Abnormal sleep oscillations have recently been proposed as endophenotypes of schizophrenia. However, optimization of methodological approaches is still necessary to standardize analyses of their microstructural characteristics. Additionally, some relevant features of these oscillations remain unexplored in pathological conditions. Among others, slow wave traveling is a promising proxy for diurnal processes of brain connectivity and excitability. The study of slow oscillations propagation appears particularly relevant when schizophrenia is conceptualized as a dys-connectivity syndrome. Given the rising knowledge on the neurobiological mechanisms underlying slow wave traveling, this measure might offer substantial advantages over other approaches in investigating brain connectivity. Herein we: 1) confirm the stability of our previous findings on slow waves and sleep spindles in FDRs using different automated algorithms, and 2) report the dynamics of slow wave traveling in FDRs of Schizophrenia patients. A 256-channel, high-density EEG system was employed to record a whole night of sleep of 16 FDRs and 16 age- and gender-matched control subjects. A recently developed, open source toolbox was used for slow wave visualization and detection. Slow waves were confirmed to be significantly smaller in FDRs compared to the control group. Additionally, several traveling parameters were analyzed. Traveled distances were found to be significantly reduced in FDRs, whereas origins showed a different topographical pattern of distribution from control subjects. In contrast, local speed did not differ between groups. Overall, these results suggest that slow wave traveling might be a viable method to study pathological conditions interfering with brain connectivity.

中文翻译：

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精神分裂症一级亲属的慢波振荡：慢波传播的验证性分析和可行性研究

最近有人提出异常睡眠振荡是精神分裂症的内表型。然而，方法学方法的优化仍然是必要的，以标准化对其微观结构特征的分析。此外，这些振荡的一些相关特征在病理条件下仍未得到探索。其中，慢波传播是大脑连通性和兴奋性昼夜过程的有希望的代表。当精神分裂症被概念化为连接障碍综合征时，对缓慢振荡传播的研究显得尤为重要。鉴于对慢波传播背后的神经生物学机制的了解不断增加，该措施可能比其他研究大脑连接的方法具有更大的优势。在此我们：1) 使用不同的自动算法确认了我们之前对 FDR 中慢波和睡眠纺锤波的发现的稳定性，以及 2) 报告了精神分裂症患者 FDR 中慢波传播的动态。采用 256 通道、高密度 EEG 系统记录 16 名 FDR 和 16 名年龄和性别匹配的对照受试者的整夜睡眠。最近开发的开源工具箱用于慢波可视化和检测。与对照组相比，FDR 中的慢波被证实明显更小。此外，还分析了几个行驶参数。发现 FDR 中的行驶距离显着减少，而起源显示出与对照受试者不同的分布地形模式。相比之下，各组之间的局部速度没有差异。全面的，