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Ronde M, van der Zee EA, Kas MJH. Default mode network dynamics: An integrated neurocircuitry perspective on social dysfunction in human brain disorders. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2024; 164:105839. [PMID: 39097251 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2024.105839] [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: 05/14/2024] [Revised: 07/25/2024] [Accepted: 07/31/2024] [Indexed: 08/05/2024]
Abstract
Our intricate social brain is implicated in a range of brain disorders, where social dysfunction emerges as a common neuropsychiatric feature cutting across diagnostic boundaries. Understanding the neurocircuitry underlying social dysfunction and exploring avenues for its restoration could present a transformative and transdiagnostic approach to overcoming therapeutic challenges in these disorders. The brain's default mode network (DMN) plays a crucial role in social functioning and is implicated in various neuropsychiatric conditions. By thoroughly examining the current understanding of DMN functionality, we propose that the DMN integrates diverse social processes, and disruptions in brain communication at regional and network levels due to disease hinder the seamless integration of these social functionalities. Consequently, this leads to an altered balance between self-referential and attentional processes, alongside a compromised ability to adapt to social contexts and anticipate future social interactions. Looking ahead, we explore how adopting an integrated neurocircuitry perspective on social dysfunction could pave the way for innovative therapeutic approaches to address brain disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mirthe Ronde
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES), Neurobiology, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, Groningen 9747 AG, the Netherlands
| | - Eddy A van der Zee
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES), Neurobiology, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, Groningen 9747 AG, the Netherlands
| | - Martien J H Kas
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES), Neurobiology, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, Groningen 9747 AG, the Netherlands.
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2
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Lee SH, Ekhdoura M, Baek S, Zhand N. Social cognition among clinical subtypes of schizophrenia. Schizophr Res Cogn 2024; 37:100312. [PMID: 38694810 PMCID: PMC11061327 DOI: 10.1016/j.scog.2024.100312] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2024] [Accepted: 04/16/2024] [Indexed: 05/04/2024]
Affiliation(s)
- Seung Ho Lee
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Roger Guindon Hall, 451 Smyth Rd #2044, Ottawa, ON K1H 8M5, Canada
| | - Malik Ekhdoura
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Roger Guindon Hall, 451 Smyth Rd #2044, Ottawa, ON K1H 8M5, Canada
| | - Sihyun Baek
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Roger Guindon Hall, 451 Smyth Rd #2044, Ottawa, ON K1H 8M5, Canada
| | - Naista Zhand
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Roger Guindon Hall, 451 Smyth Rd #2044, Ottawa, ON K1H 8M5, Canada
- Schizophrenia program, The Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre, 1145 Carling Ave, Ottawa, Ontario K1Z 7K4, Canada
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3
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Rutherford S, Lasagna CA, Blain SD, Marquand AF, Wolfers T, Tso IF. Social Cognition and Functional Connectivity in Early and Chronic Schizophrenia. BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY. COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE AND NEUROIMAGING 2024:S2451-9022(24)00212-X. [PMID: 39117275 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsc.2024.07.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2024] [Revised: 07/25/2024] [Accepted: 07/25/2024] [Indexed: 08/10/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Individuals with schizophrenia (SZ) experience impairments in social cognition that contribute to poor functional outcomes. However, mechanisms of social cognitive dysfunction in SZ remain poorly understood, which impedes the design of novel interventions to improve outcomes. This pre-registered project (https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/JH5FC) examines the representation of social cognition in the brain's functional architecture across early and chronic SZ. METHODS The study contains two parts: a confirmatory and an exploratory portion. In the confirmatory portion, we identified resting-state connectivity disruptions evident in early and chronic SZ. We performed a connectivity analysis using regions associated with social cognitive dysfunction in early and chronic SZ to test whether aberrant connectivity observed in chronic SZ (N=47; HC=52) was also present in early SZ (N=71, HC=47). In the exploratory portion, we assessed the out-of-sample generalizability and precision of predictive models of social cognition. We used machine learning to predict social cognition and established generalizability with out-of-sample testing and confound control. RESULTS Results reveal decreases between left inferior frontal gyrus and intraparietal sulcus in early and chronic SZ, which are significantly associated with social and general cognition and global functioning in chronic SZ and with general cognition and global functioning in early SZ. Predictive modeling reveals the importance of out-of-sample evaluation and confound control. CONCLUSION This work provides insights into the functional architecture in early and chronic SZ and suggests that IFG-IPS connectivity could be a prognostic biomarker of social impairments and a target for future interventions (e.g. neuromodulation) focused on improved social functioning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saige Rutherford
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, RadboudUMC, Nijmegen, the Netherlands; Donders Institute for Cognition, Brain, Behavior, Nijmegen, the Netherlands; Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States.
| | - Carly A Lasagna
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States
| | - Scott D Blain
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States; Department of Psychiatry, the Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, United States
| | - Andre F Marquand
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, RadboudUMC, Nijmegen, the Netherlands; Donders Institute for Cognition, Brain, Behavior, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Thomas Wolfers
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany; German Centre for Mental Health, University of Tübingen, Germany
| | - Ivy F Tso
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States; Department of Psychiatry, the Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, United States
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Ivančík V, Čavojská N, Straková A, Januška J, Kraus J, Pečeňák J, Heretik A, Hajdúk M. Trustworthiness judgments and pupil-size in individuals with schizophrenia. Behav Brain Res 2024; 471:115141. [PMID: 38992846 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2024.115141] [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: 05/08/2024] [Revised: 06/26/2024] [Accepted: 07/04/2024] [Indexed: 07/13/2024]
Abstract
Individuals with schizophrenia show aberrant processing of social cues. In the current study, we (1) compared trustworthiness ratings of faces between patients with schizophrenia and healthy controls, (2) compared pupillary reactivity between patients and controls (3) examined whether trustworthiness judgments in schizophrenia are related to pupil reactivity, (4) and examined associations between trustworthiness judgements and symptom severity, specifically paranoia. Patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders (N = 48) and healthy controls (N = 33) completed a Trustworthiness Task, during which their pupil size was measured via an eye-tracking device. The mean baseline-corrected pupil size was calculated from 24 pictures of real neutral faces, each presented for 2500 ms. Self-reported psychotic experiences were measured by Community Assessment of Psychic Functioning (CAPE-42), and symptom severity was rated by Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS). No group differences were found in trustworthiness ratings or pupil reactivity parameters during trustworthiness judgments. Separately, among patients, absolute difference in pupil-size change and dilation after reaching minimum size were related to more severe positive symptoms and self-reported paranoia. Our results did not show social cognitive biases in the stable outpatients with schizophrenia, or the role of pupil reactivity in trustworthiness judgments. Future studies should use longer stimuli for pupillary reactivity and control the type and dosage of utilized antipsychotic medication. Further studies are required to explore relationships in larger and more symptomatic groups of patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vladimír Ivančík
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Arts, Comenius University in Bratislava, Slovakia; Centre for Psychiatric Disorders Research, Science Park, Comenius University in Bratislava, Slovakia.
| | - Natália Čavojská
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University in Bratislava, Slovakia; Centre for Psychiatric Disorders Research, Science Park, Comenius University in Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Alexandra Straková
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Arts, Comenius University in Bratislava, Slovakia; Centre for Psychiatric Disorders Research, Science Park, Comenius University in Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Jakub Januška
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Arts, Comenius University in Bratislava, Slovakia; Centre for Psychiatric Disorders Research, Science Park, Comenius University in Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Jakub Kraus
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Arts, Comenius University in Bratislava, Slovakia; Centre for Psychiatric Disorders Research, Science Park, Comenius University in Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Ján Pečeňák
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University in Bratislava, Slovakia; Centre for Psychiatric Disorders Research, Science Park, Comenius University in Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Anton Heretik
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Arts, Comenius University in Bratislava, Slovakia; Centre for Psychiatric Disorders Research, Science Park, Comenius University in Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Michal Hajdúk
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Arts, Comenius University in Bratislava, Slovakia; Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University in Bratislava, Slovakia; Centre for Psychiatric Disorders Research, Science Park, Comenius University in Bratislava, Slovakia
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Cheng Y, Cai H, Liu S, Yang Y, Pan S, Zhang Y, Mo F, Yu Y, Zhu J. Brain network localization of gray matter atrophy, neurocognitive and social cognitive dysfunction in schizophrenia. Biol Psychiatry 2024:S0006-3223(24)01489-6. [PMID: 39103010 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2024.07.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2024] [Revised: 07/13/2024] [Accepted: 07/29/2024] [Indexed: 08/07/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Numerous studies have established the presence of gray matter atrophy and brain activation abnormalities during neurocognitive and social cognitive tasks in schizophrenia. Despite a growing consensus that diseases localize better to distributed brain networks than individual anatomical regions, there is still a dearth of literature examining brain network localization of gray matter atrophy, neurocognitive and social cognitive dysfunction in schizophrenia. METHODS To address this gap, we initially identified brain locations of structural and functional abnormalities in schizophrenia from 301 published neuroimaging studies with 8712 schizophrenia individuals and 9275 healthy controls. By applying novel functional connectivity network mapping to large-scale resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging datasets, we mapped these affected brain locations to 3 brain abnormality networks of schizophrenia. RESULTS The gray matter atrophy network of schizophrenia comprised a broadly distributed set of brain areas predominantly implicating the ventral attention, somatomotor, and default networks. The neurocognitive dysfunction network was also composed of widespread brain areas primarily involving the frontoparietal and default networks. By contrast, the social cognitive dysfunction network consisted of circumscribed brain regions mainly implicating the default, subcortical, and visual networks. CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest shared and unique brain network substrates of gray matter atrophy, neurocognitive and social cognitive dysfunction in schizophrenia, which may not only refine the understanding of disease neuropathology from a network perspective, but also potentially contribute to more targeted and effective treatments for impairments in different cognitive domains in schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan Cheng
- Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230022, China; Research Center of Clinical Medical Imaging, Anhui Province, Hefei 230032, China; Anhui Provincial Institute of Translational Medicine, Hefei 230032, China; Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory for Brain Bank Construction and Resource Utilization, Hefei 230032, China
| | - Huanhuan Cai
- Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230022, China; Research Center of Clinical Medical Imaging, Anhui Province, Hefei 230032, China; Anhui Provincial Institute of Translational Medicine, Hefei 230032, China; Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory for Brain Bank Construction and Resource Utilization, Hefei 230032, China
| | - Siyu Liu
- Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230022, China; Research Center of Clinical Medical Imaging, Anhui Province, Hefei 230032, China; Anhui Provincial Institute of Translational Medicine, Hefei 230032, China; Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory for Brain Bank Construction and Resource Utilization, Hefei 230032, China
| | - Yang Yang
- Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230022, China; Research Center of Clinical Medical Imaging, Anhui Province, Hefei 230032, China; Anhui Provincial Institute of Translational Medicine, Hefei 230032, China; Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory for Brain Bank Construction and Resource Utilization, Hefei 230032, China
| | - Shan Pan
- Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230022, China; Research Center of Clinical Medical Imaging, Anhui Province, Hefei 230032, China; Anhui Provincial Institute of Translational Medicine, Hefei 230032, China; Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory for Brain Bank Construction and Resource Utilization, Hefei 230032, China
| | - Yongqi Zhang
- Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230022, China; Research Center of Clinical Medical Imaging, Anhui Province, Hefei 230032, China; Anhui Provincial Institute of Translational Medicine, Hefei 230032, China; Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory for Brain Bank Construction and Resource Utilization, Hefei 230032, China
| | - Fan Mo
- Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230022, China; Research Center of Clinical Medical Imaging, Anhui Province, Hefei 230032, China; Anhui Provincial Institute of Translational Medicine, Hefei 230032, China; Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory for Brain Bank Construction and Resource Utilization, Hefei 230032, China
| | - Yongqiang Yu
- Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230022, China; Research Center of Clinical Medical Imaging, Anhui Province, Hefei 230032, China; Anhui Provincial Institute of Translational Medicine, Hefei 230032, China; Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory for Brain Bank Construction and Resource Utilization, Hefei 230032, China.
| | - Jiajia Zhu
- Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230022, China; Research Center of Clinical Medical Imaging, Anhui Province, Hefei 230032, China; Anhui Provincial Institute of Translational Medicine, Hefei 230032, China; Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory for Brain Bank Construction and Resource Utilization, Hefei 230032, China.
