Impaired auditory evoked potentials and oscillations in frontal and auditory cortex of a schizophrenia mouse model.

Abstract

Objectives: In patients with schizophrenia, g-band (30–70 Hz) auditory steady-state electroencephalogram responses (ASSR) are reduced in power and phase locking. Here, we examined whether g-ASSR deficits are also present in a mouse model of schizophrenia, whose behavioural changes have shown schizophrenia-like endophenotypes. Methods: Electroencephalogram in frontal cortex and local field potential in primary auditory cortex were recorded in phospholipase C b1 (PLC-b1) null mice during auditory binaural click trains at different rates (20–50 Hz), and compared with wildtype littermates. Results: In mutant mice, the ASSR power was reduced at all tested rates. The phase locking in frontal cortex was reduced in the b band (20 Hz) but not in the g band, whereas the phase locking in auditory cortex was reduced in the g band. The cortico-cortical connectivity between frontal and auditory cortex was significantly reduced in mutant mice. Conclusions: The tested mouse model of schizophrenia showed impaired electrophysiological responses to auditory steady state stimulation, suggesting that it could be useful for preclinical studies of schizophrenia’’.