© 1998 by Oxford University Press and the Maryland Psychiatric Research Center (MPRC)
Schizophrenia, Sensory Gating, and Nicotinic Receptors
Assistant Professor of Psychiatry; University of Colorado Health Sciences Center and the Denver Veterans Medical Center Denver, CO
Professor; University of Colorado Health Sciences Center and the Denver Veterans Medical Center Denver, CO
Assistant Professor; University of Colorado Health Sciences Center and the Denver Veterans Medical Center Denver, CO
Assistant Professor; University of Colorado Health Sciences Center and the Denver Veterans Medical Center Denver, CO
currently at Aurora Mental Health Center Aurora, Co
Assistant Professor; University of Colorado Health Sciences Center and the Denver Veterans Medical Center Denver, CO
Research Associate; University of Colorado Health Sciences Center and the Denver Veterans Medical Center Denver, CO
Assistant Professor; University of Colorado Health Sciences Center and the Denver Veterans Medical Center Denver, CO
Associate Professor; University of Colorado Health Sciences Center and the Denver Veterans Medical Center Denver, CO
Assistant Professor; University of Colorado Health Sciences Center and the Denver Veterans Medical Center Denver, CO
Professor, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center and the Denver Veterans Medical Center Denver, CO
Reprint requests should be sent to Dr. R. Freedman, Dept. of Psychiatry, C-268-71, University of Colorado Health Science Center, 4200 East Ninth Ave., Denver, CO 80262
A series of human and animal investigations has suggested that altered expression and function of the 
7-nicotinic cholinergic receptor may be responsible for the auditory sensory gating deficit characterized in schizophrenia patients and their relatives as diminished suppression of an auditory-evoked response (P50) to repeated stimuli. This finding, in conjunction with evidence for familial transmission of this sensory gating deficit, suggests a pathogenic role of the gene for the 7-nicotinic receptor in schizophrenia. This article considers the possible effects of this dysfunction in a broader context. Not only is this dysfunction consistent with difficulties in sensory gating, but it might also pre dispose patients to problems with learning efficiency and accuracy. Such learning problems could underlie schizophrenia patients' delusional thinking, hallucinations, and social dysfunction. In addition, heavy smoking in many schizophrenia patients is consistent with the high concentration of nicotine necessary to activate the receptor and with the receptor's extremely rapid desensitization. Finally, the receptor's possible role in cell growth and differentiation should be considered in connection with developmental deficits and other cellular abnormalities in schizophrenia.
Keywords: Acetylcholine / hippocampus / habituation / interneurons
CiteULike 
Connotea 
Del.icio.us What's this?
This article has been cited by other articles:
|
|
 |
|
  D. C. Javitt Sensory Processing in Schizophrenia: Neither Simple nor Intact Schizophr Bull, November 1, 2009; 35(6): 1059 - 1064. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 F. M. Benes, B. Lim, D. Matzilevich, S. Subburaju, and J. P. Walsh Circuitry-based gene expression profiles in GABA cells of the trisynaptic pathway in schizophrenics versus bipolars PNAS, December 30, 2008; 105(52): 20935 - 20940. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 P.-Y. S. Chan and P. W. Davenport Respiratory-related evoked potential measures of respiratory sensory gating J Appl Physiol, October 1, 2008; 105(4): 1106 - 1113. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 K. P. Grootens, G. van Luijtelaar, C. A.F.J. Miller, T. Smits, J. W. Hummelen, J. K. Buitelaar, and R. J. Verkes Increased P50 Gating but Intact Prepulse Inhibition in Borderline Personality Disorder J Neuropsychiatry Clin Neurosci, August 1, 2008; 20(3): 348 - 356. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 S. V. Mathew, A. J. Law, B. K. Lipska, M. I. Davila-Garcia, E. D. Zamora, S. N. Mitkus, R. Vakkalanka, R. E. Straub, D. R. Weinberger, J. E. Kleinman, et al. {alpha}7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor mRNA expression and binding in postmortem human brain are associated with genetic variation in neuregulin 1 Hum. Mol. Genet., December 1, 2007; 16(23): 2921 - 2932. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
R. W. Buchanan, R. Freedman, D. C. Javitt, A. Abi-Dargham, and J. A. Lieberman Recent Advances in the Development of Novel Pharmacological Agents for the Treatment of Cognitive Impairments in Schizophrenia Schizophr Bull, September 1, 2007; 33(5): 1120 - 1130. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 F. Ferrarelli, R. Huber, M. J. Peterson, M. Massimini, M. Murphy, B. A. Riedner, A. Watson, P. Bria, and G. Tononi Reduced Sleep Spindle Activity in Schizophrenia Patients Am J Psychiatry, March 1, 2007; 164(3): 483 - 492. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
D. Potter, A. Summerfelt, J. Gold, and R. W. Buchanan Review of Clinical Correlates of P50 Sensory Gating Abnormalities in Patients with Schizophrenia Schizophr Bull, October 1, 2006; 32(4): 692 - 700. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 K. A. Sacco, K. L. Bannon, and T. P. George Nicotinic receptor mechanisms and cognition in normal states and neuropsychiatric disorders J Psychopharmacol, December 1, 2004; 18(4): 457 - 474. [Abstract] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 D. S. Woodruff-Pak and T. J. Gould Neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors: involvement in Alzheimer's disease and schizophrenia. Behav Cogn Neurosci Rev, March 1, 2002; 1(1): 5 - 20. [Abstract] [PDF]
|
|