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Nuechterlein KH, Nasrallah H, Velligan D. Measuring Cognitive Impairments Associated With Schizophrenia in Clinical Practice: Overview of Current Challenges and Future Opportunities. Schizophr Bull 2024:sbae051. [PMID: 39088730 DOI: 10.1093/schbul/sbae051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/03/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cognitive impairment associated with schizophrenia (CIAS) negatively impacts daily functioning, quality of life, and recovery, yet effective pharmacotherapies and practical assessments for clinical practice are lacking. Despite the pivotal progress made with establishment of the Measurement and Treatment Research to Improve Cognition in Schizophrenia (MATRICS) Consensus Cognitive Battery (MCCB) for clinical research, implementation of the full MCCB is too time-consuming and cost-ineffective for most clinicians in clinical practice. STUDY DESIGN Here we discuss current assessments in relation to delivery format (interview-based and performance-based), validity, ease of use for clinicians and patients, reliability/reproducibility, cost-effectiveness, and suitability for clinical implementation. Key challenges and future opportunities for improving cognitive assessments are also presented. STUDY RESULTS Current assessments that require 30 min to complete would have value in clinical settings, but the associated staff training and time required might preclude their application in most clinical settings. Initial profiling of cognitive deficits may require about 30 min to assist in the selection of evidence-based treatments; follow-up monitoring with brief assessments (10-15 min in duration) to detect treatment-related effects on global cognition may complement this approach. Guidance on validated brief cognitive tests for the strategic monitoring of treatment effects on CIAS is necessary. CONCLUSIONS With increased advancements in technology-based and remote assessments, development of validated formats of remote and in-person assessment, and the necessary training models and infrastructure required for implementation, are likely to be of increasing clinical relevance for future clinical practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keith H Nuechterlein
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
| | - Henry Nasrallah
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Cincinnati School of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH
| | - Dawn Velligan
- Division of Schizophrenia and Related Disorders, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, TX
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Chai S, Kim G. Factors that influence hospitalization stress in patients with chronic schizophrenia: A cross-sectional study in psychiatric hospitals. J Psychiatr Ment Health Nurs 2024. [PMID: 39075883 DOI: 10.1111/jpm.13090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2024] [Revised: 07/01/2024] [Accepted: 07/20/2024] [Indexed: 07/31/2024]
Abstract
WHAT IS KNOWN ON THE SUBJECT?: Patients with chronic schizophrenia become vulnerable to stress when admitted to psychiatric wards, lacking the abilities to independently cope with stress. Therefore, it is crucial to focus on the stress associated with hospitalization. Stress increases when interpersonal functioning is impaired due to schizophrenia symptoms. Social support acts as a protective factor against stress, boosting coping skills and problem-solving abilities. WHAT THE PAPER ADDS TO EXISTING KNOWLEDGE Interpersonal relationships, marital status, having cohabited before hospitalization and hospitalization type were associated with hospitalization stress in patients with chronic schizophrenia. Patients with chronic schizophrenia continue aging (mean 55.73 ± 11.14) within closed psychiatric hospitals due to their long-term hospitalizations (mean 14.24 ± 11.37). WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE?: Mental health nurses need to use a standardized nursing assessment including interpersonal relationships, family support system and hospitalization type that may affect hospitalization stress in patients with chronic schizophrenia. Mental health nurses should develop tailored interventions to reduce hospitalization stress for long-stay patients with chronic schizophrenia that consider aging, illness duration, and length of hospital stay, as well as psychiatric symptoms. Mental health nurses need to make efforts to help the families of patients with schizophrenia solidify an important support system by participating in treatment plans and intervention programs, checking on the patients' condition, and spending time with them. ABSTRACT INTRODUCTION: Patients with chronic schizophrenia in psychiatric hospitals often experience increased stress due to living in closed spaces and frequently lack the coping skills necessary for independent stress management. AIM To explore interpersonal relationships, social support and hospitalization stress, and identify the factors associated with hospitalization stress in patients with chronic schizophrenia in psychiatric hospitals. METHOD This cross-sectional study included 135 patients who had been diagnosed with schizophrenia for over 2 years, recruited from two psychiatric hospitals in City B, South Korea through convenience sampling. We conducted descriptive statistics and quantile regression. RESULTS Interpersonal relationships, marital status, cohabiting before hospitalization, and voluntary admission were significant factors influencing the hospitalization stress at the 90th percentile. DISCUSSION Standardized nursing assessment, active family support, and tailored stress management programs including interpersonal relationships are needed to reduce hospitalization stress in patients with chronic schizophrenia. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE To identify the 90th percentile group for hospitalization stress among patients with chronic schizophrenia, it is essential to consider interpersonal relationships, marital status, pre-hospitalization cohabitation, type of hospitalization, as well as aging and prolonged hospitalization. Mental health nurses should develop and implement family therapy-based interpersonal relationship programs to reduce hospitalization stress in patients with chronic schizophrenia and actively involve families in the process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sumin Chai
- Nursing Department, Daenam Hospital, Busan, South Korea
| | - Goun Kim
- College of Nursing and Research Institute of Nursing Science, Pusan National University, Yangsan, South Korea
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8
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Wang F, Sun H, Chen M, Feng B, Lu Y, Lyu M, Cui D, Zhai Y, Zhang Y, Zhu Y, Wang C, Wu H, Ma X, Zhu F, Wang Q, Li Y. The thalamic reticular nucleus orchestrates social memory. Neuron 2024; 112:2368-2385.e11. [PMID: 38701789 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2024.04.013] [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: 08/14/2023] [Revised: 02/12/2024] [Accepted: 04/10/2024] [Indexed: 05/05/2024]
Abstract
Social memory has been developed in humans and other animals to recognize familiar conspecifics and is essential for their survival and reproduction. Here, we demonstrated that parvalbumin-positive neurons in the sensory thalamic reticular nucleus (sTRNPvalb) are necessary and sufficient for mice to memorize conspecifics. sTRNPvalb neurons receiving glutamatergic projections from the posterior parietal cortex (PPC) transmit individual information by inhibiting the parafascicular thalamic nucleus (PF). Mice in which the PPCCaMKII→sTRNPvalb→PF circuit was inhibited exhibited a disrupted ability to discriminate familiar conspecifics from novel ones. More strikingly, a subset of sTRNPvalb neurons with high electrophysiological excitability and complex dendritic arborizations is involved in the above corticothalamic pathway and stores social memory. Single-cell RNA sequencing revealed the biochemical basis of these subset cells as a robust activation of protein synthesis. These findings elucidate that sTRNPvalb neurons modulate social memory by coordinating a hitherto unknown corticothalamic circuit and inhibitory memory engram.
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Affiliation(s)
- Feidi Wang
- Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, China; Center for Brain Science, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, China; Shaanxi Belt and Road Joint Laboratory of Precision Medicine in Psychiatry, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, China
| | - Huan Sun
- Center for Brain Science, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, China
| | - Mingyue Chen
- Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, China; Center for Brain Science, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, China
| | - Ban Feng
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Air Force Medical University (Fourth Military Medical University), Xi'an 710032, China
| | - Yu Lu
- Center for Brain Science, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, China
| | - Mi Lyu
- Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, China; Center for Brain Science, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, China
| | - Dongqi Cui
- Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, China; Center for Brain Science, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, China
| | - Yifang Zhai
- Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, China; Center for Brain Science, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, China
| | - Ying Zhang
- Center for Brain Science, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, China
| | - Yaomin Zhu
- Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, China
| | - Changhe Wang
- Neuroscience Research Center, Institute of Mitochondrial Biology and Medicine, Key Laboratory of Biomedical Information Engineering of Ministry of Education, School of Life Science and Technology and Core Facilities Sharing Platform, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710049, China
| | - Haitao Wu
- Department of Neurobiology, Beijing Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Beijing 100850, China
| | - Xiancang Ma
- Department of Psychiatry, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, China; Shaanxi Belt and Road Joint Laboratory of Precision Medicine in Psychiatry, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, China
| | - Feng Zhu
- Department of Psychiatry, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, China; Shaanxi Belt and Road Joint Laboratory of Precision Medicine in Psychiatry, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, China
| | - Qiang Wang
- Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, China
| | - Yan Li
- Center for Brain Science, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, China; Department of Psychiatry, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, China; Shaanxi Belt and Road Joint Laboratory of Precision Medicine in Psychiatry, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, China.
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Wang J, Zhang J, Xu P, Qian T, Tan S, Liang P. Is game-based therapy effective for treating cognitive deficits in adults with schizophrenia? Evidence from a randomized controlled trial. Transl Psychiatry 2024; 14:291. [PMID: 39013871 PMCID: PMC11252351 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-024-02920-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2023] [Revised: 05/04/2024] [Accepted: 05/08/2024] [Indexed: 07/18/2024] Open
Abstract
Cognitive deficits in schizophrenia are a major contributor to poor functional outcomes and everyday functioning, making them a promising therapeutic target. Recent years have witnessed a dramatic increase in the use of digital interventions, such as game-based therapy, targeting various domains of cognition to treat mental disorders. Game-based digital interventions have been suggested to have therapeutic value in health care for people with schizophrenia. To support this idea, a novel, online training program (Komori Life) that targets cognitive deficits in schizophrenia was tested for feasibility of use and initial efficiency. Inpatients with schizophrenia were randomized to complete 20 sessions of either Komori Life (N = 40 completers) or treatment as usual (N = 40 completers). Cognitive and clinical assessments were performed at enrollment and after completion of the training intervention for all patients. In addition, 32 healthy volunteers were recruited as controls, and an eye-tracking paradigm was employed to assess attentional biases to emotional information before and after game intervention for all subjects. The results showed that there were no group differences in cognitive or clinical assessments at baseline between the two patient groups. After game training, there were still no group × time interactions on cognitive or clinical assessment scores. Regarding eye movement measurements, both patient groups showed increased attention to threatening stimuli compared to healthy controls in terms of attentional maintenance at baseline. After game training, the game training group revealed greater improvement in attentional bias towards threatening scenes (decreased percentage of total duration and percentage of total fixations towards threatening stimuli) relative to the treatment as usual group. Moreover, our results partially indicated that training effectiveness was associated with cognitive improvement and that heightened attentional maintenance to threats was associated with worse cognitive performance. This study provides initial evidence that a remote, online cognitive training program is feasible and effective in improving cognitive function in schizophrenia. This form of training may serve as a complementary therapy to existing psychiatric care. Clinical trial registration: the trial is registered at http://www.chictr.org.cn , identifier ChiCTR2100048403.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junkai Wang
- School of Psychology, Capital Normal University, Beijing, China
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Learning and Cognition, Beijing, China
- Department of Radiology, Aerospace Center Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Jie Zhang
- Psychiatry Research Center, Beijing Huilongguan Hospital, Peking University Huilongguan Clinical Medical School, Beijing, China
| | - Peng Xu
- School of Psychology, Capital Normal University, Beijing, China
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Learning and Cognition, Beijing, China
| | | | - Shuping Tan
- Psychiatry Research Center, Beijing Huilongguan Hospital, Peking University Huilongguan Clinical Medical School, Beijing, China.
| | - Peipeng Liang
- School of Psychology, Capital Normal University, Beijing, China.
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Learning and Cognition, Beijing, China.
