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Wolf DH, Satterthwaite TD, Kantrowitz JJ, Katchmar N, Vandekar L, Elliott MA, Ruparel K. Amotivation in schizophrenia: integrated assessment with behavioral, clinical, and imaging measures. Schizophr Bull 2014; 40:1328-37. [PMID: 24657876 PMCID: PMC4193711 DOI: 10.1093/schbul/sbu026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 141] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Motivational deficits play a central role in disability caused by schizophrenia and constitute a major unmet therapeutic need. Negative symptoms have previously been linked to hypofunction in ventral striatum (VS), a core component of brain motivation circuitry. However, it remains unclear to what extent this relationship holds for specific negative symptoms such as amotivation, and this question has not been addressed with integrated behavioral, clinical, and imaging measures. Here, 41 individuals with schizophrenia and 37 controls performed a brief, computerized progressive ratio task (PRT) that quantifies effort exerted in pursuit of monetary reward. Clinical amotivation was assessed using the recently validated Clinical Assessment Interview for Negative Symptoms (CAINS). VS function was probed during functional magnetic resonance imaging using a monetary guessing paradigm. We found that individuals with schizophrenia had diminished motivation as measured by the PRT, which significantly and selectively related to clinical amotivation as measured by the CAINS. Critically, lower PRT motivation in schizophrenia was also dimensionally related to VS hypofunction. Our results demonstrate robust dimensional associations between behavioral amotivation, clinical amotivation, and VS hypofunction in schizophrenia. Integrating behavioral measures such as the PRT will facilitate translational efforts to identify biomarkers of amotivation and to assess response to novel therapeutic interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel H. Wolf
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA;,*To whom correspondence should be addressed; Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania, 10th Floor Gates Building, 3400 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, US; tel: (215)-662-3692, fax: (215)-662-7903, e-mail:
| | | | | | - Natalie Katchmar
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
| | - Lillie Vandekar
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
| | - Mark A. Elliott
- Department of Radiology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
| | - Kosha Ruparel
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
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Petkova E, Lu F, Kantrowitz J, Sanchez JL, Lehrfeld J, Scaramello N, Silipo G, DiCostanza J, Ross M, Su Z, Javitt DC, Butler PD. Auditory tasks for assessment of sensory function and affective prosody in schizophrenia. Compr Psychiatry 2014; 55:1862-74. [PMID: 25214372 PMCID: PMC4691012 DOI: 10.1016/j.comppsych.2014.08.046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2014] [Revised: 08/11/2014] [Accepted: 08/14/2014] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Schizophrenia patients exhibit impairments in auditory-based social cognition, indicated by deficits in detection of prosody, such as affective prosody and basic pitch perception. However, little is known about the psychometric properties of behavioral tests used to assess these functions. The goal of this paper is to characterize the properties of prosody and pitch perception tasks and to investigate whether they can be shortened. The pitch perception test evaluated is a tone-matching task developed by Javitt and colleagues (J-TMT). The prosody test evaluated is the auditory emotion recognition task developed by Juslin and Laukka (JL-AER). The sample includes 124 schizophrenia patients (SZ) and 131 healthy controls (HC). Properties, including facility and discrimination, of each item were assessed. Effects of item characteristics (e.g., emotion) were also evaluated. Shortened versions of the tests are proposed based on facility, discrimination, and/or ability of item characteristics to discriminate between patients and controls. Test-retest reliability is high for patients and controls for both the original and short forms of the J-TMT and JL-AER. Thus, the original as well as short forms of the J-TMT and JL-AER are suggested for inclusion in clinical trials of social cognitive and perceptual treatments. The development of short forms further increases the utility of these auditory tasks in clinical trials and clinical practice. The large SZ vs. HC differences reported here also highlight the profound nature of auditory deficits and a need for remediation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva Petkova
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, NY 10016, USA; Nathan S. Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY 10962, USA.
| | - Feihan Lu
- Department of Statistics, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027
| | - Joshua Kantrowitz
- Nathan S. Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY 10962,Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY 10027
| | - Jamie L. Sanchez
- Nathan S. Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY 10962
| | - Jonathan Lehrfeld
- Nathan S. Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY 10962
| | - Nayla Scaramello
- Nathan S. Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY 10962
| | - Gail Silipo
- Nathan S. Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY 10962
| | - Joanna DiCostanza
- Nathan S. Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY 10962
| | - Marina Ross
- Nathan S. Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY 10962
| | - Zhe Su
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, NY 10016
| | - Daniel C. Javitt
- Nathan S. Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY 10962,Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY 10027
| | - Pamela D. Butler
- Nathan S. Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY 10962,Department of Psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016
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53
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Tully LM, Niendam TA. Beyond “Cold” Cognition: Exploring Cognitive Control of Emotion as a Risk Factor for Psychosis. Curr Behav Neurosci Rep 2014. [DOI: 10.1007/s40473-014-0016-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
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54
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Brief report: is cognitive rehabilitation needed in verbal adults with autism? Insights from initial enrollment in a trial of cognitive enhancement therapy. J Autism Dev Disord 2014; 43:2233-7. [PMID: 23381484 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-013-1774-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
Cognitive rehabilitation is an emerging set of potentially effective interventions for the treatment of autism spectrum disorder, yet the applicability of these approaches for "high functioning" adults who have normative levels of intelligence remains unexplored. This study examined the initial cognitive performance characteristics of 40 verbal adults with autism enrolled in a pilot trial of Cognitive Enhancement Therapy to investigate the need for cognitive rehabilitation in this population. Results revealed marked and broad deficits across neurocognitive and social-cognitive domains, despite above-average IQ. Areas of greatest impairment included processing speed, cognitive flexibility, and emotion perception and management. These findings indicate the need for comprehensive interventions designed to enhance cognition among verbal adults with autism who have intact intellectual functioning.
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55
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Eack SM, Mazefsky CA, Minshew NJ. Misinterpretation of facial expressions of emotion in verbal adults with autism spectrum disorder. AUTISM : THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RESEARCH AND PRACTICE 2014; 19:308-15. [PMID: 24535689 DOI: 10.1177/1362361314520755] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Facial emotion perception is significantly affected in autism spectrum disorder, yet little is known about how individuals with autism spectrum disorder misinterpret facial expressions that result in their difficulty in accurately recognizing emotion in faces. This study examined facial emotion perception in 45 verbal adults with autism spectrum disorder and 30 age- and gender-matched volunteers without autism spectrum disorder to identify patterns of emotion misinterpretation during face processing that contribute to emotion recognition impairments in autism. Results revealed that difficulty distinguishing emotional from neutral facial expressions characterized much of the emotion perception impairments exhibited by participants with autism spectrum disorder. In particular, adults with autism spectrum disorder uniquely misinterpreted happy faces as neutral, and were significantly more likely than typical volunteers to attribute negative valence to nonemotional faces. The over-attribution of emotions to neutral faces was significantly related to greater communication and emotional intelligence impairments in individuals with autism spectrum disorder. These findings suggest a potential negative bias toward the interpretation of facial expressions and may have implications for interventions designed to remediate emotion perception in autism spectrum disorder.
