PhD Scientific Days 2023

Mental Health Sciences - Posters N

Transdiagnostic EEG Microstate Analysis in Schizophrenia and Autism Spectrum Disorder – Can Microstate Parameters Aid the Differential Diagnosis of the Two Dysconnectivity Disorders?

Text of the abstract

While schizophrenia (SCZ) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are clinically differentiable disorders with heterogeneous symptom manifestation, both can be understood as a disconnection syndrome of the brain.

EEG microstates are global patterns of scalp potential topographies offering a novel method to investigate the integrity of brain networks at the subsecond-level. We aim to investigate how EEG microstate parameters are altered in schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorder, respectively, and whether these alterations can be linked to the severity of clinical symptoms.

We have recruited SCZ patients (N = 23), ASD patients (N = 27), and controls (N = 16). Participants performed two minutes of resting state with eyes closed and two minutes of resting state with eyes open. Symptom severity was measured by the Positive and Negative Symptom Scale (PANSS) and the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS).

While in previous research SCH has been most consistently linked to alterations in microstates C and D, we found that SCH patients differed from healthy controls in the properties of microstate A. ASD has been previously linked to alterations in various properties of microstates A, B, C and D. In our study, microstates A and B differed between healthy controls and ASD patients. There was a significant relationship between the properties of microstates A and B and clinical symptoms. As microstates A and B have been associated with the auditory and visual resting state networks, our results suggest that these brain networks may be altered in ASD and SCH.

ÁV was supported by the the ÚNKP-22-3-I New National Excellence Program of the Ministry for Culture and Innovation from the source of the National Research, Development and Innovation Fund
ÁV and KF were supported by the TKP2021-EGA-25 - Explorative clinical and cognitive neuroscience research at Semmelweis University (SEMMELWEIS NEUROSCIENCE)