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10
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Hachtel H, Deuring G, Graf M, Vogel T. Impact of psychosocial stress on facial emotion recognition in schizophrenia and controls: an experimental study in a forensic sample. Front Psychiatry 2024; 15:1358291. [PMID: 39081531 PMCID: PMC11287427 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1358291] [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: 12/19/2023] [Accepted: 06/03/2024] [Indexed: 08/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction Psychotic disorders have been associated with dysregulated stress reactions and adaptation. Little is known about the neuroendocrine responses to psychosocial stress in justice-involved individuals with schizophrenia. Methods Using an experimental research design, the present study aims to examine differences in the subjective and neuroendocrine responses to psychosocial stress and its impact on facial emotion recognition (FER) and performance on an arithmetic task in chronically ill justice-involved individuals with schizophrenia (PAT) and a healthy control group. PAT undergoing treatment in forensic psychiatric inpatient wards (n = 17) and a healthy control group (n = 17) were assessed regarding sociodemographic and clinical characteristics. Additionally, salivary cortisol levels, measured before and after performing a psychosocial stress task [Montreal Imaging Stress Task (MIST)], and performance on an arithmetic problem-solving task and two FER tasks were recorded. Two participants dropped out, one from each group. Therefore, the final sample consisted of 32 individuals. Results Significant group differences in FER were recorded. There was a significant rise in subjective perception of momentary strain relating to the induction of psychosocial stress in both groups. Notably, the pre-stress level of subjective strain was higher in the PAT group than controls. Acute psychosocial stress induced an increase in FER performance in a sub-task related to naming emotions in individuals with schizophrenia spectrum disorder. Discussion The results underline the importance of psychosocial and therapeutic interventions aimed at strengthening stress resilience in individuals with schizophrenia spectrum disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Henning Hachtel
- Forensic Department, University Psychiatric Clinic Basel, Basel, Switzerland
- Medical Faculty, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Gunnar Deuring
- Forensic Department, University Psychiatric Clinic Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Marc Graf
- Medical Faculty, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Tobias Vogel
- Medical Faculty, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
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11
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Bagheri S, Yu JC, Gallucci J, Tan V, Oliver LD, Dickie EW, Rashidi AG, Foussias G, Lai MC, Buchanan RW, Malhotra AK, Voineskos AN, Ameis SH, Hawco C. Transdiagnostic Neurobiology of Social Cognition and Individual Variability as Measured by Fractional Amplitude of Low-Frequency Fluctuation in Schizophrenia and Autism Spectrum Disorders. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.07.02.601737. [PMID: 39005278 PMCID: PMC11245004 DOI: 10.1101/2024.07.02.601737] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/16/2024]
Abstract
Fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (fALFF) is a validated measure of resting-state spontaneous brain activity. Previous fALFF findings in autism and schizophrenia spectrum disorders (ASDs and SSDs) have been highly heterogeneous. We aimed to use fALFF in a large sample of typically developing control (TDC), ASD and SSD participants to explore group differences and relationships with inter-individual variability of fALFF maps and social cognition. fALFF from 495 participants (185 TDC, 68 ASD, and 242 SSD) was computed using functional magnetic resonance imaging as signal power within two frequency bands (i.e., slow-4 and slow-5), normalized by the power in the remaining frequency spectrum. Permutation analysis of linear models was employed to investigate the relationship of fALFF with diagnostic groups, higher-level social cognition, and lower-level social cognition. Each participant's average distance of fALFF map to all others was defined as a variability score, with higher scores indicating less typical maps. Lower fALFF in the visual and higher fALFF in the frontal regions were found in both SSD and ASD participants compared with TDCs. Limited differences were observed between ASD and SSD participants in the cuneus regions only. Associations between slow-4 fALFF and higher-level social cognitive scores across the whole sample were observed in the lateral occipitotemporal and temporoparietal junction. Individual variability within the ASD and SSD groups was also significantly higher compared with TDC. Similar patterns of fALFF and individual variability in ASD and SSD suggest some common neurobiological deficits across these related heterogeneous conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Soroush Bagheri
- Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Ju-Chi Yu
- Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Julia Gallucci
- Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Vinh Tan
- Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Lindsay D. Oliver
- Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Erin W. Dickie
- Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Ayesha G. Rashidi
- Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - George Foussias
- Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Meng-Chuan Lai
- Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Research Institute, and Department of Psychiatry, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Autism Research Centre, Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- Department of Psychiatry, National Taiwan University Hospital and College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Robert W. Buchanan
- Maryland Psychiatric Research Centre, Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Anil K. Malhotra
- Division of Psychiatry Research, The Zucker Hillside Hospital, Division of Northwell Health, Glen Oaks, NY, USA
- The Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, Department of Psychiatry, Hempstead, NY, USA
- Centre for Psychiatric Neuroscience, The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research, Manhasset, NY, USA
| | - Aristotle N. Voineskos
- Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Stephanie H. Ameis
- Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Research Institute, and Department of Psychiatry, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Colin Hawco
- Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
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12
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Bhardwaj SK, Nath M, Wong TP, Srivastava LK. Loss of dysbindin-1 in excitatory neurons in mice impacts NMDAR-dependent behaviors, neuronal morphology and synaptic transmission in the ventral hippocampus. Sci Rep 2024; 14:15239. [PMID: 38956130 PMCID: PMC11219769 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-65566-4] [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: 12/22/2023] [Accepted: 06/20/2024] [Indexed: 07/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Dysbindin-1, a protein encoded by the schizophrenia susceptibility gene DTNBP1, is reduced in the hippocampus of schizophrenia patients. It is expressed in various cellular populations of the brain and implicated in dopaminergic and glutamatergic transmission. To investigate the impact of reduced dysbindin-1 in excitatory cells on hippocampal-associated behaviors and synaptic transmission, we developed a conditional knockout mouse model with deletion of dysbindin-1 gene in CaMKIIα expressing cells. We found that dysbindin-1 reduction in CaMKII expressing cells resulted in impaired spatial and social memories, and attenuation of the effects of glutamate N-methyl-d-asparate receptor (NMDAR) antagonist MK801 on locomotor activity and prepulse inhibition of startle (PPI). Dysbindin-1 deficiency in CaMKII expressing cells also resulted in reduced protein levels of NMDAR subunit GluN1 and GluN2B. These changes were associated with increased expression of immature dendritic spines in basiliar dendrites and abnormalities in excitatory synaptic transmission in the ventral hippocampus. These results highlight the functional relevance of dysbindin-1 in excitatory cells and its implication in schizophrenia-related pathologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sanjeev K Bhardwaj
- Douglas Hospital Research Centre, Douglas Mental Health University Institute, 6875 LaSalle Boulevard, Montreal, QC, H4H 1R3, Canada.
| | - Moushumi Nath
- Douglas Hospital Research Centre, Douglas Mental Health University Institute, 6875 LaSalle Boulevard, Montreal, QC, H4H 1R3, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Tak Pan Wong
- Douglas Hospital Research Centre, Douglas Mental Health University Institute, 6875 LaSalle Boulevard, Montreal, QC, H4H 1R3, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Lalit K Srivastava
- Douglas Hospital Research Centre, Douglas Mental Health University Institute, 6875 LaSalle Boulevard, Montreal, QC, H4H 1R3, Canada.
- Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
- Integrated Programme in Neuroscience, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
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13
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Dautan D, Monai A, Maltese F, Chang X, Molent C, Mauro D, Galbusera A, Vecchia D, Antonelli F, Benedetti A, Drago F, Leggio GM, Pagani M, Fellin T, Gozzi A, Schumann G, Managò F, Papaleo F. Cortico-cortical transfer of socially derived information gates emotion recognition. Nat Neurosci 2024; 27:1318-1332. [PMID: 38769153 DOI: 10.1038/s41593-024-01647-x] [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: 04/13/2022] [Accepted: 04/09/2024] [Indexed: 05/22/2024]
Abstract
Emotion recognition and the resulting responses are important for survival and social functioning. However, how socially derived information is processed for reliable emotion recognition is incompletely understood. Here, we reveal an evolutionarily conserved long-range inhibitory/excitatory brain network mediating these socio-cognitive processes. Anatomical tracing in mice revealed the existence of a subpopulation of somatostatin (SOM) GABAergic neurons projecting from the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) to the retrosplenial cortex (RSC). Through optogenetic manipulations and Ca2+ imaging fiber photometry in mice and functional imaging in humans, we demonstrate the specific participation of these long-range SOM projections from the mPFC to the RSC, and an excitatory feedback loop from the RSC to the mPFC, in emotion recognition. Notably, we show that mPFC-to-RSC SOM projections are dysfunctional in mouse models relevant to psychiatric vulnerability and can be targeted to rescue emotion recognition deficits in these mice. Our findings demonstrate a cortico-cortical circuit underlying emotion recognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Dautan
- Genetics of Cognition Laboratory, Neuroscience area, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genova, Italy
- Bioclinicum, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Anna Monai
- Genetics of Cognition Laboratory, Neuroscience area, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genova, Italy
| | - Federica Maltese
- Genetics of Cognition Laboratory, Neuroscience area, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genova, Italy
| | - Xiao Chang
- Centre for Population Neuroscience and Stratified Medicine (PONS), Institute for Science and Technology of Brain-inspired Intelligence (ISTBI), Fudan University, Shanghai, P. R. China
| | - Cinzia Molent
- Genetics of Cognition Laboratory, Neuroscience area, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genova, Italy
| | - Daniele Mauro
- Genetics of Cognition Laboratory, Neuroscience area, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genova, Italy
| | - Alberto Galbusera
- Functional Neuroimaging Laboratory, Center for Neuroscience and Cognitive systems, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Rovereto, Italy
| | - Dania Vecchia
- Optical Approaches to Brain Function Laboratory, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genova, Italy
| | - Federica Antonelli
- Genetics of Cognition Laboratory, Neuroscience area, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genova, Italy
| | - Arianna Benedetti
- Genetics of Cognition Laboratory, Neuroscience area, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genova, Italy
| | - Filippo Drago
- Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
| | - Gian Marco Leggio
- Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
| | - Marco Pagani
- Functional Neuroimaging Laboratory, Center for Neuroscience and Cognitive systems, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Rovereto, Italy
| | - Tommaso Fellin
- Optical Approaches to Brain Function Laboratory, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genova, Italy
| | - Alessandro Gozzi
- Functional Neuroimaging Laboratory, Center for Neuroscience and Cognitive systems, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Rovereto, Italy
| | - Gunter Schumann
- Centre for Population Neuroscience and Stratified Medicine (PONS), Institute for Science and Technology of Brain-inspired Intelligence (ISTBI), Fudan University, Shanghai, P. R. China
- Centre for Population Neuroscience and Stratified Medicine (PONS), Charite Mental Health, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, CCM, Charite Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Francesca Managò
- Genetics of Cognition Laboratory, Neuroscience area, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genova, Italy
| | - Francesco Papaleo
- Genetics of Cognition Laboratory, Neuroscience area, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genova, Italy.