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Green MF, Lee J, Ochsner KN. Adapting social neuroscience measures for schizophrenia clinical trials, Part 1: ferrying paradigms across perilous waters. Schizophr Bull 2013; 39:1192-200. [PMID: 24072811 PMCID: PMC3796092 DOI: 10.1093/schbul/sbt131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Social cognitive impairment is prominent in schizophrenia, and it is closely related to functional outcome. Partly for these reasons, it has rapidly become a target for both training and psychopharmacological interventions. However, there is a paucity of reliable and valid social cognitive endpoints that can be used to evaluate treatment response in clinical trials. Also, clinical studies in schizophrenia have benefited rather little from the surge of activity and knowledge in nonclinical social neuroscience. The National Institute of Mental Health-sponsored study, "Social Cognition and Functioning in Schizophrenia" (SCAF), attempted to address this translational challenge by selecting paradigms from social neuroscience that could be adapted for use in schizophrenia. The project also evaluated the psychometric properties and external validity of the tasks to determine their suitability for multisite clinical trials. This first article in the theme section presents the goals, conceptual background, and rationale for the SCAF project.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael F Green
- To whom correspondence should be addressed; David Geffen School of Medicine, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, UCLA, 760 Westwood Plaza, Rm 77-361, Los Angeles, CA 90024-1759, US; tel: 310-268-3376, fax: 310-268-4056, e-mail:
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Harnessing cognitive neuroscience to develop new treatments for improving cognition in schizophrenia: CNTRICS selected cognitive paradigms for animal models. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2013; 37:2087-91. [PMID: 24090823 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2013.09.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Over the past two decades, the awareness of the disabling and treatment-refractory effects of impaired cognition in schizophrenia has increased dramatically. In response to this still unmet need in the treatment of schizophrenia, the Cognitive Neuroscience Treatment Research to Improve Cognition in Schizophrenia (CNTRICS) initiative was developed. The goal of CNTRICS is to harness cognitive neuroscience to develop a brain-based set of tools for measuring cognition in schizophrenia and to test new treatments. CNTRICS meetings focused on development of tasks with cognitive construct validity for use in both human and animal model studies. This special issue presents papers discussing the cognitive testing paradigms selected by CNTRICS for animal model systems. These paradigms are designed to measure cognitive constructs within the domains of perception, attention, executive function, working memory, object/relational long-term memory, and social/affective processes.
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Millan MJ, Bales KL. Towards improved animal models for evaluating social cognition and its disruption in schizophrenia: the CNTRICS initiative. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2013; 37:2166-80. [PMID: 24090822 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2013.09.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 93] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2013] [Revised: 09/17/2013] [Accepted: 09/19/2013] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Social cognition refers to processes used to monitor and interpret social signals from others, to decipher their state of mind, emotional status and intentions, and select appropriate social behaviour. Social cognition is sophisticated in humans, being embedded with verbal language and enacted in a complex cultural environment. Its disruption characterises the entire course of schizophrenia and is correlated with poor functional outcome. Further, deficits in social cognition are related to impairment in other cognitive domains, positive symptoms (paranoia and delusions) and negative symptoms (social withdrawal and reduced motivation). In light of the significance and inadequate management of social cognition deficits, there is a need for translatable experimental procedures for their study, and identification of effective pharmacotherapy. No single paradigm captures the multi-dimensional nature of social cognition, and procedures for assessing ability to infer mental states are not well-developed for experimental therapeutic settings. Accordingly, a recent CNTRICS meeting prioritised procedures for measuring a specific construct: "acquisition and recognition of affective (emotional) states", coupled to individual recognition. Two complementary paradigms for refinement were identified: social recognition/preference in rodents, and visual tracking of social scenes in non-human primates (NHPs). Social recognition is disrupted in genetic, developmental or pharmacological disease models for schizophrenia, and performance in both procedures is improved by the neuropeptide oxytocin. The present article surveys a broad range of procedures for studying social cognition in rodents and NHPs, discusses advantages and drawbacks, and focuses on development of social recognition/preference and gaze-following paradigms for improved study of social cognition deficits in schizophrenia and their potential treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark J Millan
- Unit for Research and Discovery in Neuroscience, IDR Servier, 125 Chemin de Ronde, 78290 Croissy-sur-Seine, France.
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59
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Context and the perception of emotion in schizophrenia: sex differences and relationships with functioning. Schizophr Res 2013; 149:192-3. [PMID: 23870810 PMCID: PMC4005825 DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2013.06.039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2013] [Revised: 06/25/2013] [Accepted: 06/27/2013] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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Lee J, Kern RS, Harvey PO, Horan WP, Kee KS, Ochsner K, Penn DL, Green MF. An intact social cognitive process in schizophrenia: situational context effects on perception of facial affect. Schizophr Bull 2013; 39:640-7. [PMID: 22532704 PMCID: PMC3627776 DOI: 10.1093/schbul/sbs063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Impaired facial affect recognition is the most consistent social cognitive finding in schizophrenia. Although social situations provide powerful constraints on our perception, little is known about how situational context modulates facial affect recognition in schizophrenia. METHODS Study 1 was a single-site study with 34 schizophrenia patients and 22 healthy controls. Study 2 was a 2-site study with 68 schizophrenia patients and 28 controls. Both studies administered a Situational Context Facial Affect Recognition Task with 2 conditions: a situational context condition and a no-context condition. For the situational context condition, a briefly shown face was preceded by a sentence describing either a fear- or surprise-inducing event. In the no-context condition, a face was presented without a sentence. For both conditions, subjects rated how fearful or surprised the face appeared on a 9-point Likert scale. RESULTS For the situational context condition of study 1, both patients and controls rated faces as more afraid when they were paired with fear-inducing sentences and as more surprised when they were paired with surprise-inducing sentences. The degree of modulation was comparable across groups. For the no-context condition, patients rated faces comparably to controls. The findings of study 2 replicated those from study 1. CONCLUSIONS Despite previous abnormalities in other types of context paradigms, this study found intact situational context processing in schizophrenia, suggesting that patients benefit from situational context when interpreting ambiguous facial expression. This area of relative social cognitive strength in schizophrenia has implications for social cognitive training programs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junghee Lee
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Science, 300 Medical Plaza Room 2261, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095-6968, USA.
