- Scientists at the University of Geneva demonstrate how a defect in communication between brain areas is linked to the onset of psychotic disorders. Deficits in the maturation of the gamma response to auditory stimulation in childhood and adolescence are predictive of the risk of developing psychotic disorders. (c) UNIGE / Vincent Rochas Communication between brain areas is crucial for the brain to correctly process sensory signals and adopt an appropriate behavioural response. Yet, dysfunctions in these communication pathways could be strongly correlated with the onset of schizophrenia. For the first time, a team from the University of Geneva , Switzerland, within the framework of the Synapsy National Centre of Competence in Research, has succeeded in demonstrating this phenomenon in human beings. By carrying out analyses of the brain activity of children, adolescents and young adults with a genetic risk of the disease, the research team has demonstrated that a reduction in the activation of gamma waves, that are known for their role in the proper transmission of information in the brain, was correlated with the emergence of psychotic symptoms even before full-blown disorders appear. This work, published in the American Journal of Psychiatry , makes it possible to envisage a very early diagnosis.
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