Relational memory function in schizophrenia: Electrophysiological evidence for early perceptual and late associative abnormalities

Kara L. Stevens, Collin D. Teich, Julia M. Longenecker, Scott R. Sponheim

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

We used event-related potentials (ERPs) to examine encoding and retrieval during episodic memory in people with schizophrenia (SZ) and biological relatives of SZ (SZr). To isolate contextual from item-specific aspects of memory, we employed the Relational and Item-Specific Encoding (RISE) task. Twenty two healthy controls (HCs), 22 SZ, and 19 SZr, encoded visual depictions of objects when displayed alone (item-specific) or in pairs (relational encoding), and were later tested on recognition of specific objects and whether pairs of objects had appeared together. An early posterior component (P2) during encoding predicted later recognition and was diminished in SZ. A late negative potential (LNP) over left frontal brain regions during recognition was larger for relationally encoded objects than new and item-specific encoded objects in HCs. This pattern was absent for SZ and SZr. Smaller P2 and LNP components were associated with greater self-reported cognitive-perceptual abnormalities. Early posterior brain responses likely relevant to perceptual functions supporting memory formation were diminished in schizophrenia. Late frontal electrophysiological responses associated with relational aspects of memory appear diminished in SZ and SZr, potentially reflecting the influence of genetic liability for schizophrenia on brain functions supporting episodic memory.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)99-108
Number of pages10
JournalSchizophrenia Research
Volume254
DOIs
StatePublished - Apr 2023

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
The authors wish to thank the study participants for their time and effort contributing to this work, and the members of the Cognition and Brain Lab for collection of clinical and cognitive data and pre-processing of EEG data. We are also deeply grateful for the critical guidance provided by Dr. J. Daniel Ragland and his laboratory in provision of the RiSE task and stimuli, implementation of the experimental paradigm, and analysis of behavioral data. This article presents original research that was approved by the Minneapolis Veterans Affairs Health Care System Institutional Review Board (1411M56561). Initial results were presented at the 2021 Society for Research in Psychopathology Meeting. This material is the result of work supported with resources and use of facilities at the Veterans Affairs Minneapolis Health Care Systems. The research was supported by Merit Review grants (2I01CX000227) to Scott R. Sponheim from the Veterans Health Administration Clinical Science Research and Development Program. The contents of this article do not represent the views of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs or the U.S. government.

Funding Information:
This article presents original research that was approved by the Minneapolis Veterans Affairs Health Care System Institutional Review Board ( 1411M56561 ). Initial results were presented at the 2021 Society for Research in Psychopathology Meeting. This material is the result of work supported with resources and use of facilities at the Veterans Affairs Minneapolis Health Care Systems. The research was supported by Merit Review grants ( 2I01CX000227 ) to Scott R. Sponheim from the Veterans Health Administration Clinical Science Research and Development Program. The contents of this article do not represent the views of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs or the U.S. government.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2023

Keywords

  • Encoding
  • Episodic memory
  • Event-related potential
  • Genetic liability
  • Schizophrenia

PubMed: MeSH publication types

  • Journal Article
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

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