| | - Robert S. Kern
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Science, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA,Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center, VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles, CA
| | - Philippe-Olivier Harvey
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Science, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA,Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center, VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles, CA,Douglas Mental Heath University Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
| | - William P. Horan
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Science, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA,Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center, VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles, CA
| | - Kimmy S. Kee
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Science, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA,Department of Psychology, California State University, Channel Islands, Camarillo CA
| | - Kevin Ochsner
- Department of Psychology, Columbia University, New York, NY
| | - David L. Penn
- Department of Psychology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC
| | - Michael F. Green
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Science, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA,Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center, VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles, CA
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61
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Mouri A, Nagai T, Ibi D, Yamada K. Animal models of schizophrenia for molecular and pharmacological intervention and potential candidate molecules. Neurobiol Dis 2013; 53:61-74. [DOI: 10.1016/j.nbd.2012.10.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2012] [Revised: 10/23/2012] [Accepted: 10/28/2012] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
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Billeke P, Aboitiz F. Social cognition in schizophrenia: from social stimuli processing to social engagement. Front Psychiatry 2013; 4:4. [PMID: 23444313 PMCID: PMC3580762 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2013.00004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2012] [Accepted: 02/06/2013] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Social cognition consists of several skills which allow us to interact with other humans. These skills include social stimuli processing, drawing inferences about others' mental states, and engaging in social interactions. In recent years, there has been growing evidence of social cognitive impairments in patients with schizophrenia. Apparently, these impairments are separable from general neurocognitive impairments, such as attention, memory, and executive functioning. Moreover, social cognition seems to be a main determinant of functional outcome and could be used as a guide to elaborate new pharmacological and psychological treatments. However, most of these studies focus on individual mechanisms and observational perspectives; only few of them study schizophrenic patients during interactive situations. We first review evidences of social cognitive impairments both in social stimuli processing and in mental state attribution. We focus on the relationship between these functions and both general cognitive impairments and functional outcome. We next review recent game theory approaches to the study of how social engagement occurs in schizophrenic patients. The advantage of using game theory is that game-oriented tasks can assess social decision making in an interactive everyday situation model. Finally, we review proposed theoretical models used to explain social alterations and their underlying biological mechanisms. Based on interactive studies, we propose a framework which takes into account the dynamic nature of social processes. Thus, understanding social skills as a result of dynamical systems could facilitate the development of both basic research and clinical applications oriented to psychiatric populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pablo Billeke
- Centro Interdisciplinario de Neurociencia, Pontificia Universidad Católica de ChileSantiago, Chile
- Departamento de Psiquiatría, Escuela de Medicina, Pontificia Universidad Católica de ChileSantiago, Chile
| | - Francisco Aboitiz
- Centro Interdisciplinario de Neurociencia, Pontificia Universidad Católica de ChileSantiago, Chile
- Departamento de Psiquiatría, Escuela de Medicina, Pontificia Universidad Católica de ChileSantiago, Chile
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63
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Pelletier AL, Dean DJ, Lunsford-Avery JR, Smith AK, Orr JM, Gupta T, Millman ZB, Mittal VA. Emotion recognition and social/role dysfunction in non-clinical psychosis. Schizophr Res 2013. [PMID: 23182437 PMCID: PMC3604191 DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2012.10.039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
As researchers continue to understand non-clinical psychosis (NCP-brief psychotic-like experiences occurring in 5-7% of the general population; van Os et al., 2009), it is becoming evident that functioning deficits and facial emotion recognition (FER) impairment characterize this phenomenon. However, the extent to which these domains are related remains unclear. Social/role functioning and FER were assessed in 65 adolescents/young adults exhibiting low and high-NCP. Results indicate that FER and social/role functioning deficits were present in the High-NCP group, and that the domains were associated in this group alone. Taken together, findings suggest that a core emotive deficit is tied to broader social/role dysfunction in NCP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea L. Pelletier
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder,Center for Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder
| | - Derek J. Dean
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder
| | | | - Ashley K. Smith
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder,Institute for Behavioral Genetics, University of Colorado Boulder
| | - Joseph M. Orr
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder,Institute of Cognitive Science, University of Colorado Boulder
| | - Tina Gupta
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder
| | - Zachary B. Millman
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder
| | - Vijay A. Mittal
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder,Center for Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder
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Holmes AJ, Lee PH, Hollinshead MO, Bakst L, Roffman JL, Smoller JW, Buckner RL. Individual differences in amygdala-medial prefrontal anatomy link negative affect, impaired social functioning, and polygenic depression risk. J Neurosci 2012; 32:18087-100. [PMID: 23238724 PMCID: PMC3674506 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2531-12.2012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 164] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2012] [Revised: 09/19/2012] [Accepted: 09/22/2012] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Individual differences in affective and social processes may arise from variability in amygdala-medial prefrontal (mPFC) circuitry and related genetic heterogeneity. To explore this possibility in humans, we examined the structural correlates of trait negative affect in a sample of 1050 healthy young adults with no history of psychiatric illness. Analyses revealed that heightened negative affect was associated with increased amygdala volume and reduced thickness in a left mPFC region encompassing the subgenual and rostral anterior cingulate cortex. The most extreme individuals displayed an inverse correlation between amygdala volume and mPFC thickness, suggesting that imbalance between these structures is linked to negative affect in the general population. Subgroups of participants were further evaluated on social (n = 206) and emotional (n = 533) functions. Individuals with decreased mPFC thickness exhibited the poorest social cognition and were least able to correctly identify facial emotion. Given prior links between disrupted amygdala-mPFC circuitry and the presence of major depressive disorder (MDD), we explored whether the individual differences in anatomy observed here in healthy young adults were associated with polygenic risk for MDD (n = 438) using risk scores derived from a large genome-wide association analysis (n = 18,759). Analyses revealed associations between increasing polygenic burden for MDD and reduced cortical thickness in the left mPFC. These collective findings suggest that, within the healthy population, there is significant variability in amygdala-mPFC circuitry that is associated with poor functioning across affective and social domains. Individual differences in this circuitry may arise, in part, from common genetic variability that contributes to risk for MDD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Avram J. Holmes
- Department of Psychology, Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, Massachusetts 02129
| | - Phil H. Lee
- Psychiatric and Neurodevelopmental Genetics Unit, Center for Human Genetic Research, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts 02114
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02114, and
| | - Marisa O. Hollinshead
- Department of Psychology, Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, Massachusetts 02129
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute at Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138
| | - Leah Bakst
- Department of Psychology, Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138
| | - Joshua L. Roffman
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02114, and
| | - Jordan W. Smoller
- Psychiatric and Neurodevelopmental Genetics Unit, Center for Human Genetic Research, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts 02114
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02114, and
| | - Randy L. Buckner
- Department of Psychology, Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, Massachusetts 02129
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02114, and
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute at Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138
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Jalbrzikowski M, Carter C, Senturk D, Chow C, Hopkins JM, Green MF, Galván A, Cannon TD, Bearden CE. Social cognition in 22q11.2 microdeletion syndrome: relevance to psychosis? Schizophr Res 2012; 142:99-107. [PMID: 23122739 PMCID: PMC3714207 DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2012.10.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2012] [Revised: 10/02/2012] [Accepted: 10/05/2012] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22qDS) represents one of the largest known genetic risk factors for schizophrenia. Approximately 30% of individuals with 22qDS develop psychotic illness in adolescence or young adulthood. Given that deficits in social cognition are increasingly viewed as a central aspect of idiopathic schizophrenia, we sought to investigate abilities in this domain as a predictor of psychotic symptoms in 22qDS participants. We assessed multiple domains of social and non-social cognition in 22qDS youth to: 1) characterize performance across these domains in 22qDS, and identify whether 22qDS participants fail to show expected patterns of age-related improvements on these tasks; and 2) determine whether social cognition better predicts positive and negative symptoms than does non-social cognition. Task domains assessed were: emotion recognition and differentiation, Theory of Mind (ToM), verbal knowledge, visuospatial skills, working memory, and processing speed. Positive and negative symptoms were measured using scores obtained from the Structured Interview for Prodromal Symptoms (SIPS). 22qDS participants (N=31, mean age: 15.9) showed the largest impairment, relative to healthy controls (N=31, mean age: 15.6), on measures of ToM and processing speed. In contrast to controls, 22qDS participants did not show age-related improvements on measures of working memory and verbal knowledge. Notably, ToM performance was the best predictor of positive symptoms in 22qDS, accounting for 39% of the variance in symptom severity. Processing speed emerged as the best predictor of negative symptoms, accounting for 37% of the variance in symptoms. Given that ToM was a robust predictor of positive symptoms in our sample, these findings suggest that social cognition may be a valuable intermediate trait for predicting the development of psychosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Jalbrzikowski
