Tasks performed
Data Manager and Research Coordinator at PROMENTA and DRIVE.
Background
- 2023 - Research Coordinator at Section for Psychosis Research, NORMENT, Oslo University Hospital
- 2022 - 2023 Research Assistant at Section for Psychosis Research, NORMENT, Department of Medicine, University of Oslo
- 2021 - 2023 Research Assistant / Research Technician at the Department of Psychology, University of Oslo
- 2020 - 2022 Master's Degree in Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Oslo
- 2017 - 2020 Bachelor's Degree in Psychology, University of Southampton
Tags:
Data manager,
Research support,
PROMENTA
Publications
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Pentz, Atle Bråthen; Exposito, Veronica; Jole, Oda van; Nerland, Stener; Melle, Ingrid & Steen, Nils Eiel
[Show all 13 contributors for this article]
(2025).
Auditory MMN is associated with the volume of thalamic higher order nuclei in individuals with psychotic disorders and healthy controls.
Schizophrenia Research.
ISSN 0920-9964.
276,
p. 222–233.
doi:
10.1016/j.schres.2025.01.031.
Full text in Research Archive
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Objective
Predictive coding is a theoretical framework that integrates models of brain dysconnectivity and psychopathology in psychosis. Thalamocortical dysconnectivity as well as reduced thalamic volumes have been reported in psychotic disorders. However, the role of the thalamus in predictive coding is not clear. We examined the relationship between magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)- based thalamic nuclei volumes and mismatch negativity (MMN), a purported index of prediction error signaling known to be impaired in psychosis.
Methods
We obtained MRI and MMN using a roving paradigm from individuals with SCZ spectrum disorder (SSD, n = 60) or bipolar disorder (BD, n = 69) and HC (n = 252). We segmented volumes of 25 thalamic nuclei bilaterally and tested their associations with MMN amplitude using linear models while covarying for age, sex, diagnosis, and intracranial volumes (ICV).
Results
We did not find group differences in thalamic volumes that could account for differences in MMN, neither did we find significant volume × diagnosis interactions on MMN for any of the 25 nuclei examined. Across the whole sample, significant positive associations were found between MMN amplitude and the volumes of several higher-order thalamic nuclei, including the mediodorsal medial and lateral nuclei, anterior and medial pulvinar, nucleus reuniens, as well as the lateral geniculate nucleus.
Conclusion
The results demonstrate a positive association between MMN amplitude and volumes of thalamic association nuclei in patients with psychotic disorders and HC. These findings may suggest a modulatory role of the thalamus in prediction error signaling.
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Pentz, Atle Bråthen; O'Connell, Kevin Sean; Jole, Oda van; Timpe, Clara Marie Fides; Slapø, Nora Berz & Melle, Ingrid
[Show all 14 contributors for this article]
(2024).
Mismatch negativity and polygenic risk scores for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.
Schizophrenia Research.
ISSN 0920-9964.
264,
p. 314–326.
doi:
10.1016/j.schres.2024.01.013.
Full text in Research Archive
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Objective: Auditory mismatch negativity (MMN) impairment is a candidate endophenotype in psychotic disorders, yet the genetic underpinnings remain to be clarified. Here, we examined the relationships between auditory MMN and polygenic risk scores (PRS) for individuals with psychotic disorders, including schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSD) and bipolar disorder (BD) and in healthy controls (HC). Methods: Genotyped and clinically well-characterized individuals with psychotic disorders (n = 102), including SSD (n = 43) and BD (n = 59), and HC (n = 397) underwent a roving MMN paradigm. In addition MMN, we measured the memory traces of the repetition positivity (RP) and the deviant negativity (DN), which is believed to reflect prediction encoding and prediction error signals, respectively. SCZ and BD PRS were computed using summary statistics from the latest genome-wide association studies. The relationships between the MMN, RP, and DN and the PRSs were assessed with linear regressions. Results: We found no significant association between the SCZ or BD PRS and grand average MMN in the psychotic disorders group or in the HCs group (all p > 0.05). SCZ PRS and BD PRS were negatively associated with RP in the psychotic disorders group (β = 0.46, t = 2.86, p = 0.005 and β = 0.29, t = 0.21, p = 0.034, respectively). No significant associations were found between DN and PRS. Conclusion: These findings suggest that genetic variants associated with SCZ and BD may be associated with MMN subcomponents linked to predictive coding among patients with psychotic disorders. Larger studies are needed to confirm these findings and further elucidate the genetic underpinnings of MMN impairment in psychotic disorders.
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Published
Jan. 9, 2024 2:20 PM
- Last modified
July 10, 2025 12:30 PM