Reduced serial dependence suggests deficits in synaptic potentiation in anti-NMDAR encephalitis and schizophrenia

A mechanistic understanding of core cognitive processes, such as working memory, is crucial to addressing psychiatric symptoms in brain disorders. We propose a combined psychophysical and biophysical account of two symptomatologically related diseases, both linked to hypofunctional NMDARs: schizophr...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Stein, Heike, Barbosa, João Moura, Rosa Justicia, Mireia, Prades-Senovilla, Laia, Morató, Alba, Galan-Gadea, Adria, Ariño Rodríguez, Helena, Martínez Hernández, Eugenia, Castro Fornieles, Josefina, Dalmau Obrador, Josep, Compte Braquets, Albert
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2020
País:España
Institución:Universidad de Barcelona
Repositorio:Dipòsit Digital de la UB
OAI Identifier:oai:diposit.ub.edu:2445/172844
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/2445/172844
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Memòria
Esquizofrènia
Encefalitis
Memory
Schizophrenia
Encephalitis
Descripción
Sumario:A mechanistic understanding of core cognitive processes, such as working memory, is crucial to addressing psychiatric symptoms in brain disorders. We propose a combined psychophysical and biophysical account of two symptomatologically related diseases, both linked to hypofunctional NMDARs: schizophrenia and autoimmune anti-NMDAR encephalitis. We first quantified shared working memory alterations in a delayed-response task. In both patient groups, we report a markedly reduced influence of previous stimuli on working memory contents, despite preserved memory precision. We then simulated this finding with NMDAR-dependent synaptic alterations in a microcircuit model of prefrontal cortex. Changes in cortical excitation destabilized within-trial memory maintenance and could not account for disrupted serial dependence in working memory. Rather, a quantitative fit between data and simulations supports alterations of an NMDAR-dependent memory mechanism operating on longer timescales, such as short-term potentiation.