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14
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Gallese V, Ardizzi M, Ferroni F. Schizophrenia and the bodily self. Schizophr Res 2024; 269:152-162. [PMID: 38815468 DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2024.05.014] [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: 03/20/2024] [Revised: 05/17/2024] [Accepted: 05/21/2024] [Indexed: 06/01/2024]
Abstract
Despite the historically consolidated psychopathological perspective, on the one hand, contemporary organicistic psychiatry often highlights abnormalities in neurotransmitter systems like dysregulation of dopamine transmission, neural circuitry, and genetic factors as key contributors to schizophrenia. Neuroscience, on the other, has so far almost entirely neglected the first-person experiential dimension of this syndrome, mainly focusing on high-order cognitive functions, such as executive function, working memory, theory of mind, and the like. An alternative view posits that schizophrenia is a self-disorder characterized by anomalous self-experience and awareness. This view may not only shed new light on the psychopathological features of psychosis but also inspire empirical research targeting the bodily and neurobiological changes underpinning this disorder. Cognitive neuroscience can today address classic topics of phenomenological psychopathology by adding a new level of description, finally enabling the correlation between the first-person experiential aspects of psychiatric diseases and their neurobiological roots. Recent empirical evidence on the neurobiological basis of a minimal notion of the self, the bodily self, is presented. The relationship between the body, its motor potentialities and the notion of minimal self is illustrated. Evidence on the neural mechanisms underpinning the bodily self, its plasticity, and the blurring of self-other distinction in schizophrenic patients is introduced and discussed. It is concluded that brain-body function anomalies of multisensory integration, differential processing of self- and other-related bodily information mediating self-experience, might be at the basis of the disruption of the self disorders characterizing schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vittorio Gallese
- Dept. of Medicine and Surgery, Unit of Neuroscience, University of Parma, Italy; Italian Academy for Advanced Studies in America, Columbia University, New York, USA.
| | - Martina Ardizzi
- Dept. of Medicine and Surgery, Unit of Neuroscience, University of Parma, Italy
| | - Francesca Ferroni
- Dept. of Medicine and Surgery, Unit of Neuroscience, University of Parma, Italy
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15
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Quesque F, Nivet M, Etchepare A, Wauquiez G, Prouteau A, Desgranges B, Bertoux M. Social cognition in neuropsychology: A nationwide survey revealing current representations and practices. APPLIED NEUROPSYCHOLOGY. ADULT 2024; 31:689-702. [PMID: 35486070 DOI: 10.1080/23279095.2022.2061859] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
As a key domain of cognition, social cognition abilities are altered in a wide range of clinical groups. Accordingly, many clinical tests and theories of social cognition have been developed these last decades. Contrasting this abundant development from a research perspective, recent evidence suggests that social cognition remains rarely addressed from a clinial perspective. The aim of the present research was to characterize the current practices, representations, and needs linked to social cognition from the perspective of professional neuropsychologists and graduate students. A nationwide survey allowed us to determine the classical field conception of social cognition and its associated symptoms or notions. It also allowed us to quantify practice activities and the use of the different clinical tools available. This study revealed that neuropsychologists lack confidence regarding social cognition assessment and its rehabilitation, and that students are in demand for more knowledge and training. Suggestions of change in practices and dissemination of knowledge are discussed. Considering the importance of social cognition, an extension of initial and continuous training alongside an enrichment of interactions between researchers and clinicians were key recommendations to formulate, as well as the need for a consensual lexicon of current concepts.
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Affiliation(s)
- François Quesque
- Univ. Lille, Inserm, CHU Lille, U1172 - Lille Neuroscience & Cognition, LiCEND, DistALZ, Lille, France
- Centre National de Référence des Malformations et Maladies Congénitales du Cervelet, Département de Neurologie Pédiatrique, CHU de Lille, Lille, France
| | - Maxime Nivet
- Univ. Lille, Inserm, CHU Lille, U1172 - Lille Neuroscience & Cognition, LiCEND, DistALZ, Lille, France
| | - Aurore Etchepare
- Department of Adult Psychiatry, Hospital Center of Jonzac, Univ. Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France
| | - Grégoire Wauquiez
- Organisation Française des Psychologues spécialisés en Neuropsychologie, Paris, France
- Service de rééducation neurologique, CHU de Dijon, Dijon, France
| | - Antoinette Prouteau
- Department of Adult Psychiatry, Hospital Center of Jonzac, Univ. Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France
| | - Béatrice Desgranges
- Normandie Université, UNICAEN, PSL Université Paris, EPHE, Inserm, U1077, CHU de Caen, Neuropsychologie et Imagerie de la Mémoire Humaine, GIP Cyceron, Caen, France
| | - Maxime Bertoux
- Univ. Lille, Inserm, CHU Lille, U1172 - Lille Neuroscience & Cognition, LiCEND, DistALZ, Lille, France
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16
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Barrera-Conde M, Ramon-Duaso C, González-Parra JA, Veza-Estevez E, Chevaleyre V, Piskorowski RA, de la Torre R, Busquets-García A, Robledo P. Adolescent cannabinoid exposure rescues phencyclidine-induced social deficits through modulation of CA2 transmission. Prog Neurobiol 2024; 240:102652. [PMID: 38955325 DOI: 10.1016/j.pneurobio.2024.102652] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2024] [Revised: 06/18/2024] [Accepted: 06/24/2024] [Indexed: 07/04/2024]
Abstract
Psychotic disorders entail intricate conditions marked by disruptions in cognition, perception, emotions, and social behavior. Notably, psychotic patients who use cannabis tend to show less severe deficits in social behaviors, such as the misinterpretation of social cues and the inability to interact with others. However, the biological underpinnings of this epidemiological interaction remain unclear. Here, we used the NMDA receptor blocker phencyclidine (PCP) to induce psychotic-like states and to study the impact of adolescent cannabinoid exposure on social behavior deficits and synaptic transmission changes in hippocampal area CA2, a region known to be active during social interactions. In particular, adolescent mice underwent 7 days of subchronic treatment with the synthetic cannabinoid, WIN 55, 212-2 (WIN) followed by one injection of PCP. Using behavioral, biochemical, and electrophysiological approaches, we showed that PCP persistently reduced sociability, decreased GAD67 expression in the hippocampus, and induced GABAergic deficits in proximal inputs from CA3 and distal inputs from the entorhinal cortex (EC) to CA2. Notably, WIN exposure during adolescence specifically restores adult sociability deficits, the expression changes in GAD67, and the GABAergic impairments in the EC-CA2 circuit, but not in the CA3-CA2 circuit. Using a chemogenetic approach to target EC-CA2 projections, we demonstrated the involvement of this specific circuit on sociability deficits. Indeed, enhancing EC-CA2 transmission was sufficient to induce sociability deficits in vehicle-treated mice, but not in animals treated with WIN during adolescence, suggesting a mechanism by which adolescent cannabinoid exposure rescues sociability deficits caused by enhanced EC-CA2 activity in adult mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marta Barrera-Conde
- Integrative Pharmacology and Systems Neuroscience, Neuroscience Research Program, Hospital del Mar Research Institute, Barcelona, Spain; Department of Medicine and Life Sciences, University Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Carla Ramon-Duaso
- Cell-Type Mechanisms in Normal and Pathological Behavior Research Group, Neuroscience Programme, Hospital del Mar Research Institute, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Jose Antonio González-Parra
- Cell-Type Mechanisms in Normal and Pathological Behavior Research Group, Neuroscience Programme, Hospital del Mar Research Institute, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Emma Veza-Estevez
- Integrative Pharmacology and Systems Neuroscience, Neuroscience Research Program, Hospital del Mar Research Institute, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Vivien Chevaleyre
- Université Paris Cité, INSERM U1266, Institute of Psychiatry and Neuroscience of Paris, GHU Paris Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Paris, France
| | - Rebecca A Piskorowski
- Université Paris Cité, INSERM U1266, Institute of Psychiatry and Neuroscience of Paris, GHU Paris Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Paris, France
| | - Rafael de la Torre
- Integrative Pharmacology and Systems Neuroscience, Neuroscience Research Program, Hospital del Mar Research Institute, Barcelona, Spain; Department of Medicine and Life Sciences, University Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red - Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición (CIBEROBN), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Arnau Busquets-García
- Cell-Type Mechanisms in Normal and Pathological Behavior Research Group, Neuroscience Programme, Hospital del Mar Research Institute, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Patricia Robledo
- Integrative Pharmacology and Systems Neuroscience, Neuroscience Research Program, Hospital del Mar Research Institute, Barcelona, Spain.
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Sainz-Cort A, Martín-Islas M, Jimenez-Garrido D, López-Navarro M, Oña G, Muñoz-Marron E, Heredia L, Gil-Pérez M, Torrente M, Vicens P, Bouso JC. Validation of the Spanish version of the multifaceted empathy test: comparison between cannabis use effects and controls in social cognition. Int Clin Psychopharmacol 2024:00004850-990000000-00144. [PMID: 38935429 DOI: 10.1097/yic.0000000000000544] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/28/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE While social cognition is shown to be impaired in several mental disorders, the effects of cannabis on social cognition are still not clear. Past studies have used the multifaceted empathy test (MET) to study social cognition. This study aims to test the validity of the MET Spanish version and to evaluate the effects of cannabis use on social cognition. METHODS In total 116 participants from a Cannabis Social Club (CSC) completed the MET and the reading the mind in the eyes test (RMET) under the effects of cannabis and were compared to 86 university students (control group). Internal consistency and convergent validity were assessed. Cognitive empathy (CE) and emotional empathy (EE) were tested in both groups. RESULTS The MET CE scale shows low internal consistency, while the EE scale shows high internal consistency. Items showed similar difficulty for both groups. Cannabis users showed deficient overall emotional recognition, with reduced scores associated with positive stimuli. Overall scores for EE were similar for both groups, but the experimental group scored lower with negative stimuli when compared to controls. CONCLUSION This study validates the MET Spanish version for its use in future studies. Results confirmed deficient emotional recognition in cannabis users and a dampened reaction to negative stimuli for the first time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alberto Sainz-Cort
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC)
- International Center for Ethnobotanical Education, Research and Service (ICEERS), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Marta Martín-Islas
- International Center for Ethnobotanical Education, Research and Service (ICEERS), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Daniel Jimenez-Garrido
- International Center for Ethnobotanical Education, Research and Service (ICEERS), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Miriam López-Navarro
- Neurobiology Research Unit, Copenhagen University Hospital Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Genís Oña
- International Center for Ethnobotanical Education, Research and Service (ICEERS), Barcelona, Spain
- Medical Anthropology Research Center (MARC), Universitat Rovira i Virgili
| | | | - Luis Heredia
- Department of Psychology, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, CRAMC (Research Center for Behavior Assessment), Tarragona
- Laboratory of Toxicology and Environmental Health, School of Medicine, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Reus, Spain
- Department of Research Methods and Diagnosis in Education (MIDE), Universidad Internacional de la Rioja, Logroño
- Department of Psychology, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Tarragona, Spain
| | - Mercè Gil-Pérez
- Department of Psychology, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Tarragona, Spain
| | - Margarita Torrente
- Department of Psychology, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, CRAMC (Research Center for Behavior Assessment), Tarragona
- Laboratory of Toxicology and Environmental Health, School of Medicine, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Reus, Spain
- Department of Psychology, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Tarragona, Spain
| | - Paloma Vicens
- Department of Psychology, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, CRAMC (Research Center for Behavior Assessment), Tarragona
- Laboratory of Toxicology and Environmental Health, School of Medicine, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Reus, Spain
- Department of Psychology, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Tarragona, Spain
| | - José Carlos Bouso
- International Center for Ethnobotanical Education, Research and Service (ICEERS), Barcelona, Spain
- Medical Anthropology Research Center (MARC), Universitat Rovira i Virgili
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18
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Vance DE, Billings R, Lambert CC, Fazeli PL, Goodin BR, Kempf MC, Rubin LH, Turan B, Wise J, Hellemann G, Lee J. A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Social Cognition Among People Living with HIV: Implications for Non-Social Cognition and Social Everyday Functioning. Neuropsychol Rev 2024:10.1007/s11065-024-09643-5. [PMID: 38869661 DOI: 10.1007/s11065-024-09643-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2023] [Accepted: 05/05/2024] [Indexed: 06/14/2024]
Abstract
Social cognition-the complex mental ability to perceive social stimuli and negotiate the social environment-has emerged as an important cognitive ability needed for social functioning, everyday functioning, and quality of life. Deficits in social cognition have been well documented in those with severe mental illness including schizophrenia and depression, those along the autism spectrum, and those with other brain disorders where such deficits profoundly impact everyday life. Moreover, subtle deficits in social cognition have been observed in other clinical populations, especially those that may have compromised non-social cognition (i.e., fluid intelligence such as memory). Among people living with HIV (PLHIV), 44% experience cognitive impairment; likewise, social cognitive deficits in theory of mind, prosody, empathy, and emotional face recognition/perception are gradually being recognized. This systematic review and meta-analysis aim to summarize the current knowledge of social cognitive ability among PLHIV, identified by 14 studies focused on social cognition among PLHIV, and provides an objective consensus of the findings. In general, the literature suggests that PLHIV may be at-risk of developing subtle social cognitive deficits that may impact their everyday social functioning and quality of life. The causes of such social cognitive deficits remain unclear, but perhaps develop due to (1) HIV-related sequelae that are damaging the same neurological systems in which social cognition and non-social cognition are processed; (2) stress related to coping with HIV disease itself that overwhelms one's social cognitive resources; or (3) may have been present pre-morbidly, possibly contributing to an HIV infection. From this, a theoretical framework is proposed highlighting the relationships between social cognition, non-social cognition, and social everyday functioning.
