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Vikhanova A, Tibber MS, Mareschal I. Post-migration living difficulties and poor mental health associated with increased interpretation bias for threat. Q J Exp Psychol (Hove) 2024; 77:1154-1168. [PMID: 37477179 PMCID: PMC11103921 DOI: 10.1177/17470218231191442] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2022] [Revised: 05/30/2023] [Accepted: 07/15/2023] [Indexed: 07/22/2023]
Abstract
Previous research has found associations between mental health difficulties and interpretation biases, including heightened interpretation of threat from neutral or ambiguous stimuli. Building on this research, we explored associations between interpretation biases (positive and negative) and three constructs that have been linked to migrant experience: mental health symptoms (Global Severity Index [GSI]), Post-Migration Living Difficulties (PMLD), and Perceived Ethnic Discrimination Questionnaire (PEDQ). Two hundred thirty students who identified as first- (n = 94) or second-generation ethnic minority migrants (n = 68), and first-generation White migrants (n = 68) completed measures of GSI, PEDQ, and PMLD. They also performed an interpretation bias task using Point Light Walkers (PLW), dynamic stimuli with reduced visual input that are easily perceived as humans performing an action. Five categories of PLW were used: four that clearly depicted human forms undertaking positive, neutral, negative, or ambiguous actions, and a fifth that involved scrambled animations with no clear action or form. Participants were asked to imagine their interaction with the stimuli and rate their friendliness (positive interpretation bias) and aggressiveness (interpretation bias for threat). We found that the three groups differed on PEDQ and PMLD, with no significant differences in GSI, and the three measured were positively correlated. Poorer mental health and increased PMLD were associated with a heightened interpretation for threat of scrambled animations only. These findings have implications for understanding of the role of threat biases in mental health and the migrant experience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anastasia Vikhanova
- Department of Psychology, School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
| | - Marc S Tibber
- Research Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, University College London, London, UK
| | - Isabelle Mareschal
- Department of Psychology, School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
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2
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Russell MT, Hajdúk M, Springfield CR, Klein HS, Bass EL, Mittal VA, Williams TF, O’Toole AJ, Pinkham AE. Identity recognition from faces and bodies in schizophrenia spectrum disorders. Schizophr Res Cogn 2024; 36:100307. [PMID: 38486791 PMCID: PMC10937230 DOI: 10.1016/j.scog.2024.100307] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2024] [Revised: 03/04/2024] [Accepted: 03/04/2024] [Indexed: 03/17/2024]
Abstract
Deficits in facial identity recognition and its association with poor social functioning are well documented in schizophrenia, but none of these studies have assessed the role of the body in these processes. Recent research in healthy populations shows that the body is also an important source of information in identity recognition, and the current study aimed to thoroughly examine identity recognition from both faces and bodies in schizophrenia. Sixty-five individuals with schizophrenia and forty-nine healthy controls completed three conditions of an identity matching task in which they attempted to match unidentified persons in unedited photos of faces and bodies, edited photos showing faces only, or edited photos showing bodies only. Results revealed global deficits in identity recognition in individuals with schizophrenia (ηp2 = 0.068), but both groups showed better recognition from bodies alone as compared to faces alone (ηp2 = 0.573), suggesting that the ability to extract useful information from bodies when identifying persons may remain partially preserved in schizophrenia. Further research is necessary to understand the relationship between face/body processing, identity recognition, and functional outcomes in individuals with schizophrenia-spectrum disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Madisen T. Russell
- Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Dallas, 800 W. Campbell Rd., Richardson, TX 75080, USA
- Department of Psychology, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, 402 N. Blackford St., LD 124, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA
| | - Michal Hajdúk
- Department of Psychology, Comenius University in Bratislava, Gondova 2, 811 02 Bratislava 1, Slovak Republic
- Department of Psychiatry, Comenius University in Bratislava, Mickiewiczova 13, 813 69 Bratislava, Slovak Republic
- The Center for Psychiatric Disorders Research, Science Park, Comenius University in Bratislava, Ilkovicova 8, 841 04 Bratislava 4, Slovak Republic
| | - Cassi R. Springfield
- Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Dallas, 800 W. Campbell Rd., Richardson, TX 75080, USA
| | - Hans S. Klein
- Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Dallas, 800 W. Campbell Rd., Richardson, TX 75080, USA
| | - Emily L. Bass
- Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Dallas, 800 W. Campbell Rd., Richardson, TX 75080, USA
| | - Vijay A. Mittal
- Department of Psychology, Northwestern University, 2029 Sheridan Rd., 102 Swift Hall, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Northwestern University, 676 N. St. Clair St., Chicago, IL 60611, USA
| | - Trevor F. Williams
- Department of Psychology, Northwestern University, 2029 Sheridan Rd., 102 Swift Hall, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
| | - Alice J. O’Toole
- Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Dallas, 800 W. Campbell Rd., Richardson, TX 75080, USA
| | - Amy E. Pinkham
- Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Dallas, 800 W. Campbell Rd., Richardson, TX 75080, USA
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3
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Liu H, Tang E, Guan C, Li J, Zheng J, Zhou D, Shen M, Chen H. Not socially blind: Unimpaired perception of social interaction in schizophrenia. Schizophr Res 2024; 264:448-450. [PMID: 38262311 DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2023.12.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2023] [Revised: 12/01/2023] [Accepted: 12/25/2023] [Indexed: 01/25/2024]
Affiliation(s)
- Huiying Liu
- Department of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, Zhejiang University, China
| | - Enze Tang
- Department of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, Zhejiang University, China
| | - Chenxiao Guan
- Department of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, Zhejiang University, China
| | - Jian Li
- Department of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, Zhejiang University, China
| | - Jiewei Zheng
- Department of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, Zhejiang University, China
| | | | - Mowei Shen
- Department of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, Zhejiang University, China.
| | - Hui Chen
- Department of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, Zhejiang University, China.
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4
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Martínez A, Gaspar PA, Bermudez DH, Belen Aburto-Ponce M, Beggel O, Javitt DC. Disrupted third visual pathway function in schizophrenia: Evidence from real and implied motion processing. Neuroimage Clin 2024; 41:103570. [PMID: 38309185 PMCID: PMC10847789 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2024.103570] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2023] [Revised: 12/17/2023] [Accepted: 01/23/2024] [Indexed: 02/05/2024]
Abstract
Impaired motion perception in schizophrenia has been associated with deficits in social-cognitive processes and with reduced activation of visual sensory regions, including the middle temporal area (MT+) and posterior superior temporal sulcus (pSTS). These findings are consistent with the recent proposal of the existence of a specific 'third visual pathway' specialized for social perception in which motion is a fundamental component. The third visual pathway transmits visual information from early sensory visual processing areas to the STS, with MT+ acting as a critical intermediary. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging to investigate functioning of this pathway during processing of naturalistic videos with explicit (real) motion and static images with implied motion cues. These measures were related to face emotion recognition and motion-perception, as measured behaviorally. Participants were 28 individuals with schizophrenia (Sz) and 20 neurotypical controls. Compared to controls, individuals with Sz showed reduced activation of third visual pathway regions (MT+, pSTS) in response to both real- and implied-motion stimuli. Dysfunction of early visual cortex and pulvinar were also associated with aberrant real-motion processing. Implied-motion stimuli additionally engaged a wide network of brain areas including parietal, motor and frontal nodes of the human mirror neuron system. The findings support concepts of MT+ as a mediator between visual sensory areas and higher-order brain and argue for greater focus on MT+ contributions to social-cognitive processing, in addition to its well-documented role in visual motion processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antígona Martínez
- Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, 140 Old Orangeburg Road, Orangeburg, NY 10962, USA.
