Auditory Mismatch Negativity and Repetition Suppression Deficits in Schizophrenia Explained by Irregular Computation of Prediction Error

Abstract

BackgroundThe predictive coding model is rapidly gaining attention in schizophrenia research. It posits the neuronal computation of residual variance (‘prediction error’) between sensory information and top-down expectation through multiple hierarchical levels. Event-related potentials (ERP) reflect cortical processing stages that are increasingly interpreted in the light of the predictive coding hypothesis. Both mismatch negativity (MMN) and repetition suppression (RS) measures are considered a prediction error correlates based on error detection and error minimization, respectively.MethodsTwenty-five schizophrenia patients and 25 healthy controls completed auditory tasks designed to elicit MMN and RS responses that were investigated using repeated measures models and strong spatio-temporal a priori hypothesis based on previous research. Separate correlations were performed for controls and schizophrenia patients, using age and clinical variables as covariates.ResultsMMN and RS deficits were largely replicated in our sample of schizophrenia patients. Moreover, MMN and RS measures were strongly correlated in healthy controls, while no correlation was found in schizophrenia patients. Single-trial analyses indicated significantly lower signal-to-noise ratio during prediction error computation in schizophrenia.ConclusionsThis study provides evidence that auditory ERP components relevant for schizophrenia research can be reconciled in the light of the predictive coding framework. The lack of any correlation between the investigated measures in schizophrenia patients suggests a disruption of predictive coding mechanisms in general. More specifically, these results suggest that schizophrenia is associated with an irregular computation of residual variance between sensory input and top-down models, i.e. prediction error.

Emotional context facilitates cortical prediction error responses

“…This thought has recently been experimentally confirmed by Wacongne et al [2012] who showed that MMN complies with assumptions derived from the predictive coding model rather than the habituation model, at least in the auditory modality. Another paper by Rentzsch et al [2015] further corroborates the generative model by demonstrating a strong correlation of auditory MMN with a repetition suppression measure, which is thought to rely on minimization of prediction error [Friston, 2005].…”

“…The MMN response is computed by subtracting the response to standard stimuli from the response to deviant stimuli and is thus thought to directly represent the residual variance between higher cortical predictions and sensory information, that is, the prediction error [Friston, 2005]. Another paper by Rentzsch et al [2015] further corroborates the generative model by demonstrating a strong correlation of auditory MMN with a repetition suppression measure, which is thought to rely on minimization of prediction error [Friston, 2005]. Another paper by Rentzsch et al [2015] further corroborates the generative model by demonstrating a strong correlation of auditory MMN with a repetition suppression measure, which is thought to rely on minimization of prediction error [Friston, 2005].…”

Role of N-Methyl-D-Aspartate Receptors in Action-Based Predictive Coding Deficits in Schizophrenia

“…While these findings support deficits in cortical modulation of sensory responses to self-generated actions in schizophrenia, a broader range of studies implicate deficits in predictive coding based on recent sensory contextual information (37, 43-48). For example, the widely replicated deficit in mismatch negativity (MMN) (46), an ERP component elicited by deviant auditory stimuli in auditory oddball sequences, has been considered to reflect deficient predictive coding of recent contextual information in schizophrenia (33, 35, 36, 43, 45, 48-52). …”

Impairment in Mismatch Negativity but not Repetition Suppression in Schizophrenia

“…Additionally, while MMN is traditionally measured using pure tones that can easily be varied on parameters like pitch and duration, RS studies in schizophrenia commonly use broadband paired-click stimuli to elicit stimulus-general sensory “gating” of AEPs. Relationships have been identified between stimulus-general RS measured with sensory gating paradigms and MMN to deviations in tone pitch (Kisley et al 2004; Gjini et al 2010; Rentzsch et al 2015); however, it is unclear whether similar relationships would be identified using pure tone stimuli. Furthermore, although MMN is certainly related to RS both conceptually (i.e.…”