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Affiliation(s)
- David E Vance
- School of Nursing, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA.
| | - Rebecca Billings
- UAB Libraries, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | | | - Pariya L Fazeli
- School of Nursing, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Burel R Goodin
- Department of Anesthesiology, Washington University Pain Center, Washington University, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | | | - Leah H Rubin
- Department of Neurology, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Bulent Turan
- Department of Psychology, Koc University, Rumelifeneri Caddesi, Turkey
| | - Jenni Wise
- School of Nursing, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Gerhard Hellemann
- Department of Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Junghee Lee
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurobiology, Heersink School of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
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19
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Secara MT, Oliver LD, Gallucci J, Dickie EW, Foussias G, Gold J, Malhotra AK, Buchanan RW, Voineskos AN, Hawco C. Heterogeneity in functional connectivity: Dimensional predictors of individual variability during rest and task fMRI in psychosis. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2024; 132:110991. [PMID: 38484928 PMCID: PMC11034852 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2024.110991] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2023] [Revised: 02/27/2024] [Accepted: 03/07/2024] [Indexed: 03/21/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Individuals with schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSD) often demonstrate cognitive impairments, associated with poor functional outcomes. While neurobiological heterogeneity has posed challenges when examining social cognition in SSD, it provides a unique opportunity to explore brain-behavior relationships. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between individual variability in functional connectivity during resting state and the performance of a social task and social and non-social cognition in a large sample of controls and individuals diagnosed with SSD. METHODS Neuroimaging and behavioral data were analyzed for 193 individuals with SSD and 155 controls (total n = 348). Individual variability was quantified through mean correlational distance (MCD) of functional connectivity between participants; MCD was defined as a global 'variability score'. Pairwise correlational distance was calculated as 1 - the correlation coefficient between a given pair of participants, and averaging distance from one participant to all other participants provided the mean correlational distance metric. Hierarchical regressions were performed on variability scores derived from resting state and Empathic Accuracy (EA) task functional connectivity data to determine potential predictors (e.g., age, sex, neurocognitive and social cognitive scores) of individual variability. RESULTS Group comparison between SSD and controls showed greater SSD MCD during rest (p = 0.00038), while no diagnostic differences were observed during task (p = 0.063). Hierarchical regression analyses demonstrated the persistence of a significant diagnostic effect during rest (p = 0.008), contrasting with its non-significance during the task (p = 0.50), after social cognition was added to the model. Notably, social cognition exhibited significance in both resting state and task conditions (both p = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS Diagnostic differences were more prevalent during unconstrained resting scans, whereas the task pushed participants into a more common pattern which better emphasized transdiagnostic differences in cognitive abilities. Focusing on variability may provide new opportunities for interventions targeting specific cognitive impairments to improve functional outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria T Secara
- Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, ON, Canada; Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Lindsay D Oliver
- Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, ON, Canada; Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Julia Gallucci
- Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, ON, Canada; Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Erin W Dickie
- Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, ON, Canada; Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - George Foussias
- Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, ON, Canada; Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - James Gold
- Maryland Psychiatric Research Center, Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Anil K Malhotra
- Department of Psychiatry, Division of Research, The Zucker Hillside Hospital Division of Northwell Health, Glen Oaks, NY, USA
| | - Robert W Buchanan
- Maryland Psychiatric Research Center, Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Aristotle N Voineskos
- Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, ON, Canada; Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Colin Hawco
- Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, ON, Canada; Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
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20
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Sağdıç M, Izgi B, Yapici Eser H, Ercis M, Üçok A, Kuşçu K. Face and emotion recognition in individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia, ultra-high risk for psychosis, unaffected siblings, and healthy controls in a sample from Turkey. Schizophr Res Cogn 2024; 36:100301. [PMID: 38328022 PMCID: PMC10848035 DOI: 10.1016/j.scog.2024.100301] [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: 10/09/2023] [Revised: 01/15/2024] [Accepted: 01/17/2024] [Indexed: 02/09/2024]
Abstract
Face and emotion recognition are crucial components of social cognition. We aimed to compare them in patients diagnosed with schizophrenia (SCZ), ultra-high risk for psychosis (UHR), unaffected siblings of schizophrenia patients (SIB), and healthy controls (HC). METHODS One hundred sixty-six participants (45 SCZ, 14 UHR, 45 SIB, and 62 HC) were interviewed with the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-5 (SCID-5). Positive and Negative syndrome scale (PANSS), PennCNB Facial Memory (CPF), and Emotion Recognition Task (ER40) were applied. RESULTS In CPF, SCZ performed significantly lower than SIB and HC. SIB was also significantly lower than HC for total correct responses. The sample size of the UHR group was small, and the statistical comparisons did not reach a significance, however, a trend towards decreased performance between the SCZ and SIB was found. In ER40, SCZ performed significantly lower than HC and SIB in all domains, except for the insignificant findings for angry ER between SIB and SCZ. SIB also performed significantly lower than HC for angry, negative, and total ER. UHR was similar to SCZ for happy and sad ER and performed significantly lower than HC for happy ER. The effect of SCZ diagnosis on the efficiency of CPF and ER40 was significant when corrected for age and education. For SCZ, PANSS also significantly affected the CPF and ER40. CONCLUSION Our findings suggest varying levels of face and emotion recognition deficits in individuals with SCZ, UHR, and SIB. Face and emotion recognition deficits are promising schizophrenia endophenotypes related to social cognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meylin Sağdıç
- Marmara University, School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, İstanbul, Turkey
| | - Busra Izgi
- Koç University, Graduate School of Health Sciences, Istanbul, Turkey
- Koç University Research Center for Translational Medicine, İstanbul, Turkey
| | - Hale Yapici Eser
- Koç University, Graduate School of Health Sciences, Istanbul, Turkey
- Koç University, School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, İstanbul, Turkey
| | - Mete Ercis
- İstanbul University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, İstanbul, Turkey
| | - Alp Üçok
- İstanbul University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, İstanbul, Turkey
| | - Kemal Kuşçu
- Koç University, School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, İstanbul, Turkey
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21
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Bradley ER, Portanova J, Woolley JD, Buck B, Painter IS, Hankin M, Xu W, Cohen T. Quantifying abnormal emotion processing: A novel computational assessment method and application in schizophrenia. Psychiatry Res 2024; 336:115893. [PMID: 38657475 DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2024.115893] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2023] [Revised: 12/31/2023] [Accepted: 04/03/2024] [Indexed: 04/26/2024]
Abstract
Abnormal emotion processing is a core feature of schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSDs) that encompasses multiple operations. While deficits in some areas have been well-characterized, we understand less about abnormalities in the emotion processing that happens through language, which is highly relevant for social life. Here, we introduce a novel method using deep learning to estimate emotion processing rapidly from spoken language, testing this approach in male-identified patients with SSDs (n = 37) and healthy controls (n = 51). Using free responses to evocative stimuli, we derived a measure of appropriateness, or "emotional alignment" (EA). We examined psychometric characteristics of EA and its sensitivity to a single-dose challenge of oxytocin, a neuropeptide shown to enhance the salience of socioemotional information in SSDs. Patients showed impaired EA relative to controls, and impairment correlated with poorer social cognitive skill and more severe motivation and pleasure deficits. Adding EA to a logistic regression model with language-based measures of formal thought disorder (FTD) improved classification of patients versus controls. Lastly, oxytocin administration improved EA but not FTD among patients. While additional validation work is needed, these initial results suggest that an automated assay using spoken language may be a promising approach to assess emotion processing in SSDs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ellen R Bradley
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA; San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center, CA, USA.