| | - Pablo A Gaspar
- Department of Psychiatry, Biomedical Neurosciences Institute, IMHAY, University of Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Dalton H Bermudez
- Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, 140 Old Orangeburg Road, Orangeburg, NY 10962, USA
| | - M Belen Aburto-Ponce
- Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, 140 Old Orangeburg Road, Orangeburg, NY 10962, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Odeta Beggel
- Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, 140 Old Orangeburg Road, Orangeburg, NY 10962, USA.
| | - Daniel C Javitt
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
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5
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Sijtsma M, Marjoram D, Gallagher HL, Grealy MA, Brennan D, Mathias C, Cavanagh J, Pollick FE. Major Depression and the Perception of Affective Instrumental and Expressive Gestures: An fMRI Investigation. Psychiatry Res Neuroimaging 2023; 336:111728. [PMID: 37939431 DOI: 10.1016/j.pscychresns.2023.111728] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2023] [Revised: 09/24/2023] [Accepted: 10/10/2023] [Indexed: 11/10/2023]
Abstract
Major depressive disorder (MDD) is associated with biased perception of human movement. Gesture is important for communication and in this study we investigated neural correlates of gesture perception in MDD. We hypothesised different neural activity between individuals with MDD and typical individuals when viewing instrumental and expressive gestures that were negatively or positively valenced. Differences were expected in brain areas associated with gesture perception, including superior temporal, frontal, and emotion processing regions. We recruited 12 individuals with MDD and 12 typical controls matched on age, gender, and handedness. They viewed gestures displayed by stick figures while functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was performed. Results of a random effects three-way mixed ANOVA indicated that individuals with MDD had greater activity in the right claustrum compared to controls, regardless of gesture type or valence. Additionally, we observed main effects of gesture type and valence, regardless of group. Perceiving instrumental compared to expressive gestures was associated with greater activity in the left cuneus and left superior temporal gyrus, while perceiving negative compared to positive gestures was associated with greater activity in the right precuneus and right lingual gyrus. We also observed a two-way interaction between gesture type and valence in various brain regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mathilde Sijtsma
- School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - Dominic Marjoram
- School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - Helen L Gallagher
- School of Health and Life Sciences, Glasgow Caledonian University, Glasgow, UK
| | - Madeleine A Grealy
- Department of Psychological Science and Health, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK
| | - David Brennan
- Department of MRI Physics, Imaging Centre of Excellence, Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, Glasgow, UK
| | | | - Jonathan Cavanagh
- School of Infection and Immunity, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - Frank E Pollick
- School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK.
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6
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Högman L, Gavalova G, Laukka P, Kristiansson M, Källman MV, Fischer H, Johansson AGM. Cognition, prior aggression, and psychopathic traits in relation to impaired multimodal emotion recognition in psychotic spectrum disorders. Front Psychiatry 2023; 14:1111896. [PMID: 37426085 PMCID: PMC10323411 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1111896] [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: 11/30/2022] [Accepted: 04/03/2023] [Indexed: 07/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Psychopathic traits have been associated with impaired emotion recognition in criminal, clinical and community samples. A recent study however, suggested that cognitive impairment reduced the relationship between psychopathy and emotion recognition. We therefore investigated if reasoning ability and psychomotor speed were impacting emotion recognition in individuals with psychotic spectrum disorders (PSD) with and without a history of aggression, as well as in healthy individuals, more than self-rated psychopathy ratings on the Triarchic Psychopathy Measure (TriPM). Methods Eighty individuals with PSD (schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, delusional disorder, other psychoses, psychotic bipolar disorder) and documented history of aggression (PSD+Agg) were compared with 54 individuals with PSD without prior aggression (PSD-Agg) and with 86 healthy individuals on the Emotion Recognition Assessment in Multiple Modalities (ERAM test). Individuals were psychiatrically stable and in remission from possible substance use disorders. Scaled scores on matrix reasoning, averages of dominant hand psychomotor speed and self-rated TriPM scores were obtained. Results Associations existed between low reasoning ability, low psychomotor speed, patient status and prior aggression with total accuracy on the ERAM test. PSD groups performed worse than the healthy group. Whole group correlations between total and subscale scores of TriPM to ERAM were found, but no associations with TriPM scores within each group or in general linear models when accounting for reasoning ability, psychomotor speed, understanding of emotion words and prior aggression. Conclusion Self-rated psychopathy was not independently linked to emotion recognition in PSD groups when considering prior aggression, patient status, reasoning ability, psychomotor speed and emotion word understanding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lennart Högman
- Department of Psychology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Gabriela Gavalova
- Aleris Psychiatry, Täby Psychotic Disorders Clinic, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Petri Laukka
- Department of Psychology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Marianne Kristiansson
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
- Centre for Psychiatry Research, Stockholm, Sweden
- Swedish National Board of Forensic Medicine, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Malin V. Källman
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
- Centre for Psychiatry Research, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Hakan Fischer
- Department of Psychology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Anette G. M. Johansson
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
- Centre for Psychiatry Research, Stockholm, Sweden
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7
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Haigh SM, Berryhill ME, Kilgore-Gomez A, Dodd M. Working memory and sensory memory in subclinical high schizotypy: An avenue for understanding schizophrenia? Eur J Neurosci 2023; 57:1577-1596. [PMID: 36895099 PMCID: PMC10178355 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.15961] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2022] [Accepted: 03/07/2023] [Indexed: 03/11/2023]
Abstract
The search for robust, reliable biomarkers of schizophrenia remains a high priority in psychiatry. Biomarkers are valuable because they can reveal the underlying mechanisms of symptoms and monitor treatment progress and may predict future risk of developing schizophrenia. Despite the existence of various promising biomarkers that relate to symptoms across the schizophrenia spectrum, and despite published recommendations encouraging multivariate metrics, they are rarely investigated simultaneously within the same individuals. In those with schizophrenia, the magnitude of purported biomarkers is complicated by comorbid diagnoses, medications and other treatments. Here, we argue three points. First, we reiterate the importance of assessing multiple biomarkers simultaneously. Second, we argue that investigating biomarkers in those with schizophrenia-related traits (schizotypy) in the general population can accelerate progress in understanding the mechanisms of schizophrenia. We focus on biomarkers of sensory and working memory in schizophrenia and their smaller effects in individuals with nonclinical schizotypy. Third, we note irregularities across research domains leading to the current situation in which there is a preponderance of data on auditory sensory memory and visual working memory, but markedly less in visual (iconic) memory and auditory working memory, particularly when focusing on schizotypy where data are either scarce or inconsistent. Together, this review highlights opportunities for researchers without access to clinical populations to address gaps in knowledge. We conclude by highlighting the theory that early sensory memory deficits contribute negatively to working memory and vice versa. This presents a mechanistic perspective where biomarkers may interact with one another and impact schizophrenia-related symptoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah M. Haigh
- Department of Psychology, Center for Integrative Neuroscience, Programs in Cognitive and Brain Sciences, and Neuroscience, University of Nevada, Reno, Nevada, USA
| | - Marian E. Berryhill
- Department of Psychology, Center for Integrative Neuroscience, Programs in Cognitive and Brain Sciences, and Neuroscience, University of Nevada, Reno, Nevada, USA
| | - Alexandrea Kilgore-Gomez
- Department of Psychology, Center for Integrative Neuroscience, Programs in Cognitive and Brain Sciences, and Neuroscience, University of Nevada, Reno, Nevada, USA
| | - Michael Dodd
- Department of Psychology, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Nebraska, USA
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8
