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bioRxiv · 10.1101/792473

Aberrant connectivity in auditory precision encoding in schizophrenia spectrum disorder and across the continuum of psychotic-like experiences

Larsen, K. M.·Dzafic, I.·Darke, H.·Pertile, H.·Carter, O. L.·Sundram, S.·Garrido, M.
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Abstract

BackgroundThe ability to generate a precise internal model of statistical regularities is impaired in schizophrenia. Predictive coding accounts of schizophrenia suggest that psychotic symptoms may be explained by a failure to build precise beliefs or a model of the world. The precision of this model may vary with context. For example, in a noisy environment the model will be more imprecise compared to a model built in an environment with lower noise. However compelling, this idea has not yet been empirically studied in schizophrenia. Methods: In this study, 62 participants engaged in a stochastic mismatch negativity paradigm with high and low precision. We included inpatients with a schizophrenia spectrum disorder (N=20), inpatients with a psychiatric disorder but without psychosis (N=20), and healthy controls (N=22), with comparable sex ratio and age distribution. Bayesian mapping and dynamic causal modelling were employed to investigate the underlying microcircuitry of precision encoding of auditory stimuli. Results: We found strong evidence (exceedance p > 0.99) for differences in the underlying connectivity associated with precision encoding between the three groups as well as on the continuum of psychotic-like experiences assessed across all participants. Critically, we show changes in interhemispheric connectivity between the two inpatient groups, with some connections further aligning on the continuum of psychotic-like experiences. Conclusions: While our results suggest continuity in backward connectivity alterations with psychotic-like experiences regardless of diagnosis, they also point to specificity for the schizophrenia spectrum disorder group in interhemispheric connectivity alterations.

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Larsen, K. M., Dzafic, I., Darke, H., Pertile, H., Carter, O. L., Sundram, S., Garrido, M.. 2019-10-04. Aberrant connectivity in auditory precision encoding in schizophrenia spectrum disorder and across the continuum of psychotic-like experiences. https://doi.org/10.1101/792473

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