Clinical application of mismatch negativity (MMN) for schizophrenia and at-risk mental state patients

Abstract

The amplitude of mismatch negativity (MMN) has been reported to be reduced in psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia and at-risk mental state (ARMS) who have an increased risk of developing psychotic disorders. We measured the duration MMN (dMMN) in patients with first-episode schizophrenia, chronic schizophrenia and ARMS. As results, reductions were found in dMMN and subsequent reorienting negativity (RON) amplitudes in first episode schizophrenia and chronic schizophrenia. Furthermore, the dMMN amplitude was significantly lower in the group with ARMS who later transit to schizophrenia than in the non-transition group. In recent years, there have been increasing number of reports examining the application of MMN as a tool to predict functional outcome not only diagnostic outcome in ARMS. Further clinical applications of MMN are expected.