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Hudson M, Santavirta S, Putkinen V, Seppälä K, Sun L, Karjalainen T, Karlsson HK, Hirvonen J, Nummenmaa L. Neural responses to biological motion distinguish autistic and schizotypal traits. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2023; 18:nsad011. [PMID: 36847146 PMCID: PMC10032360 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsad011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2022] [Revised: 01/26/2023] [Accepted: 02/24/2023] [Indexed: 03/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Difficulties in social interactions characterize both autism and schizophrenia and are correlated in the neurotypical population. It is unknown whether this represents a shared etiology or superficial phenotypic overlap. Both conditions exhibit atypical neural activity in response to the perception of social stimuli and decreased neural synchronization between individuals. This study investigated if neural activity and neural synchronization associated with biological motion perception are differentially associated with autistic and schizotypal traits in the neurotypical population. Participants viewed naturalistic social interactions while hemodynamic brain activity was measured with fMRI, which was modeled against a continuous measure of the extent of biological motion. General linear model analysis revealed that biological motion perception was associated with neural activity across the action observation network. However, intersubject phase synchronization analysis revealed neural activity to be synchronized between individuals in occipital and parietal areas but desynchronized in temporal and frontal regions. Autistic traits were associated with decreased neural activity (precuneus and middle cingulate gyrus), and schizotypal traits were associated with decreased neural synchronization (middle and inferior frontal gyri). Biological motion perception elicits divergent patterns of neural activity and synchronization, which dissociate autistic and schizotypal traits in the general population, suggesting that they originate from different neural mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew Hudson
- Turku PET Centre, University of Turku, Turku 20520, Finland
- Turku University Hospital, Turku 20520, Finland
- School of Psychology, University of Plymouth, Plymouth PL4 8AA, UK
- Brain Research & Imaging Centre, Faculty of Health, University of Plymouth, Research Way, Plymouth PL6 8BU, UK
| | - Severi Santavirta
- Turku PET Centre, University of Turku, Turku 20520, Finland
- Turku University Hospital, Turku 20520, Finland
| | - Vesa Putkinen
- Turku PET Centre, University of Turku, Turku 20520, Finland
- Turku University Hospital, Turku 20520, Finland
| | - Kerttu Seppälä
- Turku PET Centre, University of Turku, Turku 20520, Finland
- Turku University Hospital, Turku 20520, Finland
- Department of Medical Physics, Turku University Hospital, Turku 20520, Finland
| | - Lihua Sun
- Turku PET Centre, University of Turku, Turku 20520, Finland
- Turku University Hospital, Turku 20520, Finland
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200040, China
| | - Tomi Karjalainen
- Turku PET Centre, University of Turku, Turku 20520, Finland
- Turku University Hospital, Turku 20520, Finland
| | - Henry K Karlsson
- Turku PET Centre, University of Turku, Turku 20520, Finland
- Turku University Hospital, Turku 20520, Finland
| | - Jussi Hirvonen
- Department of Radiology, University of Turku and Turku University Hospital, Turku 20520, Finland
- Medical Imaging Centre, Department of Radiology, Tampere University and Tampere University Hospital, Tampere 33100, Finland
| | - Lauri Nummenmaa
- Turku PET Centre, University of Turku, Turku 20520, Finland
- Department of Psychology, University of Turku, Turku 20520, Finland
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9
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Ronconi L, Florio V, Bronzoni S, Salvetti B, Raponi A, Giupponi G, Conca A, Basso D. Wider and Stronger Inhibitory Ring of the Attentional Focus in Schizophrenia. Brain Sci 2023; 13:brainsci13020211. [PMID: 36831754 PMCID: PMC9954763 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci13020211] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2022] [Revised: 01/17/2023] [Accepted: 01/24/2023] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Anomalies of attentional selection have been repeatedly described in individuals with schizophrenia spectrum disorders. However, a precise analysis of their ability to inhibit irrelevant visual information during attentional selection is not documented. Recent behavioral as well as neurophysiological and computational evidence showed that attentional search among different competing stimuli elicits an area of suppression in the immediate surrounding of the attentional focus. In the present study, the strength and spatial extension of this surround suppression were tested in individuals with schizophrenia and neurotypical controls. Participants were asked to report the orientation of a visual "pop-out" target, which appeared in different positions within a peripheral array of non-target stimuli. In half of the trials, after the target appeared, a probe circle circumscribed a non-target stimulus at various target-to-probe distances; in this case, participants were asked to report the probe orientation instead. Results suggest that, as compared to neurotypical controls, individuals with schizophrenia showed stronger and spatially more extended filtering of visual information in the areas surrounding their attentional focus. This increased filtering of visual information outside the focus of attention might potentially hamper their ability to integrate different elements into coherent percepts and influence higher order behavioral, affective, and cognitive domains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luca Ronconi
- School of Psychology, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, 20132 Milan, Italy
- Division of Neuroscience, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, 20132 Milan, Italy
- Correspondence:
| | - Vincenzo Florio
- Psychiatric Service of the Health District of Bozen, 39100 Bozen, Italy
| | - Silvia Bronzoni
- Psychiatric Service of the Health District of Bozen, 39100 Bozen, Italy
| | - Beatrice Salvetti
- Psychiatric Service of the Health District of Bozen, 39100 Bozen, Italy
| | - Agnese Raponi
- Psychiatric Service of the Health District of Bozen, 39100 Bozen, Italy
| | | | - Andreas Conca
- Psychiatric Service of the Health District of Bozen, 39100 Bozen, Italy
| | - Demis Basso
- CESLab, Faculty of Education, Free University of Bozen, 39042 Brixen, Italy
- Centro de Investigación en Neuropsicologia y Neurociencias Cognitivas (CINPSI Neurocog), Universidad Católica del Maule, Av. San Miguel, Talca 3480094, Chile
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10
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Romagnano V, Sokolov AN, Steinwand P, Fallgatter AJ, Pavlova MA. Face pareidolia in male schizophrenia. SCHIZOPHRENIA (HEIDELBERG, GERMANY) 2022; 8:112. [PMID: 36517504 PMCID: PMC9751144 DOI: 10.1038/s41537-022-00315-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2022] [Accepted: 11/09/2022] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
Faces are valuable signals for efficient social interaction. Yet, social cognition including the sensitivity to a coarse face scheme may be deviant in schizophrenia (SZ). Tuning to faces in non-face images such as shadows, grilled toasts, or ink blots is termed face pareidolia. This phenomenon is poorly investigated in SZ. Here face tuning was assessed in 44 male participants with SZ and person-by-person matched controls by using recently created Face-n-Thing images (photographs of non-face objects to a varying degree resembling a face). The advantage of these images is that single components do not automatically trigger face processing. Participants were administered a set of images with upright and inverted (180° in the image plane) orientation. In a two-alternative forced-choice paradigm, they had to indicate whether an image resembled a face. The findings showed that: (i) With upright orientation, SZ patients exhibited deficits in face tuning: they provided much fewer face responses than controls. (ii) Inversion generally hindered face pareidolia. However, while in neurotypical males, inversion led to a drastic drop in face impression, in SZ, the impact of orientation was reduced. (iii) Finally, in accord with the signal detection theory analysis, the sensitivity index (d-prime) was lower in SZ, whereas no difference occurred in decision criterion. The outcome suggests altered face pareidolia in SZ is caused by lower face sensitivity rather than by alterations in cognitive bias. Comparison of these findings with earlier evidence confirms that tuning to social signals is lower in SZ, and warrants tailored brain imaging research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentina Romagnano
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical School and University Hospital, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, and Tübingen Center for Mental Health (TüCMH), Tübingen, Germany
| | - Alexander N Sokolov
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical School and University Hospital, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, and Tübingen Center for Mental Health (TüCMH), Tübingen, Germany
| | - Patrick Steinwand
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical School and University Hospital, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, and Tübingen Center for Mental Health (TüCMH), Tübingen, Germany
| | - Andreas J Fallgatter
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical School and University Hospital, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, and Tübingen Center for Mental Health (TüCMH), Tübingen, Germany
| | - Marina A Pavlova
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical School and University Hospital, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, and Tübingen Center for Mental Health (TüCMH), Tübingen, Germany.
