P300 Aberration in First-Episode Schizophrenia Patients: A Meta-Analysis

Background: Decreased P300 amplitude is one of the most consistent findings in patients with schizophrenia. However, whether prolonged P300 latency occurs in patients with schizophrenia, especially first-episode schizophrenia (FES) patients, remains controversial. Methods: A meta-analyses of P300 aberration in FES patients and healthy control(HC) group was conducted. The meta-regression analysis was performed using a random effects model. The pooled standardized effect size (PSES) was calculated as the division of the difference between the means of the two groups by the common standard deviation. Results: A total of 569 FES patients and 747 HCs were included in this meta-analysis. P300 amplitude was significantly reduced (PSES = 20.83, 95% CI: 21.02-0.65, P = 0.00001) and P300 latency was delayed significantly in FES patients (PSES = 20.48, 95% CI: 0.14-0.81, P = 0.005). The meta-regression analysis showed that task difficulty was a source of heterogeneity. Conclusions: The meta-analysis confirms that disrupted information processing is found in FES patients, which is manifested by smaller P300 amplitude and delayed P300 latency.