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Abdollahpour Ranjbar H, Bakhshesh-Boroujeni M, Farajpour-Niri S, Hekmati I, Habibi Asgarabad M, Eskin M. An examination of the mediating role of maladaptive emotion regulation strategies in the complex relationship between interpersonal needs and suicidal behavior. Front Psychiatry 2024; 15:1301695. [PMID: 38911702 PMCID: PMC11190341 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1301695] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2023] [Accepted: 05/06/2024] [Indexed: 06/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Background Studies have shown that psychological factors, notably interpersonal needs and emotion regulation, play a significant role in suicidal behavior. Interpersonal needs are significant contextual components that affect emotion regulation and contribute to a wide range of dysfunctional behaviors, such as suicidal behavior. It has been postulated that emotion regulation mediates the associations between proximal and distal risk factors of suicidal behavior. Method The sample consisted of 340 community-dwelling individuals (62.5% women; SD = 0.48) with an age range of 18 through 55 (M = 30.23; SD = 8.54) who completed the interpersonal needs questionnaire, the suicide behaviors questionnaire-revised, and the cognitive emotion regulation questionnaire. The Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) approach was utilized to evaluate a mediation model. Results The findings indicate that interpersonal needs (i.e., perceived burdensomeness r = .55, p <.01 and thwarted belongingness r = .25, p <.01) and putatively maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategies (i.e., self-blame; r = .38, p <.01, catastrophizing; r = .55, p <.01, rumination; r = .40, p <.01, and other blame; r = .44, p <.01) have strong associations with suicidal behavior, and these strategies have a mediating effect on the association between interpersonal needs and suicidal behavior. Conclusions Our findings show that contextual-interpersonal needs, which underpin suicidal behavior, are significantly influenced by maladaptive emotional processes. Thus, therapeutic outcomes might be enhanced by focusing on the content of the associated cognitions and trying to reduce maladaptive regulatory processes like rumination and catastrophization.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Issa Hekmati
- Department of Psychology, University of Maragheh, Maragheh, Iran
| | | | - Mehmet Eskin
- Department of Psychology, College of Social Sciences and Humanities, Koç University, Istanbul, Türkiye
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2
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Bambini V, Frau F, Bischetti L, Cuoco F, Bechi M, Buonocore M, Agostoni G, Ferri I, Sapienza J, Martini F, Spangaro M, Bigai G, Cocchi F, Cavallaro R, Bosia M. Deconstructing heterogeneity in schizophrenia through language: a semi-automated linguistic analysis and data-driven clustering approach. SCHIZOPHRENIA (HEIDELBERG, GERMANY) 2022; 8:102. [PMID: 36446789 PMCID: PMC9708845 DOI: 10.1038/s41537-022-00306-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2022] [Accepted: 10/24/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Previous works highlighted the relevance of automated language analysis for predicting diagnosis in schizophrenia, but a deeper language-based data-driven investigation of the clinical heterogeneity through the illness course has been generally neglected. Here we used a semiautomated multidimensional linguistic analysis innovatively combined with a machine-driven clustering technique to characterize the speech of 67 individuals with schizophrenia. Clusters were then compared for psychopathological, cognitive, and functional characteristics. We identified two subgroups with distinctive linguistic profiles: one with higher fluency, lower lexical variety but greater use of psychological lexicon; the other with reduced fluency, greater lexical variety but reduced psychological lexicon. The former cluster was associated with lower symptoms and better quality of life, pointing to the existence of specific language profiles, which also show clinically meaningful differences. These findings highlight the importance of considering language disturbances in schizophrenia as multifaceted and approaching them in automated and data-driven ways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentina Bambini
- Department of Humanities and Life Sciences, University School for Advanced Studies IUSS, Pavia, Italy.