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11
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Scheliga S, Schwank R, Scholle R, Habel U, Kellermann T. A neural mechanism underlying predictive visual motion processing in patients with schizophrenia. Psychiatry Res 2022; 318:114934. [PMID: 36347125 DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2022.114934] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2022] [Revised: 10/22/2022] [Accepted: 10/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Psychotic symptoms may be traced back to sensory sensitivity. Thereby, visual motion (VM) processing particularly has been suggested to be impaired in schizophrenia (SCZ). In healthy brains, VM underlies predictive processing within hierarchically structured systems. However, less is known about predictive VM processing in SCZ. Therefore, we performed fMRI during a VM paradigm with three conditions of varying predictability, i.e., Predictable-, Random-, and Arbitrary motion. The study sample comprised 17 SCZ patients and 23 healthy controls. We calculated general linear model (GLM) analysis to assess group differences in VM processing across motion conditions. Here, we identified significantly lower activity in right temporoparietal junction (TPJ) for SCZ patients. Therefore, right TPJ was set as seed for connectivity analyses. For patients, across conditions we identified increased connections to higher regions, namely medial prefrontal cortex, or paracingulate gyrus. Healthy subjects activated sensory regions as area V5, or superior parietal lobule. Reduced TPJ activity may reflect both a failure in the bottom-up flow of visual information and a decrease of signal processing as consequence of increased top-down input from frontal areas. In sum, these altered neural patterns provide a framework for future studies focusing on predictive VM processing to identify potential biomarkers of psychosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebastian Scheliga
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Medical Faculty RWTH, Aachen University, Pauwelsstraße 30, 52074 Aachen, Germany.
| | - Rosalie Schwank
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Medical Faculty RWTH, Aachen University, Pauwelsstraße 30, 52074 Aachen, Germany
| | - Ruben Scholle
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Medical Faculty RWTH, Aachen University, Pauwelsstraße 30, 52074 Aachen, Germany
| | - Ute Habel
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Medical Faculty RWTH, Aachen University, Pauwelsstraße 30, 52074 Aachen, Germany; JARA-Institute Brain Structure Function Relationship, Pauwelsstraße 30, 52074 Aachen, Germany
| | - Thilo Kellermann
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Medical Faculty RWTH, Aachen University, Pauwelsstraße 30, 52074 Aachen, Germany; JARA-Institute Brain Structure Function Relationship, Pauwelsstraße 30, 52074 Aachen, Germany
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12
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Okruszek Ł, Chrustowicz M, Jarkiewicz M, Krawczyk M, Manera V, Piejka A, Schudy A, Wiśniewska M, Wysokiński A. Mentalizing abilities mediate the impact of the basic social perception on negative symptoms in patients with schizophrenia. J Psychiatr Res 2022; 155:85-89. [PMID: 35995018 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2022.07.069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2022] [Revised: 07/13/2022] [Accepted: 07/30/2022] [Indexed: 10/31/2022]
Abstract
Social cognitive deficits are currently considered as one of the main predictors of clinical symptoms and functional outcome in patients with schizophrenia. Multiple studies have suggested that a two-factor solution (low-level vs. high-level) best describes the structure of social cognitive processes in patients. While higher-order processes have been repeatedly linked to negative symptoms, no such association was found for lower-level processes. Thus, the aim of the current study is to examine whether the association between basic social perception processes and symptoms in patients with schizophrenia is mediated by mentalizing abilities. One hundred thirty-nine patients have completed basic social perception (Communicative Interactions Database task CID-12) and mentalizing (Reading the Mind in the Eyes task) tasks. In line with our hypothesis, we have observed full mediation of the effects of basic social perception abilities on negative symptoms via mentalizing abilities in patients. This effect suggests that, similarly as in the case of positive symptoms, a hierarchical nature of social cognitive processes should be considered while investigating negative symptoms of schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ł Okruszek
- Social Neuroscience Lab, Institute of Psychology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Poland.
| | - M Chrustowicz
- Social Neuroscience Lab, Institute of Psychology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Poland
| | | | - M Krawczyk
- Social Neuroscience Lab, Institute of Psychology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Poland
| | | | - A Piejka
- Social Neuroscience Lab, Institute of Psychology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Poland
| | - A Schudy
- Faculty of Psychology, University of Warsaw, Poland
| | - M Wiśniewska
- Social Neuroscience Lab, Institute of Psychology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Poland
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13
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Pavlidou A, Chapellier V, Maderthaner L, von Känel S, Walther S. Using dynamic point light display stimuli to assess gesture deficits in schizophrenia. Schizophr Res Cogn 2022; 28:100240. [PMID: 35242609 PMCID: PMC8866720 DOI: 10.1016/j.scog.2022.100240] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2021] [Revised: 01/27/2022] [Accepted: 01/27/2022] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Background Gesture deficits are ubiquitous in schizophrenia patients contributing to poor social communication and functional outcome. Given the dynamic nature of social communications, the current study aimed to explore the underlying socio-cognitive processes associated with point-light-displays (PLDs) of communicative gestures in the absence of any other confounding visual characteristics, and compare them to other well-established stimuli of gestures such as pictures by examining their association with symptom severity and motor-cognitive modalities. Methods We included 39-stable schizophrenia outpatients and 27-age-gender matched controls and assessed gesture processing using two tasks. The first task used static stimuli of pictures of a person performing a gesture. The limbs executing the gesture were missing and participants' task was to choose the correct gesture from three-options provided. The second task included videos of dynamic PLDs interacting with each other. One PLD performed communicative gestures, while the other PLD imitated/followed these performed gestures. Participants had to indicate, which of the two PLDs was imitating/following the other. Additionally, we evaluated symptom severity, as well as, motor and cognitive parameters. Results Patients underperformed in both gesture tasks compared to controls. Task performance for static stimuli was associated with blunted affect, motor coordination and sequencing domains, while PLD performance was associated with expressive gestures and sensory integration processes. Discussion Gesture representations of static and dynamic stimuli are associated with distinct processes contributing to poor social communication in schizophrenia, requiring novel therapeutic interventions. Such stimuli can easily be applied remotely for screening socio-cognitive deficits in schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anastasia Pavlidou
- Corresponding author at: Psychiatric Services University of Bern, University Hospital of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Division of Systems Neuroscience of Psychopathology, Translational Research Center, Bollingerstr. 111, CH-3000 Bern 60, Switzerland.
