Cognitive control impairment in ax‐continuous performance test in patients with schizophrenia: A pilot EEG study

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Bing Li, Hebei Provincial Mental Health Center; Chao-meng Liu, Capital Medical University; Li-na Wang, Capital Medical University; Wen-qing Jin, Capital Medical University; Wen Wang, Capital Medical University; Yan-ping Ren, Capital Medical University; Xin Ma, Capital Medical University; Yi-lang Tang, Emory University
• Language: English
• Date: 2023-10-10
• Publisher: Wiley Periodicals LLC.
• Publication Version: Final Published Version
• Copyright Statement: © 2023 The Authors. Brain and Behavior published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.
• License: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Final Published Version (URL): https://doi.org/10.1002/brb3.3276
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: Brain and Behavior
• Volume: 13
• Issue: 12
• Start Page: e3276
• Grant/Funding Agency: Beijing Municipal Science & Technology Commission
• Grant/Funding Information: The present work was supported by the Major projects of Beijing Municipal Science & Technology Commission (No. D171100007017001).
• Keywords: cognitive control; electroencephalography; reactive control; schizophrenia; proactive control
• Research Categories: Cognitive psychology; Neurosciences

Abstract

Objectives This study aimed to investigate the mechanism of cognitive control impairment in patients with schizophrenia (SPs) using electroencephalogram (EEG). Methods A total of 17 SPs and 17 healthy controls (HCs) were included in this study. We measured the EEG activity, whereas they performed the AX‐continuous performance test which consisted of the preparatory phase and the response phase. The MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery (MCCB) was used for cognitive function, and the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) was used for clinical symptom assessment. A univariate linear regression model was used to explore the relationships among behavioral index, event‐related potentials (ERPs), rhythmic oscillation power, and score of MCCB and PANSS. Results A significant difference was found in response accuracy and reaction time (RT) during the preparatory phase between patients and HCs (p < .05). During the response phase, the SPs exhibited longer RT than the HCs (p < .05). Analysis of the ERPs revealed that the amplitude of P3a on BX clues was significantly smaller in SPs than in HCs (p < .05). Additionally, the midline frontal theta power of neural oscillation was significantly lower in the SPs than in NCs both during the preparatory and response phases. The accuracies on BX clues (r = .694, p = .002) and d'context (r = .698, p = .002) were positively correlated with MCCB scores. Conclusion The present study revealed that patients with schizophrenia have deficits both in proactive and reactive cognitive control, with a greater reliance on reactive control during conflict resolution. The neural mechanisms of the cognitive control impairment may involve the inability to engage additional neural resources for proactive control, and a reduction in frontal midline theta power during both proactive and reactive control. The severity of proactive control impairment is positively correlated with an increased tendency to rely on reactive control.