| | - Federico Frau
- Department of Humanities and Life Sciences, University School for Advanced Studies IUSS, Pavia, Italy
| | - Luca Bischetti
- Department of Humanities and Life Sciences, University School for Advanced Studies IUSS, Pavia, Italy
| | - Federica Cuoco
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Margherita Bechi
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Mariachiara Buonocore
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Giulia Agostoni
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
- School of Medicine, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy
| | - Ilaria Ferri
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Jacopo Sapienza
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
- School of Medicine, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy
| | - Francesca Martini
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Marco Spangaro
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Giorgia Bigai
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
- School of Medicine, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy
| | - Federica Cocchi
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Roberto Cavallaro
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
- School of Medicine, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy
| | - Marta Bosia
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
- School of Medicine, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy
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3
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Heim S, Polyak S, Hußmann K. Mimicking effects of auditory verbal hallucinations on language production at the level of words, sentences and stories. Front Psychol 2022; 13:1017865. [DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1017865] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2022] [Accepted: 10/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Schizophrenia is characterised foremost by hallucinations, delusions and disorganised speech. Deficits in the internal speech monitor may contribute to the development of auditory-verbal hallucinations. This study investigates potential effects in the opposite direction: could the presence of auditory-verbal hallucinations have an effect on speech production? To this end, a recent mimicking/simulation approach was adopted for 40 healthy participants who perceived either white noise or hallucination-like speech recordings during different language production tasks with increasing demands: picture naming, verbal fluency with and without category switch, sentence production, and discourse. In line with reports about real schizophrenia cases in the literature, mimicking auditory-verbal hallucinations affected verbal fluency (switch condition) and sentence production (duration) in a different way than mere noise. These effects were not correlated, suggesting that hallucinations may even affect different levels of linguistic complexity in different ways. Anyway, in both cases (mimicked), auditory hallucination appear to contribute to the emergence of disordered speech. The mimicking/simulation paradigm may in future help to identify and disentangle the various factors contributing to disorganised speech in schizophrenia. They may also support the development and implementation of new protocols, e.g., in speech and language therapy in persons with schizophrenia in order to improve their communication skills despite the presence of auditory-verbal hallucinations.
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4
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Gargano G, Caletti E, Perlini C, Turtulici N, Bellani M, Bonivento C, Garzitto M, Siri FM, Longo C, Bonetto C, Cristofalo D, Scocco P, Semrov E, Preti A, Lazzarotto L, Gardellin F, Lasalvia A, Ruggeri M, Marini A, Brambilla P. Language production impairments in patients with a first episode of psychosis. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0272873. [PMID: 35951619 PMCID: PMC9371299 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0272873] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2021] [Accepted: 07/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Language production has often been described as impaired in psychiatric diseases such as in psychosis. Nevertheless, little is known about the characteristics of linguistic difficulties and their relation with other cognitive domains in patients with a first episode of psychosis (FEP), either affective or non-affective. To deepen our comprehension of linguistic profile in FEP, 133 patients with FEP (95 non-affective, FEP-NA; 38 affective, FEP-A) and 133 healthy controls (HC) were assessed with a narrative discourse task. Speech samples were systematically analyzed with a well-established multilevel procedure investigating both micro- (lexicon, morphology, syntax) and macro-linguistic (discourse coherence, pragmatics) levels of linguistic processing. Executive functioning and IQ were also evaluated. Both linguistic and neuropsychological measures were secondarily implemented with a machine learning approach in order to explore their predictive accuracy in classifying participants as FEP or HC. Compared to HC, FEP patients showed language production difficulty at both micro- and macro-linguistic levels. As for the former, FEP produced shorter and simpler sentences and fewer words per minute, along with a reduced number of lexical fillers, compared to HC. At the macro-linguistic level, FEP performance was impaired in local coherence, which was paired with a higher percentage of utterances with semantic errors. Linguistic measures were not correlated with any neuropsychological variables. No significant differences emerged between FEP-NA and FEP-A (p≥0.02, after Bonferroni correction). Machine learning analysis showed an accuracy of group prediction of 76.36% using language features only, with semantic variables being the most impactful. Such a percentage was enhanced when paired with clinical and neuropsychological variables. Results confirm the presence of language production deficits already at the first episode of the illness, being such impairment not related to other cognitive domains. The high accuracy obtained by the linguistic set of features in classifying groups support the use of machine learning methods in neuroscience investigations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giulia Gargano
- Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Elisabetta Caletti
- Department of Neurosciences and Mental Health, Fondazione IRCCS Ca’ Granda-Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy
| | - Cinzia Perlini
- Department of Neuroscience, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
- Verona Hospital Trust–Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Integrata Verona–AOUI, Verona, Italy
| | - Nunzio Turtulici
- Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Marcella Bellani
- Department of Neuroscience, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
- Verona Hospital Trust–Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Integrata Verona–AOUI, Verona, Italy
| | - Carolina Bonivento
- IRCCS “E.Medea” Polo Friuli Venezia Giulia, San Vito al Tagliamento, PN, Italy
| | - Marco Garzitto
- Department of Languages and Literatures, Communication, Education and Society, University of Udine, Udine, Italy
| | - Francesca Marzia Siri
- Department of Neurosciences and Mental Health, Fondazione IRCCS Ca’ Granda-Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy
