Gamma-Band Oscillations and Schizophrenia: A Translational and Developmental Perspective
Location: Room 101 - 11/2/23, 3:00 PM - 11/2/23, 3:30 PM (Europe/Amsterdam) (30 minutes)

Gamma-Band Oscillations and Schizophrenia: A Translational and Developmental Perspective
Prof. Dr. Peter J. Uhlhaas

Peter Uhlhaas obtained a BSc and PhD in Psychology from the University of Stirling, Scotland. He was a visiting researcher at Weill Medical College, Cornell University, New York (2001-2002), before joining the Department of Neurophysiology (Head: Prof. Wolf Singer), Max-Planck Institute (MPI) for Brain Research in Frankfurt, Germany. At the MPI, he became a group leader in 2006, investigating the neurophysiology of cognitive dysfunctions in schizophrenia. Peter joined the Institute of Neuroscience and Psychology, University of Glasgow, in 2012 where he is a principal investigator at the Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging. He has published 120 articles in internationally high-ranking journals (Nature Rev Neuroscience, Neuron, PNAS, JAMA Psychiatry). In 2019, he became Professor for Early Detection and Diagnosis of Mental Disorders at the Department of Child and Adolescent Pschiatry Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin. His work is supported by the Medical Research Council, Einstein Foundation, German Research Foundation and Wellcome Trust.language. Since 2021 he has been working on his doctoral thesis entitled: “Language mapping in patients with parenchymatous tumor in language eloquent areas.”


There is converging evidence that 40-Hz Auditory Steady-State Responses (ASSRs) are robustly impaired in schizophrenia and could constitute a potential biomarker for characterizing circuit dysfunctions as well as enable early detection and diagnosis. Here, I will summarize findings from electro- and magnetoencephalographic studies in participants at clinical high risk for psychosis, patients with first episode psychosis as well as patients with 22q11.2 deletion syndrome to identify the pattern of deficits across illness stages, the relationship with clinical variables, and the prognostic potential. Finally, data on genetics and developmental modifications will be reviewed, highlighting the importance of late modifications of 40-Hz ASSRs during adolescence, which are closely related to the underlying changes in GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) interneurons. Together, our review suggests that 40-Hz ASSRs may constitute an informative electrophysiological approach to characterize circuit dysfunctions in psychosis that could be relevant for the development of mechanistic biomarkers.