Reduced coupling of somatosensory gating and gamma oscillation in panic disorder. (30th January 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Cheng, Chia-Hsiung; Liu, Chia-Yih; Hsu, Shih-Chieh; Tseng, Yi-Jhan
• Is Part Of: Psychiatry research. Volume 307(2021)
• Publication Date: 2021-01-30
• Subjects: Sensory gating -- Primary somatosensory cortex (SI) -- Gamma oscillation -- Inhibitory function -- Magnetoencephalography (MEG); Psychiatry -- Periodicals; Brain -- Imaging -- Periodicals; Psychiatry -- Periodicals; Diagnostic Imaging -- Periodicals; Psychiatrie -- Périodiques; Cerveau -- Imagerie pour le diagnostic -- Périodiques; 616.890754
• DOI: 10.1016/j.pscychresns.2020.111227
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0925-4927

Abstract

Highlights: Inhibitory function was studied by sensory gating (SG) and gamma oscillation in PD. SG of somatosensory cortex was relatively intact in patients with PD. Patients with PD exhibited reduced gamma power in the somatosensory cortex. Healthy adults showed significant association between SG and gamma oscillation. Reduced coupling of somatosensory SG and gamma oscillation as was found in PD. Abstract: Previous studies have reported that patients with panic disorder (PD) exhibited an aberrant level of GABA concentration, an inhibitory neurotransmitter in the human brain. However, it remains substantially unclear whether the inhibitory function regarding the neurophysiological characteristics is altered in this disease. Sensory gating (SG) is considered as an automatic inhibitory function in the sensory cortex. In addition, brain's gamma oscillation within the sensory cortex is another index to reflect inhibitory function. Here we aimed to investigate whether the patients with PD showed altered inhibitory function in the somatosensory system, including the primary (SI) and secondary (SII) somatosensory cortices. A total of 20 healthy controls and 21 patients with PD underwent magnetoencephalographic recordings. Paired-pulse and single-pulse paradigms were used to study SG and gamma oscillations, respectively. There were no significant between-group differences in the SG function in the SI and SII. However, patients with PD demonstrated a reduced gamma power in the SI. Among the healthy individuals, strong associations between SG ratios and gamma frequency values were observed in the SI. However, such a functional relationship disappeared among the patients with PD. We suggested the reduced coupling of SG and gamma oscillation as one of the neural signatures in PD.