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14
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Patel GH, Arkin SC, Ruiz-Betancourt D, DeBaun H, Strauss NE, Bartel LP, Grinband J, Martinez A, Berman RA, Leopold DA, Javitt DC. What you see is what you get: visual scanning failures of naturalistic social scenes in schizophrenia. Psychol Med 2021; 51:2923-2932. [PMID: 32498743 PMCID: PMC7751380 DOI: 10.1017/s0033291720001646] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Impairments in social cognition contribute significantly to disability in schizophrenia patients (SzP). Perception of facial expressions is critical for social cognition. Intact perception requires an individual to visually scan a complex dynamic social scene for transiently moving facial expressions that may be relevant for understanding the scene. The relationship of visual scanning for these facial expressions and social cognition remains unknown. METHODS In 39 SzP and 27 healthy controls (HC), we used eye-tracking to examine the relationship between performance on The Awareness of Social Inference Test (TASIT), which tests social cognition using naturalistic video clips of social situations, and visual scanning, measuring each individual's relative to the mean of HC. We then examined the relationship of visual scanning to the specific visual features (motion, contrast, luminance, faces) within the video clips. RESULTS TASIT performance was significantly impaired in SzP for trials involving sarcasm (p < 10-5). Visual scanning was significantly more variable in SzP than HC (p < 10-6), and predicted TASIT performance in HC (p = 0.02) but not SzP (p = 0.91), differing significantly between groups (p = 0.04). During the visual scanning, SzP were less likely to be viewing faces (p = 0.0001) and less likely to saccade to facial motion in peripheral vision (p = 0.008). CONCLUSIONS SzP show highly significant deficits in the use of visual scanning of naturalistic social scenes to inform social cognition. Alterations in visual scanning patterns may originate from impaired processing of facial motion within peripheral vision. Overall, these results highlight the utility of naturalistic stimuli in the study of social cognition deficits in schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gaurav H. Patel
- Columbia University Medical Center
- New York State Psychiatric Institute
| | | | | | | | | | - Laura P. Bartel
- Columbia University Medical Center
- New York State Psychiatric Institute
| | - Jack Grinband
- Columbia University Medical Center
- New York State Psychiatric Institute
| | | | | | | | - Daniel C. Javitt
- Columbia University Medical Center
- New York State Psychiatric Institute
- Nathan Kline Institute
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15
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Zhou Z, Wang K, Tang J, Wei D, Song L, Peng Y, Fu Y, Qiu J. Cortical thickness distinguishes between major depression and schizophrenia in adolescents. BMC Psychiatry 2021; 21:361. [PMID: 34284747 PMCID: PMC8293570 DOI: 10.1186/s12888-021-03373-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2020] [Accepted: 07/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Early diagnosis of adolescent psychiatric disorder is crucial for early intervention. However, there is extensive comorbidity between affective and psychotic disorders, which increases the difficulty of precise diagnoses among adolescents. METHODS We obtained structural magnetic resonance imaging scans from 150 adolescents, including 67 and 47 patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) and schizophrenia (SCZ), as well as 34 healthy controls (HC) to explore whether psychiatric disorders could be identified using a machine learning technique. Specifically, we used the support vector machine and the leave-one-out cross-validation method to distinguish among adolescents with MDD and SCZ and healthy controls. RESULTS We found that cortical thickness was a classification feature of a) MDD and HC with 79.21% accuracy where the temporal pole had the highest weight; b) SCZ and HC with 69.88% accuracy where the left superior temporal sulcus had the highest weight. Notably, adolescents with MDD and SCZ could be classified with 62.93% accuracy where the right pars triangularis had the highest weight. CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that cortical thickness may be a critical biological feature in the diagnosis of adolescent psychiatric disorders. These findings might be helpful to establish an early prediction model for adolescents to better diagnose psychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zheyi Zhou
- grid.419897.a0000 0004 0369 313XKey Laboratory of Cognition and Personality (SWU), Ministry of Education, Chongqing, 400715 China ,grid.263906.8Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, No.2 Tiansheng Road, Beibei District, Chongqing, 400715 China
| | - Kangcheng Wang
- grid.410585.d0000 0001 0495 1805Faculty of Psychology, Shandong Normal University, Jinan, 250014 Shandong China
| | - Jinxiang Tang
- grid.452206.7Department of Psychiatry, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, No.1, Yixueyuan Road, Yuzhong District, Chongqing, 400016 China ,Sleep and Psychology Center, The Bishan Hospital of Chongqing, Chongqing, 402760 China
| | - Dongtao Wei
- grid.419897.a0000 0004 0369 313XKey Laboratory of Cognition and Personality (SWU), Ministry of Education, Chongqing, 400715 China ,grid.263906.8Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, No.2 Tiansheng Road, Beibei District, Chongqing, 400715 China
| | - Li Song
- grid.419897.a0000 0004 0369 313XKey Laboratory of Cognition and Personality (SWU), Ministry of Education, Chongqing, 400715 China ,grid.263906.8Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, No.2 Tiansheng Road, Beibei District, Chongqing, 400715 China
| | - Yadong Peng
- grid.452206.7Department of Psychiatry, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, No.1, Yixueyuan Road, Yuzhong District, Chongqing, 400016 China ,Department of Psychology, Chongqing Health Center for Women and Children, Chongqing, 401147 China
| | - Yixiao Fu
- Department of Psychiatry, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, No.1, Yixueyuan Road, Yuzhong District, Chongqing, 400016, China.
| | - Jiang Qiu
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality (SWU), Ministry of Education, Chongqing, 400715, China. .,Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, No.2 Tiansheng Road, Beibei District, Chongqing, 400715, China. .,Collaborative Innovation Center of Assessment Toward Basic Education Quality, Southwest University Branch, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China.
