Mismatch Negativity (MMN) and schizophrenia: A revision

Abstract

The Mismatch Negativity (MMN) is an auditory EventRelated Potential which is generated as an automatic cerebral response to any change in the auditory stimulation that exceeds a limit corresponding to the discrimination threshold. It has been widely and consistently reported that patients with recent and chronic schizophrenia display smaller MMN amplitudes, suggesting that this component may be related with alteration in sensory memory and stimuli integration capacities, which seem to increase with the disease progression. Recently, new research areas have emerged, and studies of MMN of relatives of patients with schizophrenia have been conducted in order to assess the MMN efficacy as an endophenotype. Likewise, there have been MMN studies in schizophrenia prodromes or clinical high risk subjects, aiming to know if there are cerebral processing disturbances prior to the onset of the disease. The results of these studies have been promising, suggesting the presence of auditory stimuli processing disturbances in this population. These disturbances are subtle and seem to increase as the disease appears. The MMN component may be a very effective electrophysiological tool that provides information about the automatic auditory processing in schizophrenia related to its chronicity. It may also be a relative reliable index of genetic vulnerability and clinical risk for developing schizophrenia. Nevertheless, it is necessary to continue performing studies to get comparable and replicable studies in the future that could confirm the information about MMN utility.