| | - Chiara Longo
- Department of Neurosciences and Mental Health, Fondazione IRCCS Ca’ Granda-Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy
| | - Chiara Bonetto
- Department of Neuroscience, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Doriana Cristofalo
- Department of Neuroscience, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Paolo Scocco
- Department of Mental Health, Azienda ULSS 16, Padua, Italy
| | | | - Antonio Preti
- Department of Mental Health, Niguarda Ca’ Granda Hospital, Milan, Italy
| | - Lorenza Lazzarotto
- Department of Neuroscience, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | | | - Antonio Lasalvia
- Department of Neuroscience, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
- Verona Hospital Trust–Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Integrata Verona–AOUI, Verona, Italy
| | - Mirella Ruggeri
- Department of Neuroscience, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
- Verona Hospital Trust–Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Integrata Verona–AOUI, Verona, Italy
| | - Andrea Marini
- Department of Languages and Literatures, Communication, Education and Society, University of Udine, Udine, Italy
| | - Paolo Brambilla
- Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
- Department of Neurosciences and Mental Health, Fondazione IRCCS Ca’ Granda-Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy
- * E-mail:
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5
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Esposito CM, Enrico P, Sciortino D, Caletti E, Marchetti GB, Cesaretti C, Oldani L, Fiorentini A, Brambilla P. Case Report: The Association Between Chromosomal Anomalies and Cluster A Personality Disorders: The Case of Two Siblings With 16p11.2 Deletion and a Review of the Literature. Front Psychiatry 2021; 12:689359. [PMID: 34168584 PMCID: PMC8217436 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2021.689359] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2021] [Accepted: 04/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Although several studies have shown the correlation between chromosomal rearrangements and the risk of developing psychotic disorders, such as schizophrenia, little attention has been given to identifying the genetic basis of pre-disposing personality so far. In this regard, a limited but significant number of studies seem to indicate an association between chromosomal anomalies and cluster A personality disorders (CAPD). Starting from the clinical description of two brothers affected by familial 16p11 deletion syndrome (OMIM #611913), both sharing cluster A and C personality traits, the aim of the present study is to critically review the literature regarding the correlation between chromosomal rearrangements and CAPD. A bibliographic search on PubMed has been conducted, and eight studies were finally included in our review. Most of the studies highlight the presence of schizotypal personality disorder in the 22q11.2 deletion syndrome, whose evolutionary course toward psychotic pictures is well-known. One study also identified a paranoid personality disorder in a patient with a deletion on chromosome 7q21.3. No studies have so far identified the presence of paranoid personality disorder in 16p11 deletion, as in the case of the two siblings we report, while its association with psychosis and autism is already known. Although further epidemiologic studies on broader populations are indicated, our observations might pave the way for the definition of new diagnostic subgroups of CAPD and psychotic disorders, in order to implement the clinical management of such complex conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Paolo Enrico
- Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Domenico Sciortino
- Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Elisabetta Caletti
- Department of Neurosciences and Mental Health, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda, Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy
| | - Giulia Bruna Marchetti
- Medical Genetics Unit, Woman-Child-Newborn Department, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda, Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy
| | - Claudia Cesaretti
- Medical Genetics Unit, Woman-Child-Newborn Department, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda, Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy
| | - Lucio Oldani
- Department of Neurosciences and Mental Health, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda, Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy
| | - Alessio Fiorentini
- Department of Neurosciences and Mental Health, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda, Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy
| | - Paolo Brambilla
- Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, University of Milan, Milan, Italy.,Department of Neurosciences and Mental Health, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda, Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy
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6
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Bambini V, Arcara G, Bosinelli F, Buonocore M, Bechi M, Cavallaro R, Bosia M. A leopard cannot change its spots: A novel pragmatic account of concretism in schizophrenia. Neuropsychologia 2020; 139:107332. [PMID: 31923528 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2020.107332] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2019] [Revised: 01/01/2020] [Accepted: 01/06/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Concretism is a well-known feature of schizophrenia, tracing back to the early descriptions of the disease and commonly associated with the literal interpretation of figurative expressions such as proverbs, metaphors, and idioms. However, figurative expressions are not all alike in terms of linguistic and pragmatic processes. Determining if some figurative types are more impaired than others and if the type of task affects the performance constitutes an open issue with implications for the description of the clinical profile and for treatment. We run a fine-grained assessment of figurative language comprehension by comparing 47 patients with schizophrenia and 39 controls in three figurative types (idioms, metaphors, proverbs) presented in two response formats (multiple-choice, verbal-explanation), considering also the role of cognitive and clinical variables and the impact on quality of life. Mixed-effects models analysis revealed that: i) patients performed worse than controls across figurative types and response formats, indicating a diffuse impairment; ii) there is an interplay of figurative type and response format, which makes verbal-explanation of proverbs especially challenging; iii) in patients, problems in figurative language are largely connected with formal thought disorder and global IQ. Moreover, multiple-choice of metaphors was associated with patients' quality of life. This study offers a novel account of concretism, framed in pragmatics and figurative language processing. Adopting this perspective allowed us to describe the nuances of concretism, which areas in the figurative domain are especially challenging for patients and which ones capture differences in functioning, in order to guide intervention programs and integration in society.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentina Bambini
- Center for Neurocognition, Epistemology and Theoretical Syntax (NEtS), University School for Advanced Studies IUSS Pavia, Pavia, Italy.
