Impaired prepulse inhibition of acoustic startle in Chinese patients with first-episode, medication-naive schizophrenia

Background Patients with schizophrenia have prominent abnormality in information processing that can be observed by measures of prepulse inhibition (PPI) of acoustic startle reflex and PPI deficits have been considered as a candidate endophenotypic marker of schizophrenia. However, there has been little information on PPI and related measures in Chinese patients with schizophrenia. The research was to explore the deficits of acoustic startle reflex that might exist in Chinese patients with schizophrenia. Methods Startle response to acoustic stimuli, habituation, and PPI were examined in 31 Chinese patients with first-episode, medication-naive schizophrenia and 30 age- and sex- matched healthy Chinese controls. At the same day of startle testing, psychopathological symptoms of the patients were assessed with the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS). Results Compared with healthy controls, patients exhibited the significant reduction in startle response and PPI deficits at 60 milliseconds (ms) intervals (PPI60, P < 0.05) but not at 30 or 120 ms intervals. Furthermore, there was a relatively strong correlation between PPI60 (P < 0.05) and scores of positive scale of PANSS in patients with schizophrenia. Conclusion Our findings confirmed impaired PPI in Chinese patients with schizophrenia and suggested that a relationship between sensorimotor gating deficits and clinical symptoms of patients with schizophrenia might exist.