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles: 1285 Franz Hall, Box 951563, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1563
| | - Chelsea Carter
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles: 1285 Franz Hall, Box 951563, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1563
| | - Damla Senturk
- Department of Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095
| | - Carolyn Chow
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California, Los Angeles: 760 Westwood Plaza Los Angeles, CA 90095
| | - Jessica M. Hopkins
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles: 1285 Franz Hall, Box 951563, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1563
| | - Michael F. Green
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California, Los Angeles: 760 Westwood Plaza Los Angeles, CA 90095
- VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, VISN22 Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center: 11301 Wilshire Blvd. Los Angeles, CA, 90073
| | - Adriana Galván
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles: 1285 Franz Hall, Box 951563, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1563
| | - Tyrone D. Cannon
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles: 1285 Franz Hall, Box 951563, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1563
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California, Los Angeles: 760 Westwood Plaza Los Angeles, CA 90095
| | - Carrie E. Bearden
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles: 1285 Franz Hall, Box 951563, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1563
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California, Los Angeles: 760 Westwood Plaza Los Angeles, CA 90095
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Wible CG. Hippocampal temporal-parietal junction interaction in the production of psychotic symptoms: a framework for understanding the schizophrenic syndrome. Front Hum Neurosci 2012; 6:180. [PMID: 22737114 PMCID: PMC3381447 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2012.00180] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2011] [Accepted: 06/01/2012] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
A framework is described for understanding the schizophrenic syndrome at the brain systems level. It is hypothesized that over-activation of dynamic gesture and social perceptual processes in the temporal-parietal occipital junction (TPJ), posterior superior temporal sulcus (PSTS) and surrounding regions produce the syndrome (including positive and negative symptoms, their prevalence, prodromal signs, and cognitive deficits). Hippocampal system hyper-activity and atrophy have been consistently found in schizophrenia. Hippocampal activity is highly correlated with activity in the TPJ and may be a source of over-excitation of the TPJ and surrounding regions. Strong evidence for this comes from in-vivo recordings in humans during psychotic episodes. Many positive symptoms of schizophrenia can be reframed as the erroneous sense of a presence or other who is observing, acting, speaking, or controlling; these qualia are similar to those evoked during abnormal activation of the TPJ. The TPJ and PSTS play a key role in the perception (and production) of dynamic social, emotional, and attentional gestures for the self and others (e.g., body/face/eye gestures, audiovisual speech and prosody, and social attentional gestures such as eye gaze). The single cell representation of dynamic gestures is multimodal (auditory, visual, tactile), matching the predominant hallucinatory categories in schizophrenia. Inherent in the single cell perceptual signal of dynamic gesture representations is a computation of intention, agency, and anticipation or expectancy (for the self and others). Stimulation of the TPJ resulting in activation of the self representation has been shown to result a feeling of a presence or multiple presences (due to heautoscopy) and also bizarre tactile experiences. Neurons in the TPJ are also tuned, or biased to detect threat related emotions. Abnormal over-activation in this system could produce the conscious hallucination of a voice (audiovisual speech), a person or a touch. Over-activation could interfere with attentional/emotional gesture perception and production (negative symptoms). It could produce the unconscious feeling of being watched, followed, or of a social situation unfolding along with accompanying abnormal perception of intent and agency (delusions). Abnormal activity in the TPJ would also be predicted to create several cognitive disturbances that are characteristic of schizophrenia, including abnormalities in attention, predictive social processing, working memory, and a bias to erroneously perceive threat.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cynthia G Wible
- Laboratory for Neuroscience, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Brockton MA, USA
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67
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Stuphorn V, Emeric EE. Proactive and reactive control by the medial frontal cortex. FRONTIERS IN NEUROENGINEERING 2012; 5:9. [PMID: 22723779 PMCID: PMC3378012 DOI: 10.3389/fneng.2012.00009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2012] [Accepted: 04/29/2012] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
Adaptive behavior requires the ability to flexibly control actions. This can occur either proactively to anticipate task requirements, or reactively in response to sudden changes. Recent work in humans has identified a network of cortical and subcortical brain region that might have an important role in proactive and reactive control. However, due to technical limitations, such as the spatial and temporal resolution of the BOLD signal, human imaging experiments are not able to disambiguate the specific function(s) of these brain regions. These limitations can be overcome through single-unit recordings in non-human primates. In this article, we describe the behavioral and physiological evidence for dual mechanisms of control in response inhibition in the medial frontal cortex of monkeys performing the stop signal or countermanding task.
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Affiliation(s)
- Veit Stuphorn
- Psychological and Brain Sciences, The Zanvyl Krieger Mind/Brain Institute, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore MD, USA
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68
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Irani F, Seligman S, Kamath V, Kohler C, Gur RC. A meta-analysis of emotion perception and functional outcomes in schizophrenia. Schizophr Res 2012; 137:203-11. [PMID: 22341200 PMCID: PMC3351501 DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2012.01.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 125] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2011] [Revised: 01/12/2012] [Accepted: 01/17/2012] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Emotion perception (EP) is impaired in schizophrenia, is stable across clinical state, resistant to antipsychotic treatment and linked to symptom severity. Given its pervasive nature, there is a need to quantitatively examine whether this dysfunction impacts functional outcomes. We used a meta-analytic strategy to combine results from several studies and examine synthesized effect sizes. METHODS A Meta-analysis of Observational Studies in Epidemiology standard was used to extract data following a PubMed and PsychInfo search. Studies reporting correlations between measures of EP and functional outcomes in schizophrenia spectrum disorders were selected. The impact of potential methodological (task type), demographic (sex, age, race, education, marital status) and clinical (age of onset, duration of illness, setting, symptoms, anti-psychotic medication) moderators on effect sizes were examined. RESULTS Twenty-five studies met inclusion criteria and included 1306 patients who were 37 years old, with 12 years of education, 64% male and 63% Caucasian. There was a significant relationship between EP and functional outcomes in individuals with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder, with effect sizes in the medium range. Medium to large range positive correlations were observed between emotion identification and functional outcome domains involving social problem solving, social skills and community functioning. Significant moderators included task type (emotion identification tasks), sex (% male in sample), race (% Caucasian in sample) and clinical symptoms (negative and positive). CONCLUSIONS Emotion identification deficits are associated with functional impairments in schizophrenia and moderated by sex, race and symptoms. This has implications for treatment efforts to improve outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Farzin Irani
- Neuropsychiatry Section, Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
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Smith MJ, Horan WP, Karpouzian TM, Abram SV, Cobia DJ, Csernansky JG. Self-reported empathy deficits are uniquely associated with poor functioning in schizophrenia. Schizophr Res 2012; 137:196-202. [PMID: 22321668 DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2012.01.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2011] [Revised: 01/09/2012] [Accepted: 01/12/2012] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Social cognitive deficits have been proposed to be among the causes of poor functional outcome in schizophrenia. Empathy, or sharing and understanding the unique emotions and experiences of other people, is one of the key elements of social cognition, and prior studies suggest that empathic processes are impaired in schizophrenia. The current study examined whether impairments in self-reported empathy were associated with poor functioning, above and beyond the influences of neurocognitive deficits and psychopathology. METHODS Individuals with schizophrenia (n=46) and healthy controls (n=37) completed the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI), a measure of emotional and cognitive empathy. Participants also completed a neuropsychological test battery, clinical ratings of psychopathology, and functional outcome measures assessing both functional capacity and community functioning. After testing for between-group differences, we assessed the relationships between self-reported empathy and the measures of functioning, neurocognition, and psychopathology. Regression analyses examined whether empathic variables predicted functional outcomes. RESULTS Individuals with schizophrenia reported lower IRI scores for perspective-taking and empathic concern, and higher IRI scores for personal distress than controls. Among individuals with schizophrenia, lower perspective-taking, greater disorganized symptoms, and deficits in working memory and episodic memory were correlated with poorer functional capacity and community functioning. Lower scores for perspective-taking explained significant incremental variance in both functional capacity (ΔR(2)=.09, p<.05) and community functioning (ΔR(2)=.152, p<.01) after accounting for relevant neurocognitive and psychopathological variables. CONCLUSIONS Impaired perspective-taking, a component of cognitive empathy, is associated with poor functioning even after taking into account the influences of neurocognitive deficits and psychopathology. These findings support further efforts to clarify the underlying causes of empathic disturbances and suggest that treatments for these disturbances may help functional recovery in schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew J Smith
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL 60611, USA.