| | - Jake Portanova
- Department of Biomedical Informatics and Medical Education, University of Washington, WA, USA
| | - Josh D Woolley
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA; San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center, CA, USA
| | - Benjamin Buck
- Behavioral Research in Technology and Engineering (BRiTE) Center, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington, USA
| | - Ian S Painter
- Department of Statistics, University of Washington, USA
| | | | - Weizhe Xu
- Department of Biomedical Informatics and Medical Education, University of Washington, WA, USA
| | - Trevor Cohen
- Department of Biomedical Informatics and Medical Education, University of Washington, WA, USA; Behavioral Research in Technology and Engineering (BRiTE) Center, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington, USA
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22
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Schuster BA, Sowden S, Rybicki AJ, Fraser DS, Press C, Hickman L, Holland P, Cook JL. Disruption of dopamine D2/D3 system function impairs the human ability to understand the mental states of other people. PLoS Biol 2024; 22:e3002652. [PMID: 38870319 PMCID: PMC11175582 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3002652] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2023] [Accepted: 05/01/2024] [Indexed: 06/15/2024] Open
Abstract
Difficulties in reasoning about others' mental states (i.e., mentalising/Theory of Mind) are highly prevalent among disorders featuring dopamine dysfunctions (e.g., Parkinson's disease) and significantly affect individuals' quality of life. However, due to multiple confounding factors inherent to existing patient studies, currently little is known about whether these sociocognitive symptoms originate from aberrant dopamine signalling or from psychosocial changes unrelated to dopamine. The present study, therefore, investigated the role of dopamine in modulating mentalising in a sample of healthy volunteers. We used a double-blind, placebo-controlled procedure to test the effect of the D2/D3 antagonist haloperidol on mental state attribution, using an adaptation of the Heider and Simmel (1944) animations task. On 2 separate days, once after receiving 2.5 mg haloperidol and once after receiving placebo, 33 healthy adult participants viewed and labelled short videos of 2 triangles depicting mental state (involving mentalistic interaction wherein 1 triangle intends to cause or act upon a particular mental state in the other, e.g., surprising) and non-mental state (involving reciprocal interaction without the intention to cause/act upon the other triangle's mental state, e.g., following) interactions. Using Bayesian mixed effects models, we observed that haloperidol decreased accuracy in labelling both mental and non-mental state animations. Our secondary analyses suggest that dopamine modulates inference from mental and non-mental state animations via independent mechanisms, pointing towards 2 putative pathways underlying the dopaminergic modulation of mental state attribution: action representation and a shared mechanism supporting mentalising and emotion recognition. We conclude that dopaminergic pathways impact Theory of Mind, at least indirectly. Our results have implications for the neurochemical basis of sociocognitive difficulties in patients with dopamine dysfunctions and generate new hypotheses about the specific dopamine-mediated mechanisms underlying social cognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bianca A Schuster
- Centre for Human Brain Health and School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
- Department of Cognition, Emotion, and Methods in Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Sophie Sowden
- Centre for Human Brain Health and School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Alicia J Rybicki
- Centre for Human Brain Health and School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Dagmar S Fraser
- Centre for Human Brain Health and School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Clare Press
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Birkbeck University of London, London, United Kingdom
- Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, UCL, London, United Kingdom
| | - Lydia Hickman
- Centre for Human Brain Health and School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Peter Holland
- Department of Psychology, Goldsmiths University of London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Jennifer L Cook
- Centre for Human Brain Health and School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
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23
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de Freitas MBL, Luna LP, Beatriz M, Pinto RK, Alves CHL, Bittencourt L, Nardi AE, Oertel V, Veras AB, de Lucena DF, Alves GS. Resting-state fMRI is associated with trauma experiences, mood and psychosis in Afro-descendants with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. Psychiatry Res Neuroimaging 2024; 340:111766. [PMID: 38408419 DOI: 10.1016/j.pscychresns.2023.111766] [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: 07/31/2023] [Revised: 11/19/2023] [Accepted: 11/26/2023] [Indexed: 02/28/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Bipolar disorder (BD) and schizophrenia (SCZ) may exhibit functional abnormalities in several brain areas, including the medial temporal and prefrontal cortex and hippocampus; however, a less explored topic is how brain connectivity is linked to premorbid trauma experiences and clinical features in non-Caucasian samples of SCZ and BD. METHODS Sixty-two individuals with SCZ (n = 20), BD (n = 21), and healthy controls (HC, n = 21) from indigenous and African ethnicity were submitted to clinical screening (Di-PAD), traumata experiences (ETISR-SF), cognitive and functional MRI assessment. The item psychosis/hallucinations in SCZ patients showed a negative correlation with the global efficiency (GE) in the right dorsal attention network. The items mania, irritable mood, and racing thoughts in the Di-PAD scale had a significant negative correlation with the GE in the parietal right default mode network. CONCLUSIONS Differences in the activation of specific networks were associated with earlier disease onset, history of physical abuse, and more severe psychotic and mood symptoms in SCZ and BD subjects of indigenous and black ethnicity. Findings provide further evidence on SZ and BD's brain connectivity disturbances, and their clinical significance, in non-Caucasian samples.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Licia P Luna
- Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Márcia Beatriz
- Neuroradiology Service, São Domingos Hospital, São Luís, Brazil; Translational Psychiatry Research Group, Federal University of Maranhão, São Luís, Brazil
| | | | - Candida H Lopes Alves
- Translational Psychiatry Research Group, Federal University of Maranhão, São Luís, Brazil
| | - Lays Bittencourt
- Neuropsychiatry Service, Nina Rodrigues Hospital, São Luís, Brazil
| | - Antônio E Nardi
- Post-Graduation in Psychiatry and Mental Health (PROPSAM), Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Viola Oertel
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychosomatics, and Psychotherapy, Frankfurt Goethe University, Germany
| | - André B Veras
- Post-Graduation in Psychiatry and Mental Health (PROPSAM), Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | | | - Gilberto Sousa Alves
- Translational Psychiatry Research Group, Federal University of Maranhão, São Luís, Brazil; Neuropsychiatry Service, Nina Rodrigues Hospital, São Luís, Brazil; Post-Graduation in Psychiatry and Mental Health (PROPSAM), Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
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24
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Grave J, Cordeiro S, de Sá Teixeira N, Korb S, Soares SC. Emotional anticipation for dynamic emotional faces is not modulated by schizotypal traits: A Representational Momentum study. Q J Exp Psychol (Hove) 2024:17470218241253703. [PMID: 38679800 DOI: 10.1177/17470218241253703] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/01/2024]
Abstract
Schizotypy, a personality structure that resembles schizophrenia symptoms, is often associated with abnormal facial emotion perception. Based on the prevailing sense of threat in psychotic experiences, and the immediate perceptual history of seeing others' facial expressions, individuals with high schizotypal traits may exhibit a heightened tendency to anticipate anger. To test this, we used insights from Representational Momentum (RM), a perceptual phenomenon in which the endpoint of a dynamic event is systematically displaced forward, into the immediate future. Angry-to-ambiguous and happy-to-ambiguous avatar faces were presented, each followed by a probe with the same (ambiguous) expression as the endpoint, or one slightly changed to express greater happiness/anger. Participants judged if the probe was "equal" to the endpoint and rated how confident they were. The sample was divided into high (N = 46) and low (N = 49) schizotypal traits using the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire (SPQ). First, a forward bias was found in happy-to-ambiguous faces, suggesting emotional anticipation solely for dynamic faces changing towards a potential threat (anger). This may reflect an adaptative mechanism, as it is safer to anticipate any hostility from a conspecific than the opposite. Second, contrary to our hypothesis, high schizotypal traits did not heighten RM for happy-to-ambiguous faces, nor did they lead to overconfidence in biased judgements. This may suggest a typical pattern of emotional anticipation in non-clinical schizotypy, but caution is needed due to the use of self-report questionnaires, university students, and a modest sample size. Future studies should also investigate if the same holds for clinical manifestations of schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joana Grave
- William James Center for Research (WJCR-Aveiro), Department of Education and Psychology, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal
- Center for Health Technology and Services Research (CINTESIS@RISE), Department of Education and Psychology, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Sara Cordeiro
- Department of Education and Psychology, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Nuno de Sá Teixeira
- William James Center for Research (WJCR-Aveiro), Department of Education and Psychology, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Sebastian Korb
- Department of Psychology, University of Essex, Colchester, UK
- Department of Cognition, Emotion, and Methods in Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Sandra Cristina Soares
- William James Center for Research (WJCR-Aveiro), Department of Education and Psychology, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal
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25
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Xie Y, Li C, Guan M, Zhang T, Ma C, Wang Z, Ma Z, Wang H, Fang P. The efficacy of low frequency repetitive transcial magnetic stimulation for treating auditory verbal hallucinations in schizophrenia: Insights from functional gradient analyses. Heliyon 2024; 10:e30194. [PMID: 38707410 PMCID: PMC11066630 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e30194] [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: 01/22/2024] [Revised: 04/20/2024] [Accepted: 04/22/2024] [Indexed: 05/07/2024] Open
Abstract
Background Auditory Verbal Hallucinations (AVH) constitute a prominent feature of schizophrenia. Although low-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) has demonstrated therapeutic benefits in ameliorating AVH, the underlying mechanisms of its efficacy necessitate further elucidation. Objective This study investigated the cortical gradient characteristics and their associations with clinical responses in schizophrenia patients with AVH, mediated through 1 Hz rTMS targeting the left temporoparietal junction. Method Functional gradient metrics were employed to examine the hierarchy patterns of cortical organization, capturing whole-brain functional connectivity profiles in patients and controls. Results The 1 Hz rTMS treatment effectively ameliorated the positive symptoms in patients, specifically targeting AVH. Initial evaluations revealed expanded global gradient distribution patterns and specific principal gradient variations in certain brain regions in patients at baseline compared to a control cohort. Following treatment, these divergent global and local patterns showed signs of normalizing. Furthermore, there was observed a closer alignment in between-network dispersion among various networks after treatment, including the somatomotor, attention, and limbic networks, indicating a potential harmonization of brain functionality. Conclusion Low-frequency rTMS induces alternations in principal functional gradient patterns, may serve as imaging markers to elucidate the mechanisms underpinning the therapeutic efficacy of rTMS on AVH in schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuanjun Xie
- Military Medical Psychology School, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China
- Department of Radiology, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China
| | - Chenxi Li
- Military Medical Psychology School, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China
| | - Muzhen Guan
- Department of Mental Health, Xi'an Medical College, Xi'an, China
| | - Tian Zhang
- Military Medical Psychology School, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China
| | - Chaozong Ma
- Military Medical Psychology School, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China
| | - Zhongheng Wang
- Department of Psychiatry, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China
| | - Zhujing Ma
- Military Medical Psychology School, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China
| | - Huaning Wang
- Department of Psychiatry, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China
| | - Peng Fang
- Military Medical Psychology School, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China
- Shaanxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Bioelectromagnetic Detection and Intelligent Perception, Xi'an, China
- Military Medical Innovation Center, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China
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26
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Abo Foul Y, Arkadir D, Demikhovskaya A, Noyman Y, Linetsky E, Abu Snineh M, Aviezer H, Eitan R. Perception of emotionally incongruent cues: evidence for overreliance on body vs. face expressions in Parkinson's disease. Front Psychol 2024; 15:1287952. [PMID: 38770252 PMCID: PMC11103677 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1287952] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2023] [Accepted: 04/08/2024] [Indexed: 05/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD) may exhibit impaired emotion perception. However, research demonstrating this decline has been based almost entirely on the recognition of isolated emotional cues. In real life, emotional cues such as expressive faces are typically encountered alongside expressive bodies. The current study investigated emotion perception in individuals with PD (n = 37) using emotionally incongruent composite displays of facial and body expressions, as well as isolated face and body expressions, and congruent composite displays as a baseline. In addition to a group of healthy controls (HC) (n = 50), we also included control individuals with schizophrenia (SZ) (n = 30), who display, as in PD, similar motor symptomology and decreased emotion perception abilities. The results show that individuals with PD showed an increased tendency to categorize incongruent face-body combinations in line with the body emotion, whereas those with HC showed a tendency to classify them in line with the facial emotion. No consistent pattern for prioritizing the face or body was found in individuals with SZ. These results were not explained by the emotional recognition of the isolated cues, cognitive status, depression, or motor symptoms of individuals with PD and SZ. As real-life expressions may include inconsistent cues in the body and face, these findings may have implications for the way individuals with PD and SZ interpret the emotions of others.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yasmin Abo Foul
- Department of Psychology, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
- Brain Division, Hadassah-Hebrew University Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - David Arkadir
- Brain Division, Hadassah-Hebrew University Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Anastasia Demikhovskaya
- Neuropsychiatry Unit, Jerusalem Mental Health Center, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Yehuda Noyman
- Neuropsychiatry Unit, Jerusalem Mental Health Center, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Eduard Linetsky
- Brain Division, Hadassah-Hebrew University Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Muneer Abu Snineh
- Brain Division, Hadassah-Hebrew University Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Hillel Aviezer
- Department of Psychology, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Renana Eitan
- Brain Division, Hadassah-Hebrew University Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel
- Neuropsychiatry Unit, Jerusalem Mental Health Center, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
- Department of Medical Neurobiology (Physiology), Institute for Medical Research Israel-Canada, Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical School, Jerusalem, Israel
- Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
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27
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Li Z, Zhao S, Yang J, Murai T, Funahashi S, Wu J, Zhang Z. Is P3 amplitude associated with greater gaze distraction effect in schizotypy? Schizophr Res 2024; 267:422-431. [PMID: 38640853 DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2024.04.006] [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: 09/21/2023] [Revised: 02/27/2024] [Accepted: 04/03/2024] [Indexed: 04/21/2024]
Abstract
A recently proposed "Hyperfocusing hypothesis" suggests that schizotypy is associated with a more narrow but more intense way of allocating attention. The current study aims to test a vital prediction of this hypothesis in a social context, that schizotypy may be related to greater difficulty overcoming the distracting effects of gaze. This could cause a longer time to respond to targets that are invalidly cued by gaze. The current study tested this prediction in a modified Posner cueing paradigm by using P3 as an indicator for attentional resources. Seventy-four young healthy individuals with different levels of schizotypy were included, they were asked to detect the location of a target that was cued validly or invalidly by the gaze and head orientation. The results revealed that (a) schizotypy is associated with hyperfocusing on gaze direction, leading to greater difficulty overcoming the distracting effect of gaze. The higher the trait-schizotypy score, the more time needed to respond to targets that were invalidly cued by gaze (b) schizotypy is associated with reduced P3 which is directed by social communicative stimuli. The higher the trait-schizotypy score, the smaller the amplitude of P3 (c) the relationship between schizotypal traits and response times of the gaze-invalid condition is fully intermediated by P3. The findings of the current study suggest the P3 component may be a crucial neural mechanism underlying joint attention deficits in schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zimo Li
- Graduate School of Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering in Health Systems, Okayama University, Okayama, Japan; Research Center for Medical Artificial Intelligence, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
| | - Shuo Zhao
- School of Psychology, ShenZhen University, ShenZhen, GuangDong, China.
| | - Jiajia Yang
- Graduate School of Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering in Health Systems, Okayama University, Okayama, Japan
| | - Toshiya Murai
- Department of Psychiatry, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Shintaro Funahashi
- Research Center for Medical Artificial Intelligence, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
| | - Jinglong Wu
- Graduate School of Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering in Health Systems, Okayama University, Okayama, Japan; Research Center for Medical Artificial Intelligence, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
| | - Zhilin Zhang
- Research Center for Medical Artificial Intelligence, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China; Department of Psychiatry, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan.
