Sex differences, gamma activity and schizophrenia

This study explores the possibility that the more favourable clinical prognosis in females with schizophrenia may be associated with their greater network interconnectedness, which is possibly reflected in enhanced Gamma (40 Hz) electrical brain activity. An auditory oddball task was administered to 35 patients with schizophrenia and 35 age and sex matched controls (25 males and 10 females). Peak Gamma amplitude (from a time series of Gamma activity averaged for 40 target stimuli, as well as the immediately preceding 40 background tones) was examined across 19 sites. Peak Gamma activity occurred 250 to 450 ms in targets and 350 to 550 ms in backgrounds. Multiple within and between group MANOVAs were undertaken analysing both Peak Gamma amplitude (microvolts) and latency (milliseconds). Within-group, the control males showed a pattern of earlier Gamma latency in the right compared with the left hemisphere (F(1,33)=3.70, p <.06, while control females exhibited delayed latency frontally compared with the posterior region (F(1,33)= 6.25, p <.04). This male lateralization finding and the anterior/posterior gradient in females is consistent with Goldberg's model. The patient group however, failed to show this male lateralized and female frontal-posterior pattern of Gamma activity, suggesting suboptimal network integration in the patient group. in both males and females.