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70
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Abstract
Research on emotion perception in schizophrenia has focused primarily on the perception of static faces displaying different emotion signals or expressions. However, perception of emotion in daily life relies on much more than just the face. In this article, we review the role of context in emotion perception among people with and without schizophrenia. We argue that not only is context central to the perception of emotion, it in fact helps to construct the perception. Implications for future research on emotion perception are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ann M. Kring
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, USA
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71
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Gold R, Butler P, Revheim N, Leitman D, Hansen JA, Gur R, Kantrowitz JT, Laukka P, Juslin PN, Silipo GS, Javitt DC. Auditory emotion recognition impairments in schizophrenia: relationship to acoustic features and cognition. Am J Psychiatry 2012; 169:424-32. [PMID: 22362394 PMCID: PMC3882084 DOI: 10.1176/appi.ajp.2011.11081230] [Citation(s) in RCA: 88] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Schizophrenia is associated with deficits in the ability to perceive emotion based on tone of voice. The basis for this deficit remains unclear, however, and relevant assessment batteries remain limited. The authors evaluated performance in schizophrenia on a novel voice emotion recognition battery with well-characterized physical features, relative to impairments in more general emotional and cognitive functioning. METHOD The authors studied a primary sample of 92 patients and 73 comparison subjects. Stimuli were characterized according to both intended emotion and acoustic features (e.g., pitch, intensity) that contributed to the emotional percept. Parallel measures of visual emotion recognition, pitch perception, general cognition, and overall outcome were obtained. More limited measures were obtained in an independent replication sample of 36 patients, 31 age-matched comparison subjects, and 188 general comparison subjects. RESULTS Patients showed statistically significant large-effect-size deficits in voice emotion recognition (d=1.1) and were preferentially impaired in recognition of emotion based on pitch features but not intensity features. Emotion recognition deficits were significantly correlated with pitch perception impairments both across (r=0.56) and within (r=0.47) groups. Path analysis showed both sensory-specific and general cognitive contributions to auditory emotion recognition deficits in schizophrenia. Similar patterns of results were observed in the replication sample. CONCLUSIONS The results demonstrate that patients with schizophrenia show a significant deficit in the ability to recognize emotion based on tone of voice and that this deficit is related to impairment in detecting the underlying acoustic features, such as change in pitch, required for auditory emotion recognition. This study provides tools for, and highlights the need for, greater attention to physical features of stimuli used in studying social cognition in neuropsychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rinat Gold
- Center for Translational Schizophrenia Research, Nathan Kline Institute, Orangeburg, NY, United States
| | - Pamela Butler
- Psychiatry, New York University, New York, NY, United States,Psychiatry, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States
| | - Nadine Revheim
- Center for Translational Schizophrenia Research, Nathan Kline Institute, Orangeburg, NY, United States
| | - David Leitman
- Psychiatry, New York University, New York, NY, United States,Neuropsychiatry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - John A. Hansen
- Neuropsychiatry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Ruben Gur
- Neuropsychiatry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Joshua T. Kantrowitz
- Center for Translational Schizophrenia Research, Nathan Kline Institute, Orangeburg, NY, United States,Psychiatry, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States
| | - Petri Laukka
- Psychology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | | | - Gail S. Silipo
- Center for Translational Schizophrenia Research, Nathan Kline Institute, Orangeburg, NY, United States
| | - Daniel C. Javitt
- Center for Translational Schizophrenia Research, Nathan Kline Institute, Orangeburg, NY, United States,Psychiatry, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States
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72
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Brown EC, Tas C, Brüne M. Potential therapeutic avenues to tackle social cognition problems in schizophrenia. Expert Rev Neurother 2012; 12:71-81. [PMID: 22149657 DOI: 10.1586/ern.11.183] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
Therapeutic strategies for improving social cognition in patients with schizophrenia have shown much promise in improving social functioning, as well as remediating core psychotic symptoms. However, the efficacy of previous interventions has often been limited by the ambiguity and inconsistency of the categorized subdomains of social cognition, including theory of mind, emotion processing, social perception and attributional bias. Recent research in social and cognitive neuroscience has revealed many new issues that could contribute to the development of more integrated approaches for improving social functioning. The application of such neuroscientific work to a therapeutic and diagnostic context is likely to encourage more effective transference of learned skills to real-world social functioning. This article seeks to provide a comprehensive review of previous social cognitive interventions for schizophrenia, highlight some crucial limitations of these and present the relevance of recent advances in neuroscientific research in possible future treatment strategies. It is emphasized that a more integrated and naturalistic approach for improving social functioning with greater sensitivity for neuroscientific findings related to the psychopathology of schizophrenia is warranted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elliot C Brown
- International Graduate School of Neuroscience, Ruhr-University Bochum, Germany
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73
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Gur RC, Richard J, Calkins ME, Chiavacci R, Hansen JA, Bilker WB, Loughead J, Connolly JJ, Qiu H, Mentch FD, Abou-Sleiman PM, Hakonarson H, Gur RE. Age group and sex differences in performance on a computerized neurocognitive battery in children age 8-21. Neuropsychology 2012; 26:251-265. [PMID: 22251308 PMCID: PMC3295891 DOI: 10.1037/a0026712] [Citation(s) in RCA: 353] [Impact Index Per Article: 29.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Examine age group effects and sex differences by applying a comprehensive computerized battery of identical behavioral measures linked to brain systems in youths that were already genotyped. Such information is needed to incorporate behavioral data as neuropsychological "biomarkers" in large-scale genomic studies. METHOD We developed and applied a brief computerized neurocognitive battery that provides measures of performance accuracy and response time for executive-control, episodic memory, complex cognition, social cognition, and sensorimotor speed domains. We tested a population-based sample of 3,500 genotyped youths ages 8-21 years. RESULTS Substantial improvement with age occurred for both accuracy and speed, but the rates varied by domain. The most pronounced improvement was noted in executive control functions, specifically attention, and in motor speed, with some effect sizes exceeding 1.8 standard deviation units. The least pronounced age group effect was in memory, where only face memory showed a large effect size on improved accuracy. Sex differences had much smaller effect sizes but were evident, with females outperforming males on attention, word and face memory, reasoning speed, and all social cognition tests and males outperforming females in spatial processing and sensorimotor and motor speed. These sex differences in most domains were seen already at the youngest age groups, and age group × sex interactions indicated divergence at the oldest groups with females becoming faster but less accurate than males. CONCLUSIONS The results indicate that cognitive performance improves substantially in this age span, with large effect sizes that differ by domain. The more pronounced improvement for executive and reasoning domains than for memory suggests that memory capacities have reached their apex before age 8. Performance was sexually modulated and most sex differences were apparent by early adolescence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruben C. Gur
- Brain Behavior Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, USA
| | - Jan Richard
- Brain Behavior Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, USA
| | - Monica E. Calkins
- Brain Behavior Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, USA
| | - Rosetta Chiavacci
- Center for Applied Genomics, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, USA
| | - John A. Hansen
