI parameters as endophenotypes in schizophrenia. FUTURE NEUROLOGY 2010. [DOI: 10.2217/fnl.10.68] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Although the genetic contribution to schizophrenia pathogenesis has been well established, with an approximate heritability of 81%, the endeavor to elucidate the complex genetic architecture of schizophrenia has met limited success. ‘Endophenotypes’, or ‘intermediate phenotypes’, are more restricted constructs of genetic risk than the clinical manifestations hitherto employed by molecular geneticists. They are, putatively, intermediate in the pathophysiological pathway between genetic variation and clinical phenomenology and can possibly be used to assist in the elucidation of genetic diathesis for schizophrenia. In this article, we present the current evidence that supports functional MRI parameters as promising candidate endophenotypes in schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sheena Lindsey Waters-Metenier
- Department of Psychosis Studies, King’s College London, King’s Health Partners, Institute of Psychiatry, London SE5 8AF, UK
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Use of eye movement monitoring to examine item and relational memory in schizophrenia. Biol Psychiatry 2010; 68:610-6. [PMID: 20673874 PMCID: PMC2943005 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2010.06.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2009] [Revised: 06/03/2010] [Accepted: 06/07/2010] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Patients with schizophrenia may be impaired at remembering interitem and item-context relationships (relational memory), even when memory for items is intact. Here, we applied the novel approach of using eye movements to assess integrity of item and relational memory in schizophrenia. This method does not rely on introspection and may be more readily translated to animal models than traditional behavioral methods. METHODS Sixteen healthy control subjects and 16 patients were administered a scene memory task while eye movements were monitored. During testing, participants indicated whether the scenes were unchanged, contained a new item (item manipulation), had a change in item location (relational manipulation), or were new. It was predicted that memory would be disproportionately impaired when relational changes were made. RESULTS Results confirmed that tasks were equally difficult and showed that patients were impaired identifying all scene types. These behavioral impairments were associated with more severe disorganization and negative symptoms. Eye movement results were more specific. Both groups looked disproportionately at critical regions of repeated versus novel scenes-an effect of scene repetition. However, in contrast with predictions, patients showed equivalent eye-movement-based memory impairment whether changes were relational or item-based. CONCLUSIONS This is the first experiment to demonstrate that eye movements can be used to investigate item and relational memory in schizophrenia. The eye movement procedure was well tolerated and was more specific than behavioral measures with respect to memory impairment. Results suggest that eye movements may be of use in clinical trials and translational studies employing animal models.
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Abstract
Cognitive deficits are core features of psychiatric disorders and contribute substantially to functional outcome. It is still unclear, however, how cognitive deficits are related to underlying genetic liability and overt clinical symptoms. Fortunately, animal models of susceptibility genes can illuminate how the products of disease-associated genetic variants affect brain function and ultimately alter behavior. Using as a reference findings from the Cognitive Neuroscience Treatment Research to Improve Cognition in Schizophrenia program and the SchizophreniaGene database, we review cognitive data from mutant models of rare and common genetic variants associated with schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- P. Alexander Arguello
- Department of Neuroscience,To whom correspondence should be addressed; tel: 1-212-305-2020, fax: 1-212-342-1801, e-mail:
| | - Joseph A. Gogos
- Department of Neuroscience,Department of Physiology and Cellular Biophysics, Columbia University Medical Center, 630 W. 168th Street, New York, NY 10032
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