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16
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Michelini G, Palumbo IM, DeYoung CG, Latzman RD, Kotov R. Linking RDoC and HiTOP: A new interface for advancing psychiatric nosology and neuroscience. Clin Psychol Rev 2021; 86:102025. [PMID: 33798996 PMCID: PMC8165014 DOI: 10.1016/j.cpr.2021.102025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 98] [Impact Index Per Article: 32.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2020] [Revised: 03/11/2021] [Accepted: 03/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
The Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) and the Hierarchical Taxonomy of Psychopathology (HiTOP) represent major dimensional frameworks proposing two alternative approaches to accelerate progress in the way psychopathology is studied, classified, and treated. RDoC is a research framework rooted in neuroscience aiming to further the understanding of transdiagnostic biobehavioral systems underlying psychopathology and ultimately inform future classifications. HiTOP is a dimensional classification system, derived from the observed covariation among symptoms of psychopathology and maladaptive traits, which seeks to provide more informative research and treatment targets (i.e., dimensional constructs and clinical assessments) than traditional diagnostic categories. This article argues that the complementary strengths of RDoC and HiTOP can be leveraged in order to achieve their respective goals. RDoC's biobehavioral framework may help elucidate the underpinnings of the clinical dimensions included in HiTOP, whereas HiTOP may provide psychometrically robust clinical targets for RDoC-informed research. We present a comprehensive mapping between dimensions included in RDoC (constructs and subconstructs) and HiTOP (spectra and subfactors) based on narrative review of the empirical literature. The resulting RDoC-HiTOP interface sheds light on the biobehavioral correlates of clinical dimensions and provides a broad set of dimensional clinical targets for etiological and neuroscientific research. We conclude with future directions and practical recommendations for using this interface to advance clinical neuroscience and psychiatric nosology. Ultimately, we envision that this RDoC-HiTOP interface has the potential to inform the development of a unified, dimensional, and biobehaviorally-grounded psychiatric nosology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giorgia Michelini
- Semel Institute for Neuroscience & Human Behavior, Department of Psychiatry & Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90024, United States of America.
| | - Isabella M Palumbo
- Department of Psychology, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30303, United States of America
| | - Colin G DeYoung
- Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, United States of America
| | - Robert D Latzman
- Department of Psychology, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30303, United States of America
| | - Roman Kotov
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Health, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11790, United States of America
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17
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Wolf A, Ueda K, Hirano Y. Recent updates of eye movement abnormalities in patients with schizophrenia: A scoping review. Psychiatry Clin Neurosci 2021; 75:82-100. [PMID: 33314465 PMCID: PMC7986125 DOI: 10.1111/pcn.13188] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2020] [Revised: 11/27/2020] [Accepted: 12/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
AIM Although eye-tracking technology expands beyond capturing eye data just for the sole purpose of ensuring participants maintain their gaze at the presented fixation cross, gaze technology remains of less importance in clinical research. Recently, impairments in visual information encoding processes indexed by novel gaze metrics have been frequently reported in patients with schizophrenia. This work undertakes a scoping review of research on saccadic dysfunctions and exploratory eye movement deficits among patients with schizophrenia. It gathers promising pieces of evidence of eye movement abnormalities in attention-demanding tasks on the schizophrenia spectrum that have mounted in recent years and their outcomes as potential biological markers. METHODS The protocol was drafted based on PRISMA for scoping review guidelines. Electronic databases were systematically searched to identify articles published between 2010 and 2020 that examined visual processing in patients with schizophrenia and reported eye movement characteristics as potential biomarkers for this mental illness. RESULTS The use of modern eye-tracking instrumentation has been reported by numerous neuroscientific studies to successfully and non-invasively improve the detection of visual information processing impairments among the screened population at risk of and identified with schizophrenia. CONCLUSIONS Eye-tracking technology has the potential to contribute to the process of early intervention and more apparent separation of the diagnostic entities, being put together by the syndrome-based approach to the diagnosis of schizophrenia. However, context-processing paradigms should be conducted and reported in equally accessible publications to build comprehensive models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra Wolf
- International Research Fellow of Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Fukuoka, Japan.,Department of Human Science, Research Center for Applied Perceptual Science, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Kazuo Ueda
- Department of Human Science, Research Center for Applied Perceptual Science, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Yoji Hirano
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
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18
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Voineskos AN, Jacobs GR, Ameis SH. Neuroimaging Heterogeneity in Psychosis: Neurobiological Underpinnings and Opportunities for Prognostic and Therapeutic Innovation. Biol Psychiatry 2020; 88:95-102. [PMID: 31668548 PMCID: PMC7075720 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2019.09.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2019] [Revised: 08/01/2019] [Accepted: 09/03/2019] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Heterogeneity in symptom presentation, outcomes, and treatment response has long been problematic for researchers aiming to identify biological markers of schizophrenia or psychosis. However, there is increasing recognition that there may likely be no such general illness markers, which is consistent with the notion of a group of schizophrenia(s) that may have both shared and unique neurobiological pathways. Instead, strategies aiming to capitalize on or leverage such heterogeneity may help uncover neurobiological pathways that may then be used to stratify groups of patients for prognostic purposes or for therapeutic trials. A shift toward larger sample sizes with adequate statistical power to overcome small effect sizes and disentangle the shared variance among different brain-imaging or behavioral variables has become a priority for the field. In addition, recognition that two individuals with the same clinical diagnosis may be more different from each other (at brain, genetic, and behavioral levels) than from another individual in a different disorder or nonclinical control group-coupled with computational advances-has catapulted data-driven efforts forward. Emerging challenges for this new approach include longitudinal stability of new subgroups, demonstration of validity, and replicability. The "litmus test" will be whether computational approaches that are successfully identifying groups of patients who share features in common, more than current DSM diagnostic constructs, also provide better prognostic accuracy over time and in addition lead to enhancements in treatment response and outcomes. These are the factors that matter most to patients, families, providers, and payers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aristotle N Voineskos
- Campbell Family Mental Health Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Canada; Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.
| | - Grace R Jacobs
- Campbell Family Mental Health Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Canada; Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Stephanie H Ameis
- Campbell Family Mental Health Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Canada; Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada; Brain and Mental Health Program, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
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19
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Lefebvre S, Pavlidou A, Walther S. What is the potential of neurostimulation in the treatment of motor symptoms in schizophrenia? Expert Rev Neurother 2020; 20:697-706. [DOI: 10.1080/14737175.2020.1775586] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie Lefebvre
- Translational Research Centre, University Hospital of Psychiatry, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Anastasia Pavlidou
- Translational Research Centre, University Hospital of Psychiatry, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Sebastian Walther
- Translational Research Centre, University Hospital of Psychiatry, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
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20
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Okruszek Ł, Chrustowicz M. Social Perception and Interaction Database-A Novel Tool to Study Social Cognitive Processes With Point-Light Displays. Front Psychiatry 2020; 11:123. [PMID: 32218745 PMCID: PMC7078367 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2020.00123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2019] [Accepted: 02/12/2020] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction: The ability to detect and interpret social interactions (SI) is one of the crucial skills enabling people to operate in the social world. Multiple lines of evidence converge to indicate the preferential processing of SI when compared to the individual actions of multiple agents, even if the actions were visually degraded to minimalistic point-light displays (PLDs). Here, we present a novel PLD dataset (Social Perception and Interaction Database; SoPID) that may be used for studying multiple levels of social information processing. Methods: During a motion-capture session, two pairs of actors were asked to perform a wide range of 3-second actions, including: (1) neutral, gesture-based communicative interactions (COM); (2) emotional exchanges (Happy/Angry); (3) synchronous interactive physical activity of actors (SYNC); and (4) independent actions of agents, either object-related (ORA) or non-object related (NORA). An interface that allows single/dyadic PLD stimuli to be presented from either the second person (action aimed toward the viewer) or third person (observation of actions presented toward other agents) perspective was implemented on the basis on the recorded actions. Two validation studies (each with 20 healthy individuals) were then performed to establish the recognizability of the SoPID vignettes. Results: The first study showed a ceiling level accuracy for discrimination of communicative vs. individual actions (93% ± 5%) and high accuracy for interpreting specific types of actions (85 ± 4%) from the SoPID. In the second study, a robust effect of scrambling on the recognizability of SoPID stimuli was observed in an independent sample of healthy individuals. Discussion: These results suggest that the SoPID may be effectively used to examine processes associated with communicative interactions and intentions processing. The database can be accessed via the Open Science Framework (https://osf.io/dcht8/).