| | | | - Francesca Bosinelli
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Mariachiara Buonocore
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Margherita Bechi
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Roberto Cavallaro
- School of Medicine, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy; Department of Clinical Neurosciences, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Marta Bosia
- School of Medicine, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy; Department of Clinical Neurosciences, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
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7
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Delvecchio G, Caletti E, Perlini C, Siri FM, Andreella A, Finos L, Bellani M, Fabbro F, Lasalvia A, Bonetto C, Cristofalo D, Scocco P, D'Agostino A, Torresani S, Imbesi M, Bellini F, Veronese A, Bressi C, Ruggeri M, Brambilla P. Altered syntactic abilities in first episode patients: An inner phenomenon characterizing psychosis. Eur Psychiatry 2019; 61:119-126. [PMID: 31442739 DOI: 10.1016/j.eurpsy.2019.08.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2019] [Revised: 08/01/2019] [Accepted: 08/02/2019] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Research has consistently shown that language abilities represent a core dimension of psychosis; however, to date, very little is known about syntactic comprehension performance in the early stages of psychosis. This study aims to compare the linguistic abilities involved in syntactic comprehension in a large group of First Episode Psychosis (FEP) patients and healthy controls (HCs). METHODS A multiple choice test of comprehension of syntax was administered to 218 FEP patients (166 non-affective FEP patients [FEP-NA] and 52 affective FEP patients [FEP-A]) and 106 HCs. All participants were asked to match a sentence they listen with one out of four vignettes on a pc screen. Only one vignette represents the stimulus target, while the others are grammatical or non-grammatical (visual) distractors. Both grammatical and non-grammatical errors and performance in different syntactic constructions were considered. RESULTS FEP committed greater number of errors in the majority of TCGB language domains compared to HCs. Moreover, FEP-NA patients committed significantly more non-grammatical (z = -3.2, p = 0.007), locative (z = -4.7, p < 0.001), passive-negative (z = -3.2, p = 0.02), and relative (z = -4.6, p < 0.001) errors compared to HCs as well as more passive-affirmative errors compared to both HCs (z = -4.3, p < 0.001) and FEP-A (z = 3.1, p = 0.04). Finally, we also found that both FEP-NA and FEP-A committed more grammatical (FEP-NA: z = -9.2, p < 0.001 and FEP-A: z = -4.4, p < 0.001), total (FEP-NA: z = -8.2, p < 0.001 and FEP-A: z = 3.9, p = 0.002), and active-negative (FEP-NA: z = -5.8, p < 0.001 and FEP-A: z = -3.5, p = 0.01) errors compared to HCs. CONCLUSIONS This study shows that the access to syntactic structures is already impaired in FEP patients, especially in those with FEP-NA, ultimately suggesting that language impairments represent a core and inner feature of psychosis even at early stages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giuseppe Delvecchio
- University of Milan, Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, Milan, Italy
| | - Elisabetta Caletti
- Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Department of Neurosciences and Mental Health, Milan, Italy
| | - Cinzia Perlini
- Department of Neurosciences, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, Section of Clinical Psychology, University of Verona, Italy
| | - Francesca Marzia Siri
- Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Department of Neurosciences and Mental Health, Milan, Italy
| | | | - Livio Finos
- Department of Developmental Psychology and Socialization, University of Padua, Italy
| | - Marcella Bellani
- UOC of Psychiatry, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Integrata (AOUI) of Verona, Italy
| | - Franco Fabbro
- Department of Medicine, University of Udine, Udine, Italy
| | - Antonio Lasalvia
- Department of Neurosciences, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, Section of Clinical Psychology, University of Verona, Italy; UOC of Psychiatry, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Integrata (AOUI) of Verona, Italy
| | - Chiara Bonetto
- Department of Neurosciences, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, Section of Clinical Psychology, University of Verona, Italy
| | - Doriana Cristofalo
- Department of Neurosciences, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, Section of Clinical Psychology, University of Verona, Italy
| | - Paolo Scocco
- Department of Mental Health, AULSS 6 Euganea, Padua, Italy
| | - Armando D'Agostino
- Department of Health Sciences, San Paolo University Hospital, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | | | | | | | | | - Cinzia Bressi
- University of Milan, Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, Milan, Italy; Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Department of Neurosciences and Mental Health, Milan, Italy
| | - Mirella Ruggeri
- Department of Neurosciences, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, Section of Clinical Psychology, University of Verona, Italy; UOC of Psychiatry, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Integrata (AOUI) of Verona, Italy
| | - Paolo Brambilla
- University of Milan, Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, Milan, Italy; Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Department of Neurosciences and Mental Health, Milan, Italy.