- Brain Behavior Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, USA
| | - Warren B. Bilker
- Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, USA
| | - James Loughead
- Brain Behavior Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, USA
| | - John J. Connolly
- Center for Applied Genomics, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, USA
| | - Haijun Qiu
- Center for Applied Genomics, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, USA
| | - Frank D. Mentch
- Center for Applied Genomics, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, USA
| | - Patrick M. Abou-Sleiman
- Center for Applied Genomics, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, USA
| | - Hakon Hakonarson
- Center for Applied Genomics, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, USA
| | - Raquel E. Gur
- Brain Behavior Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, USA
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Abstract
The Cognitive Neuroscience Treatment Research to Improve Cognition in Schizophrenia (CNTRICS) initiative has formed with the expressed intent of identifying constructs and paradigms that would identify biomarkers of psychosis. The manipulation of these biomarkers would serve as targets for treatment interventions. The second phase of CNTRICS consisted of critical discussions evaluating brain mapping (functional neuroimaging and brain electrical activity) paradigms as biomarkers to measure specific constructs. Among the constructs identified in, CNTRICS I was socio-emotional processing, specifically focused on affect recognition. Here, we provide a critical appraisal of the ability of candidate socio-emotional tasks to identify putative biomarkers and recommendations for future directions in this rapidly moving research domain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephan F. Taylor
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Rachel Upjohn Building, 4250 Plymouth Road, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2700,To whom correspondence should be addressed; tel: 734-936-4955, fax: 734-936-7868, e-mail:
| | - Angus W. MacDonald
- Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota,Department of Psychiatry, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
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Wolf DH, Satterthwaite TD, Loughead J, Pinkham A, Overton E, Elliott MA, Dent GW, Smith MA, Gur RC, Gur RE. Amygdala abnormalities in first-degree relatives of individuals with schizophrenia unmasked by benzodiazepine challenge. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2011; 218:503-12. [PMID: 21603892 PMCID: PMC3962022 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-011-2348-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2011] [Accepted: 05/02/2011] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE Impaired emotion processing in schizophrenia predicts broader social dysfunction and has been related to negative symptom severity and amygdala dysfunction. Pharmacological modulation of emotion-processing deficits and related neural abnormalities may provide useful phenotypes for pathophysiological investigation. OBJECTIVES We used an acute benzodiazepine challenge to identify and modulate potential emotion-processing abnormalities in 20 unaffected first-degree relatives of individuals with schizophrenia, compared to 25 control subjects without a family history of psychosis. METHODS An oral 1 mg dose of the short-acting anxiolytic benzodiazepine alprazolam was administered in a balanced crossover placebo-controlled double-blind design, preceding identical 3 T fMRI sessions approximately 1 week apart. Primary outcomes included fMRI activity in amygdala and related regions during two facial emotion-processing tasks: emotion identification and emotion memory. RESULTS Family members exhibited abnormally strong alprazolam-induced reduction in amygdala and hippocampus activation during emotion identification, compared to equal reduction in both groups for the emotion memory task. CONCLUSIONS GABAergic modulation with alprazolam produced differential responses in family members vs. controls, perhaps by unmasking underlying amygdalar and/or GABAergic abnormalities. Such pharmacological fMRI paradigms could prove useful for developing drugs targeting specific neural circuits to treat or prevent schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel H Wolf
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania, 10th Floor Gates Bldg., 3400 Spruce St., Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
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76
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Horan WP, Kring AM, Gur RE, Reise SP, Blanchard JJ. Development and psychometric validation of the Clinical Assessment Interview for Negative Symptoms (CAINS). Schizophr Res 2011; 132:140-5. [PMID: 21798716 PMCID: PMC3196271 DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2011.06.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 209] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2011] [Revised: 06/29/2011] [Accepted: 06/30/2011] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Progress in the development of new pharmacological and psychosocial treatments for the negative symptoms of schizophrenia is impeded by limitations of available assessment instruments. The multi-site Collaboration to Advance Negative Symptom Assessment in Schizophrenia (CANSAS) was established to develop and validate a new clinical rating scale using a transparent, iterative, and data-driven process. The Clinical Assessment Interview for Negative Symptoms (CAINS) was designed to address limitations of existing measures and assess consensus-based sub-domains, including asociality, avolition, anhedonia, affective blunting, and alogia. The structure and psychometric properties of the CAINS were evaluated in a sample of 281 schizophrenia and schizoaffective outpatients at four sites. Converging structural analyses indicated that the scale was comprised of two moderately correlated factors - one reflecting experiential impairments (diminished motivation and enjoyment of social, vocational, and recreational activities) and one reflecting expressive impairments (diminished non-verbal and verbal communication). Item-level analyses revealed generally good distributional properties, inter-rater agreement, discriminating anchor points, and preliminary convergent and discriminant validity. Results indicate that the CAINS is a promising new measure for quantifying negative symptoms in clinical neuroscience and treatment studies. Results guided item modification or deletion, and the reliability and validity of the revised, shorter version of the CAINS is in the final phase of development within the CANSAS project.
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Affiliation(s)
- William P. Horan
- VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, University of California, Los Angeles
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77
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Barak S, Weiner I. Putative cognitive enhancers in preclinical models related to schizophrenia: The search for an elusive target. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2011; 99:164-89. [DOI: 10.1016/j.pbb.2011.03.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2010] [Revised: 02/27/2011] [Accepted: 03/12/2011] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
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78
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Satterthwaite TD, Wolf DH, Pinkham AE, Ruparel K, Elliott MA, Valdez JN, Overton E, Seubert J, Gur RE, Gur RC, Loughead J. Opposing amygdala and ventral striatum connectivity during emotion identification. Brain Cogn 2011; 76:353-63. [PMID: 21600684 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandc.2011.04.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2010] [Revised: 04/04/2011] [Accepted: 04/18/2011] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Lesion and electrophysiological studies in animals provide evidence of opposing functions for subcortical nuclei such as the amygdala and ventral striatum, but the implications of these findings for emotion identification in humans remain poorly described. Here we report a high-resolution fMRI study in a sample of 39 healthy subjects who performed a well-characterized emotion identification task. As expected, the amygdala responded to THREAT (angry or fearful) faces more than NON-THREAT (sad or happy) faces. A functional connectivity analysis of the time series from an anatomically defined amygdala seed revealed a strong anticorrelation between the amygdala and the ventral striatum/ventral pallidum, consistent with an opposing role for these regions in during emotion identification. A second functional connectivity analysis (psychophysiological interaction) investigating relative connectivity on THREAT vs. NON-THREAT trials demonstrated that the amygdala had increased connectivity with the orbitofrontal cortex during THREAT trials, whereas the ventral striatum demonstrated increased connectivity with the posterior hippocampus on NON-THREAT trials. These results indicate that activity in the amygdala and ventral striatum may be inversely related, and that both regions may provide opposing affective bias signals during emotion identification.