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Affiliation(s)
- Łukasz Okruszek
- Social Neuroscience Lab, Institute of Psychology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
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21
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Hajdúk M, Klein HS, Bass EL, Springfield CR, Pinkham AE. Implicit and explicit processing of bodily emotions in schizophrenia. Cogn Neuropsychiatry 2020; 25:139-153. [PMID: 31870213 DOI: 10.1080/13546805.2019.1706465] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Disturbed emotion processing is well documented in schizophrenia, but the majority of studies evaluate processing of emotion only from facial expressions. Social cues are also communicated via body posture, and they are similarly relevant for successful social interactions. The aim of the current study was to thoroughly examine body perception abilities in individuals with schizophrenia. METHODS Fifty-nine patients with schizophrenia and 37 healthy controls completed two tasks of body processing. The first, which was based on the Affect Misattribution Procedure, evaluated implicit processing of bodily emotions, and the second utilised a traditional emotion identification paradigm to assess explicit emotion recognition. RESULTS Results revealed aberrant implicit processing, but more normative explicit processing, in individuals with schizophrenia. Moderate associations were found between processing of bodies and symptoms of paranoia. Performance on the tasks was not related to cognitive functioning but was associated with clinician-rated social functioning. CONCLUSIONS Collectively, these results provide information about disturbed processing of bodily emotions in schizophrenia and suggest that these disturbances are associated with the severity of positive symptoms and predict difficulties in everyday social activities and interpersonal relationships.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michal Hajdúk
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Arts, Comenius University Bratislava, Slovak Republic.,Clinic of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovak Republic.,Center for Psychiatric Disorders Research - UK, Science Park, Comenius University in Bratislava, Slovak Republic
| | - Hans S Klein
- School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, The University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX, USA
| | - Emily L Bass
- School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, The University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX, USA
| | - Cassi R Springfield
- School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, The University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX, USA
| | - Amy E Pinkham
- School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, The University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX, USA.,Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical School, Dallas, TX, USA
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22
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Isernia S, Sokolov AN, Fallgatter AJ, Pavlova MA. Untangling the Ties Between Social Cognition and Body Motion: Gender Impact. Front Psychol 2020; 11:128. [PMID: 32116932 PMCID: PMC7016199 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2020] [Accepted: 01/16/2020] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
We proved the viability of the general hypothesis that biological motion (BM) processing serves as a hallmark of social cognition. We assumed that BM processing and inferring emotions through BM (body language reading) are firmly linked and examined whether this tie is gender-specific. Healthy females and males completed two tasks with the same set of point-light BM displays portraying angry and neutral locomotion of female and male actors. For one task, perceivers had to indicate actor gender, while for the other, they had to infer the emotional content of locomotion. Thus, with identical visual input, we directed task demands either to BM processing or inferring of emotion. This design allows straight comparison between sensitivity to BM and recognition of emotions conveyed by the same BM. In addition, perceivers were administered a set of photographs from the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test (RMET), with which they identified either emotional state or actor gender. Although there were no gender differences in performance on BM tasks, a tight link occurred between recognition accuracy of emotions and gender through BM in males. In females only, body language reading (both accuracy and response time) was associated with performance on the RMET. The outcome underscores gender-specific modes in visual social cognition and triggers investigation of body language reading in a wide range of neuropsychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Isernia
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical School and University Hospital, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Department of Psychology, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milan, Italy
- CADITeR, IRCCS Fondazione Don Carlo Gnocchi ONLUS, Milan, Italy
| | - Alexander N. Sokolov
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical School and University Hospital, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Andreas J. Fallgatter
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical School and University Hospital, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Marina A. Pavlova
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical School and University Hospital, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
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Egeland J, Holmen TL, Bang-Kittilsen G, Bigseth TT, Vaskinn A, Engh JA. Body language reading of emotion and outcome in schizophrenia. Cogn Neuropsychiatry 2019; 24:54-64. [PMID: 30654697 DOI: 10.1080/13546805.2019.1568234] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Although considered a promising design for testing social cognition, it is not clear to what extent the EmoBio test of emotion recognition actually predicts community functioning. It is also not clear whether the test measures something unique or different from nonsocial cognition. The present study tests whether EmoBio accounts for GAF function score and two operationalised community outcome measures. The study also analyses cognitive predictors of EmoBio performance, testing whether stimulus modality affects prediction. METHODS Eighty-three patients with schizophrenia were tested with EmoBio, the cognitive battery MCCB and WAIS-IV. RESULTS EmoBio accounted for a significant portion of variance in all three outcome measures. Only EmoBio predicted Lifetime Relationship status, and EmoBio remained a significant predictor of Independent living beyond non-social cognition. All cognitive measures contributed significantly to the variance in EmoBio, but entered together explained only a third of total variance. CONCLUSION The study shows that emotion recognition accounts for community outcome. There was no clear effect of test-modality in predicting EmoBio performance, indicating no method invariance problem with EmoBio. It also indicates that the mechanisms underlying impaired social cognition in schizophrenia are different from the hypothesised non-verbal learning deficits in the disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jens Egeland
- a Division of Mental Health & Addiction , Vestfold Hospital Trust , Tønsberg , Norway.,b Department of Psychology , University of Oslo , Oslo , Norway
| | - Tom Langerud Holmen
- a Division of Mental Health & Addiction , Vestfold Hospital Trust , Tønsberg , Norway
| | - Gry Bang-Kittilsen
- a Division of Mental Health & Addiction , Vestfold Hospital Trust , Tønsberg , Norway
| | | | - Anja Vaskinn
- c NORMENT KG Jebsen Centre for Psychosis Research, Oslo University Hospital , Oslo , Norway.,d Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo , Oslo , Norway
| | - John Abel Engh
- a Division of Mental Health & Addiction , Vestfold Hospital Trust , Tønsberg , Norway
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24
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Structural and effective brain connectivity underlying biological motion detection. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2018; 115:E12034-E12042. [PMID: 30514816 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1812859115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The perception of actions underwrites a wide range of socio-cognitive functions. Previous neuroimaging and lesion studies identified several components of the brain network for visual biological motion (BM) processing, but interactions among these components and their relationship to behavior remain little understood. Here, using a recently developed integrative analysis of structural and effective connectivity derived from high angular resolution diffusion imaging (HARDI) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), we assess the cerebro-cerebellar network for processing of camouflaged point-light BM. Dynamic causal modeling (DCM) informed by probabilistic tractography indicates that the right superior temporal sulcus (STS) serves as an integrator within the temporal module. However, the STS does not appear to be a "gatekeeper" in the functional integration of the occipito-temporal and frontal regions: The fusiform gyrus (FFG) and middle temporal cortex (MTC) are also connected to the right inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) and insula, indicating multiple parallel pathways. BM-specific loops of effective connectivity are seen between the left lateral cerebellar lobule Crus I and right STS, as well as between the left Crus I and right insula. The prevalence of a structural pathway between the FFG and STS is associated with better BM detection. Moreover, a canonical variate analysis shows that the visual sensitivity to BM is best predicted by BM-specific effective connectivity from the FFG to STS and from the IFG, insula, and STS to the early visual cortex. Overall, the study characterizes the architecture of the cerebro-cerebellar network for BM processing and offers prospects for assessing the social brain.