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Rocca P, Brasso C, Montemagni C, Del Favero E, Bellino S, Bozzatello P, Giordano GM, Caporusso E, Fazio L, Pergola G, Blasi G, Amore M, Calcagno P, Rossi R, Rossi A, Bertolino A, Galderisi S, Maj M. The relationship between the resting state functional connectivity and social cognition in schizophrenia: Results from the Italian Network for Research on Psychoses. Schizophr Res 2024; 267:330-340. [PMID: 38613864 DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2024.04.009] [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: 08/07/2023] [Revised: 03/24/2024] [Accepted: 04/04/2024] [Indexed: 04/15/2024]
Abstract
Deficits in social cognition (SC) interfere with recovery in schizophrenia (SZ) and may be related to resting state brain connectivity. This study aimed at assessing the alterations in the relationship between resting state functional connectivity and the social-cognitive abilities of patients with SZ compared to healthy subjects. We divided the brain into 246 regions of interest (ROI) following the Human Healthy Volunteers Brainnetome Atlas. For each participant, we calculated the resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) in terms of degree centrality (DC), which evaluates the total strength of the most powerful coactivations of every ROI with all other ROIs during rest. The rs-DC of the ROIs was correlated with five measures of SC assessing emotion processing and mentalizing in 45 healthy volunteers (HVs) chosen as a normative sample. Then, controlling for symptoms severity, we verified whether these significant associations were altered, i.e., absent or of opposite sign, in 55 patients with SZ. We found five significant differences between SZ patients and HVs: in the patients' group, the correlations between emotion recognition tasks and rsFC of the right entorhinal cortex (R-EC), left superior parietal lobule (L-SPL), right caudal hippocampus (R-c-Hipp), and the right caudal (R-c) and left rostral (L-r) middle temporal gyri (MTG) were lost. An altered resting state functional connectivity of the L-SPL, R-EC, R-c-Hipp, and bilateral MTG in patients with SZ may be associated with impaired emotion recognition. If confirmed, these results may enhance the development of non-invasive brain stimulation interventions targeting those cerebral regions to reduce SC deficit in SZ.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paola Rocca
- Department of Neuroscience 'Rita Levi Montalcini', University of Turin, Via Cherasco, 15, 10126 Turin, Italy
| | - Claudio Brasso
- Department of Neuroscience 'Rita Levi Montalcini', University of Turin, Via Cherasco, 15, 10126 Turin, Italy.
| | - Cristiana Montemagni
- Department of Neuroscience 'Rita Levi Montalcini', University of Turin, Via Cherasco, 15, 10126 Turin, Italy
| | - Elisa Del Favero
- Department of Neuroscience 'Rita Levi Montalcini', University of Turin, Via Cherasco, 15, 10126 Turin, Italy
| | - Silvio Bellino
- Department of Neuroscience 'Rita Levi Montalcini', University of Turin, Via Cherasco, 15, 10126 Turin, Italy
| | - Paola Bozzatello
- Department of Neuroscience 'Rita Levi Montalcini', University of Turin, Via Cherasco, 15, 10126 Turin, Italy
| | - Giulia Maria Giordano
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Campania 'Luigi Vanvitelli', Largo Madonna Delle Grazie, 1, 80138 Naples, Italy
| | - Edoardo Caporusso
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Campania 'Luigi Vanvitelli', Largo Madonna Delle Grazie, 1, 80138 Naples, Italy
| | - Leonardo Fazio
- Department of Basic Medical Science, Neuroscience and Sense Organs, University of Bari 'Aldo Moro', Policlinico, Piazza G. Cesare, 11, 70124 Bari, Italy; Department of Medicine and Surgery, LUM University, Strada Statale 100, 70010 Casamassima (BA), Italy
| | - Giulio Pergola
- Department of Basic Medical Science, Neuroscience and Sense Organs, University of Bari 'Aldo Moro', Policlinico, Piazza G. Cesare, 11, 70124 Bari, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Blasi
- Department of Basic Medical Science, Neuroscience and Sense Organs, University of Bari 'Aldo Moro', Policlinico, Piazza G. Cesare, 11, 70124 Bari, Italy
| | - Mario Amore
- Department of Neurosciences, Rehabilitation, Ophthalmology, Genetics and Maternal and Child Health, Section of Psychiatry, University of Genoa, Largo Paolo Daneo, 3, 16132 Genoa, Italy
| | - Pietro Calcagno
- Department of Neurosciences, Rehabilitation, Ophthalmology, Genetics and Maternal and Child Health, Section of Psychiatry, University of Genoa, Largo Paolo Daneo, 3, 16132 Genoa, Italy
| | - Rodolfo Rossi
- Section of Psychiatry, Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences, University of L'Aquila, via Vetoio - Coppito, 67100 L'Aquila, Italy; Policlinico Tor Vergata, Viale Oxford, 81, 00133 Rome, Italy
| | - Alessandro Rossi
- Section of Psychiatry, Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences, University of L'Aquila, via Vetoio - Coppito, 67100 L'Aquila, Italy
| | - Alessandro Bertolino
- Department of Basic Medical Science, Neuroscience and Sense Organs, University of Bari 'Aldo Moro', Policlinico, Piazza G. Cesare, 11, 70124 Bari, Italy
| | - Silvana Galderisi
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Campania 'Luigi Vanvitelli', Largo Madonna Delle Grazie, 1, 80138 Naples, Italy
| | - Mario Maj
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Campania 'Luigi Vanvitelli', Largo Madonna Delle Grazie, 1, 80138 Naples, Italy
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Msika EF, Despres M, Piolino P, Narme P. Dynamic and/or multimodal assessments for social cognition in neuropsychology: Results from a systematic literature review. Clin Neuropsychol 2024; 38:922-962. [PMID: 37904259 DOI: 10.1080/13854046.2023.2266172] [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: 03/21/2023] [Accepted: 09/27/2023] [Indexed: 11/01/2023]
Abstract
Objective: Despite the prevalence of socio-cognitive disturbances, and their important diagnostic/therapeutic implications, the assessment of these disturbances remains scarce. This systematic review aims to identify available social cognition tools for adult assessment that use multimodal and/or dynamic social cues, specifying their strengths and limitations (e.g. from a methodological, psychometric, ecological, and clinical perspective). Method: An electronic search was conducted in Pubmed, PsychINFO, Embase and Scopus databases for articles published up to the 3th of January 2023 and the first 200 Google Scholar results on the same date. The PRISMA methodology was applied, 3884 studies were screened based on title and abstract and 329 full texts were screened. Articles using pseudo-dynamic methodologies (e.g. morphing), reported only subjective or self-reported measures, or investigated only physiological or brain activity responses were excluded. Results: In total, 149 works were included in this review, representing 65 assessment tools (i.e. 48% studying emotion recognition (n = 31), 32% Theory of Mind (n = 21), 5% empathy (n = 3), 1.5% moral cognition/social reasoning (n = 1), and 14% being multimodal (n = 9)). For each study, the tool's main characteristics, psychometric properties, ecological validity indicators and available norms are reported. The tools are presented according to social-cognitive process assessed and communication channels used. Conclusions: This study highlights the lack of validated and standardized tools. A few tools appear to partially meet some clinical needs. The development of methodologies using a first-person paradigm and taking into account the multidimensional nature of social cognition seems a relevant research endeavour for greater ecological validity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva-Flore Msika
- Laboratoire Mémoire, Cerveau et Cognition, Université Paris Cité, Boulogne-Billancourt, France
| | - Mathilde Despres
- Laboratoire Mémoire, Cerveau et Cognition, Université Paris Cité, Boulogne-Billancourt, France
| | - Pascale Piolino
- Laboratoire Mémoire, Cerveau et Cognition, Université Paris Cité, Boulogne-Billancourt, France
| | - Pauline Narme
- Laboratoire Mémoire, Cerveau et Cognition, Université Paris Cité, Boulogne-Billancourt, France
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Kittleson AR, Woodward ND, Heckers S, Sheffield JM. The insula: Leveraging cellular and systems-level research to better understand its roles in health and schizophrenia. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2024; 160:105643. [PMID: 38531518 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2024.105643] [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: 01/09/2024] [Revised: 03/04/2024] [Accepted: 03/22/2024] [Indexed: 03/28/2024]
Abstract
Schizophrenia is a highly heterogeneous disorder characterized by a multitude of complex and seemingly non-overlapping symptoms. The insular cortex has gained increasing attention in neuroscience and psychiatry due to its involvement in a diverse range of fundamental human experiences and behaviors. This review article provides an overview of the insula's cellular and anatomical organization, functional and structural connectivity, and functional significance. Focusing on specific insula subregions and using knowledge gained from humans and preclinical studies of insular tracings in non-human primates, we review the literature and discuss the functional roles of each subregion, including in somatosensation, interoception, salience processing, emotional processing, and social cognition. Building from this foundation, we then extend these findings to discuss reported abnormalities of these functions in individuals with schizophrenia, implicating insular involvement in schizophrenia pathology. This review underscores the insula's vast role in the human experience and how abnormal insula structure and function could result in the wide-ranging symptoms observed in schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew R Kittleson
- Medical Scientist Training Program, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37235, United States; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, United States.
| | - Neil D Woodward
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, United States.
| | - Stephan Heckers
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, United States.
| | - Julia M Sheffield
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, United States.
