ELECTROPHYSIOLOGICAL, INFLAMMATORY, AND OXIDATIVE STRESS CORRELATES IN SOCIAL COGNITIVE DEFICIT IN SCHIZOPHRENIA PATIENTS.

Background: Schizophrenia (SCZ), a debilitating mental disorder, leads to difficulties in social integration due to impairments in social cognition processing. Electroencephalogram (EEG) has been crucial for investigating neurophysiological alterations in SCZ, revealing dysfunctions in GABAergic and pyramidal neurons in its pathophysiology. Event-related potentials such as N100, P300, and N400 indicate changes associated with cognitive impairment. Oxidative stress and inflammatory processes also emerge as crucial factors in SCZ, requiring investigations into their correlates. The study aims to identify electrophysiological, inflammatory, and oxidative stress correlates in social cognitive deficits in SCZ patients. Methods: The study will include 44 SCZ patients and 40 healthy individuals as controls. EEG recording will occur while participants watch a silent film with standard and deviant auditory stimuli (Oddball). Symptom assessment will utilize the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), addressing positive, negative symptoms, and general psychopathology. Cognitive evaluation will employ the Brief Assessment of Cognition in Schizophrenia (BACS) and social cognition tests, including the Hinting Task and the Facial Emotion Recognition Test (FERT-100). Data analysis will involve correlations between variables and subgroup comparisons. Results: A reduction in the amplitude and an increase in the latency of P300 were observed in individuals with SCZ; however, these findings were not statistically validated due to the small sample size (4 patients, 3 controls). Due to ongoing research, it was not yet feasible to analyze correlations between electrophysiological and biochemical profiles in social cognition. Conclusions: This study may provide a deeper understanding of SCZ pathophysiology, particularly regarding electrophysiological and inflammatory correlates associated with social cognition.