Sleep and wake markers of thalamocortical functioning in early-course psychosis and first-degree relatives

Bengi Baran; Dan Denis; Dimitrios Mylonas; Hazal Arpaci; Courtney Spitzer; Nicholas Raymund; Christine Talbot; Erin Kohnke; Olivia Larson; Robert Stickgold; Matcheri Keshavan; Dara S Manoach

doi:10.1038/s41537-026-00735-0

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Sleep and wake markers of thalamocortical functioning in early-course psychosis and first-degree relatives

Journal article

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Sleep and wake markers of thalamocortical functioning in early-course psychosis and first-degree relatives

Bengi Baran, Dan Denis, Dimitrios Mylonas, Hazal Arpaci, Courtney Spitzer, Nicholas Raymund, Christine Talbot, Erin Kohnke, Olivia Larson, Robert Stickgold, …

Schizophrenia (Heidelberg, Germany)

03/11/2026

DOI: 10.1038/s41537-026-00735-0

PMID: 41813678

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Abstract

Thalamocortical circuits regulate information flow between sensory inputs and higher-order processing, and their disruption is increasingly implicated in psychotic disorders. However, scalable biomarkers of this circuitry remain limited. We assessed P50 sensory gating, 40 Hz auditory steady-state responses (ASSRs) and sleep spindles in relation to resting-state thalamocortical connectivity in early-course psychosis (EC, n = 19), first-degree relatives (FHR, n = 24), and demographically matched non-psychiatric comparison subjects (NC, n = 28). Compared to NC, EC, and FHR exhibited hyperconnectivity of the thalamus with the primary auditory cortex. Patients showed spindle deficits and impaired sensory gating and ASSRs, while FHR showed abnormal ASSR. In the entire sample, sleep spindles and sensory gating were associated with distinct thalamic connectivity patterns involving sensorimotor and dorsolateral prefrontal cortices, respectively. Our multimodal, circuit-informed approach points to thalamocortical pathways as potential biomarkers of risk and targets for treatment in psychosis. These findings should be interpreted in light of the modest sample sizes and the cross-sectional design, and suggest that wake EEG measures, though scalable, may not fully capture sleep-related thalamic abnormalities.

Details

Title: Subtitle: Sleep and wake markers of thalamocortical functioning in early-course psychosis and first-degree relatives
Creators: Bengi Baran - University of Iowa
Dan Denis - University of York
Dimitrios Mylonas - Harvard University
Hazal Arpaci - University of Iowa
Courtney Spitzer - Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Nicholas Raymund - Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Christine Talbot - Massachusetts General Hospital
Erin Kohnke - Massachusetts General Hospital
Olivia Larson - Massachusetts General Hospital
Robert Stickgold - Harvard University
Matcheri Keshavan - Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Dara S Manoach - Harvard University
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: Schizophrenia (Heidelberg, Germany)
DOI: 10.1038/s41537-026-00735-0
PMID: 41813678
NLM abbreviation: Schizophrenia (Heidelb)
ISSN: 2754-6993
eISSN: 2754-6993
Publisher: Springer Nature
Grant note: R01MH107579 / U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | NIH | National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) K01MH114012 / U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | NIH | National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Language: English
Electronic publication date: 03/11/2026
Academic Unit: Psychiatry; Psychological and Brain Sciences; Iowa Neuroscience Institute
Record Identifier: 9985147207602771

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