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79
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Csukly G, Polgár P, Tombor L, Réthelyi J, Kéri S. Are patients with schizophrenia rational maximizers? Evidence from an ultimatum game study. Psychiatry Res 2011; 187:11-7. [PMID: 21035194 DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2010.10.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2010] [Revised: 08/16/2010] [Accepted: 10/04/2010] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Schizophrenia is associated with impaired social cognition and community functioning. Social decision-making strategies of healthy controls and patients with schizophrenia were compared by using the ultimatum game (UG). In this game two players have to split a sum of money. The proposer offers a portion to the responder, who decides to either accept or reject the offer. Rejection results in no income to either of the parties. Unfair proposals are frequently rejected by nonclinical individuals, a phenomenon described as altruistic punishment. Patients and controls participated in a series of UG interactions as responders in a computerized test setting. We also tested the effect of the proposer's facial expression on decision-making. Our results indicate that patients with schizophrenia accepted unfair offers at a significantly higher rate than did healthy controls. In contrast, at fair proposals, the acceptance rate was lower in patients compared with controls. At higher offers, the proposer's facial expression (positive/negative) significantly influenced the acceptance rate (positive facial expression increased the likelihood of acceptance) in the control group. This effect was not observed in the patient group. These results suggest that schizophrenia patients are impaired in socioeconomic interactions requiring emotion recognition and decision-making, which may result in unstable behavioral strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gábor Csukly
- Semmelweis University, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Budapest, Hungary.
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80
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Pinkham AE, Brensinger C, Kohler C, Gur RE, Gur RC. Actively paranoid patients with schizophrenia over attribute anger to neutral faces. Schizophr Res 2011; 125:174-8. [PMID: 21112186 PMCID: PMC3031724 DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2010.11.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 84] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2010] [Revised: 10/29/2010] [Accepted: 11/01/2010] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Previous investigations of the influence of paranoia on facial affect recognition in schizophrenia have been inconclusive as some studies demonstrate better performance for paranoid relative to non-paranoid patients and others show that paranoid patients display greater impairments. These studies have been limited by small sample sizes and inconsistencies in the criteria used to define groups. Here, we utilized an established emotion recognition task and a large sample to examine differential performance in emotion recognition ability between patients who were actively paranoid (AP) and those who were not actively paranoid (NAP). Accuracy and error patterns on the Penn Emotion Recognition test (ER40) were examined in 132 patients (64 NAP and 68 AP). Groups were defined based on the presence of paranoid ideation at the time of testing rather than diagnostic subtype. AP and NAP patients did not differ in overall task accuracy; however, an emotion by group interaction indicated that AP patients were significantly worse than NAP patients at correctly labeling neutral faces. A comparison of error patterns on neutral stimuli revealed that the groups differed only in misattributions of anger expressions, with AP patients being significantly more likely to misidentify a neutral expression as angry. The present findings suggest that paranoia is associated with a tendency to over attribute threat to ambiguous stimuli and also lend support to emerging hypotheses of amygdala hyperactivation as a potential neural mechanism for paranoid ideation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amy E. Pinkham
- Department of Psychology; Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX, Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX
| | - Colleen Brensinger
- Schizophrenia Research Center, Department of Psychiatry; University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA
| | - Christian Kohler
- Schizophrenia Research Center, Department of Psychiatry; University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA
| | - Raquel E. Gur
- Schizophrenia Research Center, Department of Psychiatry; University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA
| | - Ruben C. Gur
- Schizophrenia Research Center, Department of Psychiatry; University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA
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Stanghellini G, Ballerini M. What is it like to be a person with schizophrenia in the social world? A first-person perspective study on Schizophrenic dissociality--part 1: state of the art. Psychopathology 2011; 44:172-82. [PMID: 21412031 DOI: 10.1159/000322637] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2010] [Accepted: 11/09/2010] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
This is a critical review of research on the subjective experience of social dysfunction in persons with schizophrenia. Studies from the phenomenological and cognitive paradigms are examined, and significant outcomes and shortcomings are pointed out. Clinical phenomenologists have mainly interpreted schizophrenic dissociality as an anomaly of prereflexive attunement. The main shortcoming of phenomenological research is that it lacks adequate methodology to collect reliable data since most studies are based on the analysis of a few typical cases. Cognitivism has reliably documented disorders of social functioning in large-scale experimental studies. The main shortcoming of most cognitive paradigms is that they do not properly investigate the personal level of experience in real-world functioning. We conclude that there is a need to reliably collect data through quantitative as well as qualitative methodology as established and accepted by the scientific community in the area of schizophrenic dissociality, reflecting the subjective experiences of people with schizophrenia in the real world.
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82
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Schmidt U, Oldershaw A, van Elburg A. Translating experimental neuroscience into treatment of eating disorders: two examples. Curr Top Behav Neurosci 2011; 6:253-268. [PMID: 21243480 DOI: 10.1007/7854_2010_76] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a serious mental disorder with impaired functioning including not only the cognitive and socio-emotional but also physical domains. Improved treatments, especially for adults with AN, are urgently needed. The insights gained from basic research in experimental animal models and the advent of cognitive neuroscience have produced major advances in our understanding of the condition, but translating these into clinical research or practice remains a challenge. We describe here what the eating disorders field can gain from schizophrenia research in this area. We use the example of socio-emotional impairments in AN to describe the iterative process between basic research and intervention development for neurobiologically informed and based treatments for this condition and briefly touch on some other examples that stem from translational science.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ulrike Schmidt
- Section of Eating Disorders, King's College London, Institute of Psychiatry, De Crespigny Park, London SE5 8AF, UK.
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83
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Abstract
How will we view schizophrenia in 2030? Schizophrenia today is a chronic, frequently disabling mental disorder that affects about one per cent of the world's population. After a century of studying schizophrenia, the cause of the disorder remains unknown. Treatments, especially pharmacological treatments, have been in wide use for nearly half a century, yet there is little evidence that these treatments have substantially improved outcomes for most people with schizophrenia. These current unsatisfactory outcomes may change as we approach schizophrenia as a neurodevelopmental disorder with psychosis as a late, potentially preventable stage of the illness. This 'rethinking' of schizophrenia as a neurodevelopmental disorder, which is profoundly different from the way we have seen this illness for the past century, yields new hope for prevention and cure over the next two decades.