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8
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Pawełczyk A, Łojek E, Żurner N, Gawłowska-Sawosz M, Pawełczyk T. Higher-order language dysfunctions as a possible neurolinguistic endophenotype for schizophrenia: Evidence from patients and their unaffected first degree relatives. Psychiatry Res 2018; 267:63-72. [PMID: 29885556 DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2018.05.070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2017] [Revised: 05/21/2018] [Accepted: 05/26/2018] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
The purpose of the study was to examine the presence of pragmatic dysfunctions in first episode (FE) subjects and their healthy first degree relatives as a potential endophenotype for schizophrenia. Thirty-four FE patients, 34 parents of the patients (REL) and 32 healthy controls (HC) took part in the study. Pragmatic language functions were evaluated with the Right Hemisphere Language Battery, attention and executive functions were controlled, as well as age and education level. The parents differed from HC but not from their FE offspring with regard to overall level of language and communication and the general knowledge component of language processing. The FE participants differed from HC in comprehension of inferred meaning, emotional prosody, discourse dimensions, overall level of language and communication, language processing with regard to general knowledge and communication competences. The FE participants differed from REL regarding discourse dimensions. Our findings suggest that pragmatic dysfunctions may act as vulnerability markers of schizophrenia; their assessment may help in the diagnosis of early stages of the illness and in understanding its pathophysiology. In future research the adoptive and biological parents of schizophrenia patients should be compared to elucidate which language failures reflect genetic vulnerability and which ones environmental factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agnieszka Pawełczyk
- Chair of Psychiatry, Department of Affective and Psychotic Disorders, Medical University of Łódź, Poland.
| | - Emila Łojek
- Chair of Neuropsychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Warsaw, Poland
| | - Natalia Żurner
- Chair of Psychiatry, Adolescent Ward, Central Clinical Hospital, Medical University of Łódź, Poland
| | | | - Tomasz Pawełczyk
- Chair of Psychiatry, Department of Affective and Psychotic Disorders, Medical University of Łódź, Poland
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9
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Rossetti I, Brambilla P, Papagno C. Metaphor Comprehension in Schizophrenic Patients. Front Psychol 2018; 9:670. [PMID: 29867648 PMCID: PMC5954116 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00670] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2017] [Accepted: 04/18/2018] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
People with schizophrenia often exhibit difficulties to comprehend figurative expressions, such as irony, proverbs, metaphors and idioms, with a general proneness to neglect the figurative meaning and to accept the more literal one. This inability is usually referred to as concretism and it constitutes a clinical manifestation of the broader language dysfunction called Formal Thought Disorder. The current review focuses on the neuropsychological and neuroanatomical underpinnings of schizophrenics’ misinterpretation of a subgroup of figurative expressions, i.e., metaphors. Metaphors are heterogeneous in nature, classifiable according to various criteria; for instance, metaphors can be conventional and familiar, or conversely, novel and unusual. These linguistic distinctions are substantial because the comprehension of the different types of metaphor entails partially different cognitive strategies and neural substrates. This review gathers studies that have directly investigated which neurocognitive deficits explain the inefficient comprehension of metaphor in schizophrenia. Several impairments have been put forward, such as general intelligence, executive functions and theory of mind deficits. Moreover, the neural correlates of metaphor comprehension in schizophrenia, like the left inferior/medial frontal gyrus and the temporal lobe, match those cortices affected by the neuropathology of schizophrenia. Even though the causal defective mechanism is still a matter of investigation, we provide an attempt to integrate existing findings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ileana Rossetti
- Dipartimento di Psicologia, Università di Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy
| | - Paolo Brambilla
- Scientific Institute IRCCS "E. Medea", Bosisio Parini, Italy.,Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Costanza Papagno
- Dipartimento di Psicologia, Università di Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy.,Center for Mind/Brain Sciences and Centro di Riabilitazione Neurocognitiva, University of Trento, Trento, Italy
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