Electrophysiological assessment methodology of sensory processing dysfunction in schizophrenia and dementia of the Alzheimer type

Abstract Schizophrenia and Alzheimer’s disease impacts on various sensory processingsare extensively reviewed in the present publication. This article describes aspects of a research project whose aim is to delineate the neurobiology that may underlie Social Withdrawal in Alzheimer’s disease, Schizophrenia and Major Depression. This is a European-funded IMI 2 project, identified as PRISM (Psychiatric Ratings using Intermediate Stratified Markers). This paper focuses specifically on the selected electrophysiologicalparadigms chosen based on a comprehensive review of all relevant literature and practical constraints. The choice of the electrophysiologicalbiomarkers were fundamentality based their metrics and capacity to discriminate between populations. The selected electrophysiologicalparadigms are resting state EEG, auditory mismatch negativity, auditory and visual based oddball paradigms, facial emotion processing ERP’s and auditory steady- state response. The primary objective is to study the effect of social withdrawal on various biomarkers and endophenotypesfound altered in the target populations. This has never been studied in relationship to social withdrawal, an important component of CNS diseases.