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84
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Abstract
We systematically mistreat psychological phenomena, both logically and clinically. This article explores three contentions: that the dominant discourse in modern cognitive, affective, and clinical neuroscience assumes that we know how psychology/biology causation works when we do not; that there are serious intellectual, clinical, and policy costs to pretending we do know; and that crucial scientific and clinical progress will be stymied as long as we frame psychology, biology, and their relationship in currently dominant ways. The arguments are developed with emphasis on misguided attempts to localize psychological function via neuroimaging, misunderstandings about the role of genetics in psychopathology, and untoward constraints on health-care policy and clinical service delivery. A particular challenge, articulated but not resolved in this article, is determining what constitutes adequate explanation in the relationship between psychology and biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gregory A Miller
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL, and Zukunfstkolleg, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
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85
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Mazza M, Lucci G, Pacitti F, Pino MC, Mariano M, Casacchia M, Roncone R. Could schizophrenic subjects improve their social cognition abilities only with observation and imitation of social situations? Neuropsychol Rehabil 2010; 20:675-703. [PMID: 20714969 DOI: 10.1080/09602011.2010.486284] [Citation(s) in RCA: 79] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Schizophrenics display impairments in domains of social cognition such as theory of mind and emotion recognition. Recent studies, showing that the relationship of social cognition abilities with functional outcome is more significant than other neuro-cognitive functions, have considered these abilities as a target for intervention research. This article describes preliminary data from a new group-based study focused on Emotion and ToM Imitation Training (ETIT), an imitation treatment aimed at improving social cognition and social functioning in schizophrenia. In the present study, 16 outpatients with schizophrenia completed ETIT assessment and were compared with 17 outpatients who participated to a Problem Solving Training group. Participants were assessed at pre- and post-test on measures of emotion recognition, theory of mind, cognition, flexibility and social functioning. We compared the rehabilitation training effects on neuro-physiological activation through the event-related potentials (ERPs) method, which was recorded pre- and post-rehabilitation training. The results showed that when compared to the control group, ETIT participants improved on every social cognitive measure and showed better social functioning at post-test. Improvement in social cognition, in particular in emotion recognition, is also supported by ERP responses: we recorded an increase in electroactivity of medio-frontal areas only after ETIT treatment. Action observation and imitation could be regarded as a new frontier in rehabilitation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monica Mazza
- Department of Science of Health, University of L'Aquila, L'Aquila, Italy.
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86
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Controlling for Response Biases Clarifies Sex and Age Differences in Facial Affect Recognition. JOURNAL OF NONVERBAL BEHAVIOR 2010. [DOI: 10.1007/s10919-010-0092-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 83] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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87
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Abstract
Cognitive deficits are core features of psychiatric disorders and contribute substantially to functional outcome. It is still unclear, however, how cognitive deficits are related to underlying genetic liability and overt clinical symptoms. Fortunately, animal models of susceptibility genes can illuminate how the products of disease-associated genetic variants affect brain function and ultimately alter behavior. Using as a reference findings from the Cognitive Neuroscience Treatment Research to Improve Cognition in Schizophrenia program and the SchizophreniaGene database, we review cognitive data from mutant models of rare and common genetic variants associated with schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- P. Alexander Arguello
- Department of Neuroscience,To whom correspondence should be addressed; tel: 1-212-305-2020, fax: 1-212-342-1801, e-mail:
| | - Joseph A. Gogos
- Department of Neuroscience,Department of Physiology and Cellular Biophysics, Columbia University Medical Center, 630 W. 168th Street, New York, NY 10032
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88
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Abstract
Neuropsychological deficits among schizophrenia patients have been consistently documented in research over the past 20 years and are reviewed in this chapter. Discussion of general abilities is presented as a background and is followed by analysis of functioning in specific cognitive domains. Overall intellectual deficits are indicated by results from both general intelligence tests and composite test battery scores. Within specific cognitive domains, effect size differences are noted in numerous areas, including attention, with indications that working memory is affected more severely than simple attention, likely due to inclusion of an executive component in such tasks. There is also evidence of slowed processing speed among schizophrenia patients, likely contributing to deficits in other domains which rely on rapid and efficient assimilation of information. Executive impairments have been found on tests assessing set-shifting abilities, selective attention, and inhibition of inappropriate responses. Learning and memory deficits have been demonstrated extensively, with some evidence that recall of verbal material is more affected than recall of visual information, and that recognition abilities are comparatively less impaired than recall for both modalities. Receptive and expressive language abilities are compromised in schizophrenia patients, as well as visual perceptual, constructional, and fine motor skills. Social cognition is an area of particular importance due to its relevance to functional outcome. Deficits in expression and recognition of facial and prosodic affect have been demonstrated, although subjective experience of emotion appears to be relatively well preserved. Neuropsychological deficits described in this review appear to generally remain stable throughout adulthood, supporting neurodevelopmental, rather than neurodegenerative, models of the illness. Finally, cognitive deficits are increasingly used as endophenotypes, which is likely an important direction of future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Solomon Kalkstein
- Schizophrenia Research Center, Neuropsychiatry Section, Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, 10th Floor, Gates Building, 3400 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
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89
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Butler PD, Abeles IY, Weiskopf NG, Tambini A, Jalbrzikowski M, Legatt ME, Zemon V, Loughead J, Gur RC, Javitt DC. Sensory contributions to impaired emotion processing in schizophrenia. Schizophr Bull 2009; 35:1095-107. [PMID: 19793797 PMCID: PMC2762631 DOI: 10.1093/schbul/sbp109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 108] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
Both emotion and visual processing deficits are documented in schizophrenia, and preferential magnocellular visual pathway dysfunction has been reported in several studies. This study examined the contribution to emotion-processing deficits of magnocellular and parvocellular visual pathway function, based on stimulus properties and shape of contrast response functions. Experiment 1 examined the relationship between contrast sensitivity to magnocellular- and parvocellular-biased stimuli and emotion recognition using the Penn Emotion Recognition (ER-40) and Emotion Differentiation (EMODIFF) tests. Experiment 2 altered the contrast levels of the faces themselves to determine whether emotion detection curves would show a pattern characteristic of magnocellular neurons and whether patients would show a deficit in performance related to early sensory processing stages. Results for experiment 1 showed that patients had impaired emotion processing and a preferential magnocellular deficit on the contrast sensitivity task. Greater deficits in ER-40 and EMODIFF performance correlated with impaired contrast sensitivity to the magnocellular-biased condition, which remained significant for the EMODIFF task even when nonspecific correlations due to group were considered in a step-wise regression. Experiment 2 showed contrast response functions indicative of magnocellular processing for both groups, with patients showing impaired performance. Impaired emotion identification on this task was also correlated with magnocellular-biased visual sensory processing dysfunction. These results provide evidence for a contribution of impaired early-stage visual processing in emotion recognition deficits in schizophrenia and suggest that a bottom-up approach to remediation may be effective.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pamela D. Butler
- Schizophrenia Research Center, Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY,Department of Psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY,Department of Psychology, City University of New York, New York, NY,To whom correspondence should be addressed; 140 Old Orangeburg Road, Orangeburg, NY 10962; tel: 845-398-6537, fax: 845-398-6545, e-mail:
| | - Ilana Y. Abeles
- Schizophrenia Research Center, Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY,Department of Psychology, City University of New York, New York, NY
| | - Nicole G. Weiskopf
- Schizophrenia Research Center, Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY
| | - Arielle Tambini
- Schizophrenia Research Center, Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY
| | - Maria Jalbrzikowski
- Department of Psychology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
| | - Michael E. Legatt
- Schizophrenia Research Center, Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY,Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology, Yeshiva University, Bronx, NY
| | - Vance Zemon
- Schizophrenia Research Center, Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY,Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology, Yeshiva University, Bronx, NY
| | - James Loughead
- Neuropsychiatry Section, Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania, and the Philadelphia Veterans Administration Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA
| | - Ruben C. Gur
- Neuropsychiatry Section, Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania, and the Philadelphia Veterans Administration Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA
| | - Daniel C. Javitt
- Schizophrenia Research Center, Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY,Department of Psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY,Department of Psychology, City University of New York, New York, NY
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