BACKGROUND Although cognitive dysfunction is a core element of schizophrenia, the neurobiological underpinnings of the pathophysiology are not yet sufficiently understood. Because the resting state is crucial for cognitive functioning and electroencephalography (EEG) can reflect instantaneous neural activity, we investigated theta phase-gamma amplitude coupling (TGC) of resting-state EEG and its relationship with cognitive function in patients with first-episode psychosis (FEP) to reveal the neural correlates of cognitive dysfunction. METHODS A total of 59 FEP patients and 50 healthy controls (HCs) underwent resting-state, eyes-closed EEG recordings and performed the Trail Making Test Part A (TMT-A) and Part B (TMT-B) and California Verbal Learning Test (CVLT). TGC from the source signal of the resting-state EEG in default mode network (DMN)-related brain regions was compared between groups. Correlation analyses were performed between TGC and cognitive function test performance in FEP patients. RESULTS Mean resting-state TGC was larger for the FEP patients than for the HCs. Patients with FEP showed increased TGC in the left posterior cingulate cortex, which was correlated with better performance on the TMT-A and TMT-B and on immediate and delayed recall in the CVLT. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that patients with FEP show compensatory hyperactivation of resting-state TGC in DMN-related brain regions, which may be related to the reallocation of cognitive resources to prepare for successful cognitive execution. This study not only highlights the neural underpinnings of cognitive dysfunction in FEP patients but also provides useful background to support the development of treatments for cognitive dysfunction in schizophrenia.

中文翻译：

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首发精神病患者静息态θ相位-伽马振幅耦合与神经认知功能的关系

背景虽然认知功能障碍是精神分裂症的核心要素，但尚未充分了解病理生理学的神经生物学基础。由于静息状态对认知功能至关重要，而脑电图 (EEG) 可以反映瞬时神经活动，我们研究了首发精神病患者静息态脑电图的θ相位-伽马振幅耦合 (TGC) 及其与认知功能的关系。 FEP）揭示认知功能障碍的神经相关性。方法 共有 59 名 FEP 患者和 50 名健康对照 (HC) 进行静息状态、闭眼 EEG 记录，并进行了 A 部分 (TMT-A) 和 B 部分 (TMT-B) 以及加州语言学习测试(CVLT)。对来自默认模式网络 (DMN) 相关大脑区域中静息态 EEG 源信号的 TGC 进行了比较。在 FEP 患者中进行 TGC 和认知功能测试表现之间的相关性分析。结果 FEP 患者的平均静息状态 TGC 大于 HC。FEP 患者左后扣带回皮层的 TGC 增加，这与 TMT-A 和 TMT-B 以及 CVLT 中的即时和延迟回忆的更好表现相关。结论 这些结果表明，FEP 患者在 DMN 相关脑区表现出静息态 TGC 的代偿性过度激活，这可能与认知资源的重新分配以准备成功的认知执行有关。