Testing a decades' old assumption: Are individuals with lower sensory gating indeed more easily distracted?

TY - JOUR

T1 - Testing a decades' old assumption

T2 - Are individuals with lower sensory gating indeed more easily distracted?

AU - Bak, N

AU - Mann, J

AU - Fagerlund, B

AU - Glenthøj, B Y

AU - Jepsen, J R M

AU - Oranje, B

N1 - Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

PY - 2017/9

Y1 - 2017/9

N2 - The sensory gating deficits in schizophrenia have been theorized to associate with increased distractibility. We explore the potential associations between sensory and sensorimotor gating and subjective and objective indices of distraction in healthy subjects. Forty healthy males were assessed with the P50 suppression and pre-pulse inhibition of the startle reflex (PPI) paradigms. Additionally, a neurocognitive test battery was administered in a cross-over design: with/without auditory distraction. Significant effects of distraction were found in response inhibition, and verbal working memory and attention. Parameters from the PPI and P50 suppression paradigms were significantly associated with the distractor effects on strategy formation, cognitive inhibition and flexibility, visual short-term memory, and the level of subjective distraction. Subjectively reported distraction was significantly associated with verbal working memory and attention as well as executive and supervisory processes. Sensory and sensorimotor gating efficiency do not reflect the effect of distraction across executive and attention functions i.e. we did not observe a generalized distractor effect. Gating only related to the effect of distraction on strategy formation, cognitive inhibition and flexibility, as well as visual short term memory. Future studies should investigate if gating deficits affect the distractibility of the same specific cognitive functions in patients with schizophrenia.

AB - The sensory gating deficits in schizophrenia have been theorized to associate with increased distractibility. We explore the potential associations between sensory and sensorimotor gating and subjective and objective indices of distraction in healthy subjects. Forty healthy males were assessed with the P50 suppression and pre-pulse inhibition of the startle reflex (PPI) paradigms. Additionally, a neurocognitive test battery was administered in a cross-over design: with/without auditory distraction. Significant effects of distraction were found in response inhibition, and verbal working memory and attention. Parameters from the PPI and P50 suppression paradigms were significantly associated with the distractor effects on strategy formation, cognitive inhibition and flexibility, visual short-term memory, and the level of subjective distraction. Subjectively reported distraction was significantly associated with verbal working memory and attention as well as executive and supervisory processes. Sensory and sensorimotor gating efficiency do not reflect the effect of distraction across executive and attention functions i.e. we did not observe a generalized distractor effect. Gating only related to the effect of distraction on strategy formation, cognitive inhibition and flexibility, as well as visual short term memory. Future studies should investigate if gating deficits affect the distractibility of the same specific cognitive functions in patients with schizophrenia.

KW - Journal Article

U2 - 10.1016/j.psychres.2017.05.048

DO - 10.1016/j.psychres.2017.05.048

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 28666245

SN - 0165-1781

VL - 255

SP - 387

EP - 393

JO - Psychiatry Research

JF - Psychiatry Research

ER -