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Intact perception of coherent motion, dynamic rigid form, and biological motion in chronic schizophrenia. Psychiatry Res 2018; 268:53-59. [PMID: 29990720 PMCID: PMC6178929 DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2018.06.052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2018] [Revised: 05/17/2018] [Accepted: 06/21/2018] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Prior studies have documented biological motion perception deficits in schizophrenia, but it remains unclear whether the impairments arise from poor social cognition, perceptual organization, basic motion processing, or sustained attention/motivation. To address the issue, we had 24 chronic schizophrenia patients and 27 healthy controls perform three tasks: coherent motion, where subjects indicated whether a cloud of dots drifted leftward or rightward; dynamic rigid form, where subjects determined the tilt direction of a translating, point-light rectangle; and biological motion, where subjects judged whether a human point-light figure walked leftward or rightward. Task difficulty was staircase controlled and depended on the directional variability of the background dot motion. Catch trials were added to verify task attentiveness and engagement. RESULTS Patients and controls demonstrated similar performance thresholds and near-ceiling catch trial accuracy for each task (uncorrected ps > 0.1; ds < 0.35). In all but the coherent motion task, higher IQ correlated with better performance (ps < 0.001). CONCLUSION Schizophrenia patients have intact perception of motion coherence, dynamic rigid form, and biological motion at least for our sample and set-up. We speculate that previously documented biological motion perception deficits arose from task or stimulus differences or from group differences in IQ, attention, or motivation.
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Jimenez AM, Lee J, Reavis EA, Wynn JK, Green MF. Aberrant patterns of neural activity when perceiving emotion from biological motion in schizophrenia. NEUROIMAGE-CLINICAL 2018; 20:380-387. [PMID: 30128276 PMCID: PMC6095949 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2018.08.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2018] [Revised: 07/12/2018] [Accepted: 08/08/2018] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Social perceptual deficits in schizophrenia are well established. Recent work suggests that the ability to extract social information from bodily cues is reduced in patients. However, little is known about the neurobiological mechanisms underlying this deficit. In the current study, 20 schizophrenia patients and 16 controls completed two tasks using point-light animations during fMRI: a basic biological motion task and an emotion in biological motion task. The basic biological motion task was used to localize activity in posterior superior temporal sulcus (pSTS), a critical region for biological motion perception. During the emotion in biological motion task, participants viewed brief videos depicting happiness, fear, anger, or neutral emotions and were asked to decide which emotion was portrayed. Activity in pSTS and amygdala was interrogated during this task. Results indicated that patients showed overall reduced activation compared to controls in pSTS and at a trend level in amygdala across emotions, despite similar task performance. Further, a functional connectivity analysis revealed that controls, but not patients, showed significant positive connectivity between pSTS and left frontal regions as well as bilateral angular gyrus during the emotion in biological motion task. These findings indicate that schizophrenia patients show aberrant neural activity and functional connectivity when extracting complex social information from simple motion stimuli, which may contribute to social perception deficits in this disorder. Perception of social information from bodily cues is impaired in schizophrenia. We examined neural correlates of perception of emotion from biological motion. Activity in amygdala and posterior superior temporal sulcus was reduced in patients. pSTS functional connectivity with frontal and parietal regions was reduced in patients. Aberrant neural responses may contribute to social perceptual deficits in schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amy M Jimenez
- Desert Pacific MIRECC, VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, 11301 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90073, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, 405 Hilgard Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.
| | - Junghee Lee
- Desert Pacific MIRECC, VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, 11301 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90073, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, 405 Hilgard Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Eric A Reavis
- Desert Pacific MIRECC, VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, 11301 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90073, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, 405 Hilgard Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Jonathan K Wynn
- Desert Pacific MIRECC, VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, 11301 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90073, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, 405 Hilgard Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Michael F Green
- Desert Pacific MIRECC, VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, 11301 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90073, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, 405 Hilgard Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
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Okruszek Ł. It Is Not Just in Faces! Processing of Emotion and Intention from Biological Motion in Psychiatric Disorders. Front Hum Neurosci 2018; 12:48. [PMID: 29472852 PMCID: PMC5809469 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2018.00048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2017] [Accepted: 01/26/2018] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Social neuroscience offers a wide range of techniques that may be applied to study the social cognitive deficits that may underlie reduced social functioning—a common feature across many psychiatric disorders. At the same time, a significant proportion of research in this area has been conducted using paradigms that utilize static displays of faces or eyes. The use of point-light displays (PLDs) offers a viable alternative for studying recognition of emotion or intention inference while minimizing the amount of information presented to participants. This mini-review aims to summarize studies that have used PLD to study emotion and intention processing in schizophrenia (SCZ), affective disorders, anxiety and personality disorders, eating disorders and neurodegenerative disorders. Two main conclusions can be drawn from the reviewed studies: first, the social cognitive problems found in most of the psychiatric samples using PLD were of smaller magnitude than those found in studies presenting social information using faces or voices. Second, even though the information presented in PLDs is extremely limited, presentation of these types of stimuli is sufficient to elicit the disorder-specific, social cognitive biases (e.g., mood-congruent bias in depression, increased threat perception in anxious individuals, aberrant body size perception in eating disorders) documented using other methodologies. Taken together, these findings suggest that point-light stimuli may be a useful method of studying social information processing in psychiatry. At the same time, some limitations of using this methodology are also outlined.
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Affiliation(s)
- Łukasz Okruszek
- Institute of Psychology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
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Engelstad KN, Sundet KS, Andreassen OA, Vaskinn A. Body language reading of emotion in schizophrenia: Associations with symptoms and functional outcome. Scand J Psychol 2017; 58:359-366. [DOI: 10.1111/sjop.12381] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2017] [Accepted: 06/12/2017] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Katharina Nymo Engelstad
- Research Department; Vestre Viken Hospital Trust; Drammen Norway
- NORMENT K. G. Jebsen Centre for Psychosis Research, Division of Mental Health and Addiction; Oslo University Hospital & Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo; Oslo Norway
| | - Kjetil S. Sundet
- NORMENT K. G. Jebsen Centre for Psychosis Research, Division of Mental Health and Addiction; Oslo University Hospital & Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo; Oslo Norway
- Department of Psychology; University of Oslo; Oslo Norway
| | - Ole A. Andreassen
- NORMENT K. G. Jebsen Centre for Psychosis Research, Division of Mental Health and Addiction; Oslo University Hospital & Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo; Oslo Norway
| | - Anja Vaskinn
- NORMENT K. G. Jebsen Centre for Psychosis Research, Division of Mental Health and Addiction; Oslo University Hospital & Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo; Oslo Norway
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