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Fournier LA, Phadke RA, Salgado M, Brack A, Nocon JC, Bolshakova S, Grant JR, Padró Luna NM, Sen K, Cruz-Martín A. Overexpression of the schizophrenia risk gene C4 in PV cells drives sex-dependent behavioral deficits and circuit dysfunction. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.01.27.575409. [PMID: 38328248 PMCID: PMC10849664 DOI: 10.1101/2024.01.27.575409] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/09/2024]
Abstract
Fast-spiking parvalbumin (PV)-positive cells are key players in orchestrating pyramidal neuron activity, and their dysfunction is consistently observed in myriad brain diseases. To understand how immune complement dysregulation - a prevalent locus of brain disease etiology - in PV cells may drive disease pathogenesis, we have developed a transgenic mouse line that permits cell-type specific overexpression of the schizophrenia-associated complement component 4 (C4) gene. We found that overexpression of mouse C4 (mC4) in PV cells causes sex-specific behavioral alterations and concomitant deficits in synaptic connectivity and excitability of PV cells of the prefrontal cortex. Using a computational network, we demonstrated that these microcircuit deficits led to hyperactivity and disrupted neural communication. Finally, pan-neuronal overexpression of mC4 failed to evoke the same deficits in behavior as PV-specific mC4 overexpression, suggesting that C4 perturbations in fast-spiking neurons are more harmful to brain function than pan-neuronal alterations. Together, these results provide a causative link between C4 and the vulnerability of PV cells in brain disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luke A. Fournier
- Neurobiology Section in the Department of Biology, Boston University, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Rhushikesh A. Phadke
- Molecular Biology, Cell Biology & Biochemistry Program, Boston University, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Maria Salgado
- Neurobiology Section in the Department of Biology, Boston University, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Alison Brack
- Molecular Biology, Cell Biology & Biochemistry Program, Boston University, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Jian Carlo Nocon
- Neurophotonics Center, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
- Center for Systems Neuroscience, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
- Hearing Research Center, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
| | - Sonia Bolshakova
- Neurobiology Section in the Department of Biology, Boston University, Boston, MA, United States
- Bioinformatics MS Program, Boston University, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Jaylyn R. Grant
- Biological Sciences, Eastern Illinois University, Charleston, IL, United States
- The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Program, Boston University, Boston, United States
| | - Nicole M. Padró Luna
- The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Program, Boston University, Boston, United States
- Biology Department, College of Natural Sciences, University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras Campus, San Juan, Puerto Rico
| | - Kamal Sen
- Neurophotonics Center, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
- Center for Systems Neuroscience, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
- Hearing Research Center, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
| | - Alberto Cruz-Martín
- Neurobiology Section in the Department of Biology, Boston University, Boston, MA, United States
- Molecular Biology, Cell Biology & Biochemistry Program, Boston University, Boston, MA, United States
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Kraus J, Čavojská N, Harvanová S, Hajdúk M. Interpersonal distance in schizophrenia: A systematic review. Schizophr Res 2024; 266:1-11. [PMID: 38359513 DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2024.02.006] [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: 04/25/2023] [Revised: 01/24/2024] [Accepted: 02/10/2024] [Indexed: 02/17/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND HYPOTHESIS Schizophrenia is often associated with severe difficulties in social functioning, resulting in increased isolation and subsequent loneliness. Interpersonal distance - the amount of space around an individual's body during social interaction - can signal such difficulties. However, little is known about how individuals with schizophrenia regulate their interpersonal distance during social encounters. Summarizing the current empirical findings of interpersonal distance regulation in schizophrenia can bring novel perspectives for understanding interpersonal difficulties observed in this clinical population. STUDY DESIGN This systematic review examined empirical studies indexed in Web of Science and PubMed based on a-priori-defined criteria. 1164 studies were screened with the final review consisting of 14 studies. They together included 1145 adult participants, of whom 668 were diagnosed with schizophrenia or psychotic disorder. STUDY RESULTS The studies clearly showed that patients maintain greater interpersonal distances than do controls. Furthermore, a larger distance was linked to more severe positive and negative symptoms. More specifically, the link to symptoms was more pronounced when patients were being approached by someone else during interactions. On a neurobiological level, the increased activity and functional connectivity of the dorsal inferior parietal sulcus and increased subjective state-dependent stress are further indicated as being potentially related to increase interpersonal distancing in schizophrenia. CONCLUSIONS We provided information about the aberrant modulation of interpersonal distance in schizophrenia. Studies showed substantial heterogeneity in tasks used to measure interpersonal distance. Future studies should look at links to social functioning, underlying neurobiology, and neuroendocrinal regulation of interpersonal space in schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jakub Kraus
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Arts, Comenius University in Bratislava, Slovakia; Centre for Psychiatric Disorders Research, Science Park, Comenius University in Bratislava, Slovakia.
| | - Natália Čavojská
- Centre for Psychiatric Disorders Research, Science Park, Comenius University in Bratislava, Slovakia; Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University in Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Silvia Harvanová
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Arts, Comenius University in Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Michal Hajdúk
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Arts, Comenius University in Bratislava, Slovakia; Centre for Psychiatric Disorders Research, Science Park, Comenius University in Bratislava, Slovakia; Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University in Bratislava, Slovakia
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von Heyden M, Grube P, Sack M, Wiesner J, Frank O, Becker K, Heintz S, Reinhard I, Hohmann S, Hirjak D, Meyer-Lindenberg A, Braun U. Intensive Longitudinal Social Sensing in Patients With Psychosis Spectrum Disorders: An Exploratory Pilot Study. Schizophr Bull 2024:sbae032. [PMID: 38522431 DOI: 10.1093/schbul/sbae032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/26/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Psychosis spectrum disorders are characterized by significant alterations in social functioning, which is a major factor for patient recovery. Despite its importance, objectively quantifying the complex day-to-day social behavior in real-life settings has rarely been attempted. Here, we conducted a pilot study with wearable sensors that passively and continuously register interactions with other participants. We hypothesized that the amount and pattern of social interaction was associated with the severity of psychotic symptoms. STUDY DESIGN We recruited 7 patients with psychosis spectrum disorders and 18 team members from a Soteria-style ward. Each participant wore a radio frequency identification badge, sending and receiving signals from nearby badges, allowing passive quantification of social interactions. In addition, symptom severity was assessed weekly by the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS). STUDY RESULTS During an 11-week period, we identified 17 970 interactions among patients and staff. On average, patients spent 2.6 h per day interacting, capturing relevant aspects of daily social life. Relative daily interaction time, average interaction duration, and clustering coefficient, a measure of local network integration, were significantly associated with lower PANSS scores. Self-reported interaction time did not correlate with measured interaction time or with PANSS, indicating the importance of objective markers. CONCLUSIONS This pilot study demonstrates the feasibility of passively recording social interaction of patients and staff at high resolution and for a long observation period in a real-life setting in a psychiatric department. We show links between quantified social interaction and psychopathology that may facilitate development and personalization of targeted treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Moritz von Heyden
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, University of Heidelberg, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany
- Hector Institute for Artificial Intelligence in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, University Heidelberg, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Paul Grube
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, University of Heidelberg, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany
- Hector Institute for Artificial Intelligence in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, University Heidelberg, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Markus Sack
- Department of Neuroimaging, Central Institute of Mental Health, University Heidelberg, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Johannes Wiesner
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, University of Heidelberg, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany
- Hector Institute for Artificial Intelligence in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, University Heidelberg, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Oliver Frank
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, University of Heidelberg, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany
- Hector Institute for Artificial Intelligence in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, University Heidelberg, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Kathrin Becker
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, University Heidelberg, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Stefan Heintz
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, University Heidelberg, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Iris Reinhard
- Department of Biostatistics, Central Institute of Mental Health, University Heidelberg, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Sarah Hohmann
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, University Heidelberg, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Dusan Hirjak
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, University of Heidelberg, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Andreas Meyer-Lindenberg
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, University of Heidelberg, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany
- German Center for Mental Health, Partner site Mannheim-Heidelberg-Ulm
| | - Urs Braun
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, University of Heidelberg, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany
- Hector Institute for Artificial Intelligence in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, University Heidelberg, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany
- German Center for Mental Health, Partner site Mannheim-Heidelberg-Ulm
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Punsoda-Puche P, Barajas A, Mamano-Grande M, Jiménez-Lafuente A, Ochoa S. Relationship between social cognition and premorbid adjustment in psychosis: a systematic review. SCHIZOPHRENIA (HEIDELBERG, GERMANY) 2024; 10:36. [PMID: 38491028 PMCID: PMC10942991 DOI: 10.1038/s41537-023-00428-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2023] [Accepted: 12/20/2023] [Indexed: 03/18/2024]
Abstract
This systematic review provides a comprehensive overview of the association between premorbid adjustment and social cognition in people with psychotic spectrum disorder. Obtaining evidence of this association will facilitate early detection and intervention before the onset of psychosis. Literature searches were conducted in Scopus, PubMed and PsycINFO. Studies were eligible if they included patients with a psychotic disorder or at a high-risk state; social cognition and premorbid adjustment were measured; and the relationship between premorbid adjustment and social cognition was analysed. The authors independently extracted data from all included articles, and discrepancies were resolved through discussion. Literature searches were conducted in Scopus, PubMed and PsycINFO. Studies were eligible if they included patients with a psychotic disorder or at a high-risk state; social cognition and premorbid adjustment were measured; and the relationship between premorbid adjustment and social cognition was analysed. The authors independently extracted data from all included articles, and discrepancies were resolved through discussion. Of 229 studies identified, 23 met the inclusion criteria. Different methods of assessment were used to measure premorbid adjustment, such as the Premorbid Adjustment Scale or premorbid IQ, among others. Social cognition was assessed as a global measure or by domains using different instruments. A total of 16 articles found a relationship between social cognition (or its domains) and premorbid adjustment: general social cognition (n = 3); Theory of Mind (n = 12); Emotional Recognition and Social Knowledge (n = 1). This review shows evidence of a significant relationship between social cognition and premorbid adjustment, specifically between Theory of Mind and premorbid adjustment. Social cognition deficits may already appear in phases prior to the onset of psychosis, so an early individualized intervention with stimulating experiences in people with poor premorbid adjustment can be relevant for prevention. We recommend some future directions, such as carrying out longitudinal studies with people at high-risk of psychosis, a meta-analysis study, broadening the concept of premorbid adjustment, and a consensual assessment of social cognition and premorbid adjustment variables. PROSPERO registration number: CRD42022333886.
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Affiliation(s)
- P Punsoda-Puche
- Parc Sanitari Sant Joan de Déu, C/ del Dr. Antoni Pujadas, 42, 08830 Sant Boi de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain
- Etiopatogènia i tractament dels trastorns mentals greus (MERITT), Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu, C/ del Dr. Antoni Pujadas, 42, 08830 Sant Boi de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain
| | - A Barajas
- Department of Clinical and Health Psychology-Serra Húnter Programme, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain.
- Department of Research, Centre d'Higiene Mental Les Corts, C/ de Numància, 107, 08029, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - M Mamano-Grande
- Parc Sanitari Sant Joan de Déu, C/ del Dr. Antoni Pujadas, 42, 08830 Sant Boi de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain
| | - A Jiménez-Lafuente
- Parc Sanitari Sant Joan de Déu, C/ del Dr. Antoni Pujadas, 42, 08830 Sant Boi de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain
| | - S Ochoa
- Parc Sanitari Sant Joan de Déu, C/ del Dr. Antoni Pujadas, 42, 08830 Sant Boi de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain
- Etiopatogènia i tractament dels trastorns mentals greus (MERITT), Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu, C/ del Dr. Antoni Pujadas, 42, 08830 Sant Boi de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain
- Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Barcelona, Spain
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Thibaudeau E, Peyroux E, Franck N, Carling H, Lepage M. Navigating Social Cognitive Impairments in Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders: Protocol for a Pilot Pre-Post Quasi-Experimental Study for Remote Avatar-Assisted Cognitive Remediation Therapy. JMIR Res Protoc 2024; 13:e54251. [PMID: 38477975 DOI: 10.2196/54251] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2023] [Revised: 01/06/2024] [Accepted: 01/09/2024] [Indexed: 03/14/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Social cognitive impairments are prevalent in schizophrenia spectrum disorder (SSD) and have detrimental effects on functioning. Cognitive remediation (CR) has shown its efficacy in improving social cognitive impairments, although the transfer of these skills to daily life and the personalization of these interventions remain challenging. RC2S (Remédiation Cognitive de la Cognition Sociale dans la Schizophrénie; Cognitive remediation of social cognition in Schizophrenia) is a French CR that combines the learning of strategies and practice using paper-and-pencil exercises and digital relational simulations. This French program was designed as an in-person intervention. OBJECTIVE This project aims to culturally adapt the RC2S program, in French-Canadian and North American English and to assess the feasibility, acceptability, safety, and implementation of a remote version in people with SSD. An exploratory objective is to assess the preliminary effect of remote RC2S on goal attainment, social cognition, and psychosocial outcomes. METHODS We will use a pre-post quasi-experimental design. First, the translation and cultural adaptation in North American English and French-Canadian of RC2S is presented. Then, 20 participants aged ≥18 years with a diagnosis of SSD, presenting with a subjective or an objective impairment in social cognition, will be included to receive RC2S. In addition, 5 therapists will be included as research participants to assess their perspective on RC2S. Participants with SSD will undergo a baseline remote assessment of their social cognition, clinical symptoms, and functioning. They will then start remote RC2S for 24 biweekly individual 1-hour sessions with a therapist. Following the case formulation and goal setting, participants will complete personalized paper-and-pencil exercises to develop strategies and integrative digital relational simulations, during which they will help an avatar navigate through a variety of social contexts and relationships. The last 2 sessions are dedicated to the transfer to daily life. All participants will complete in-session questionnaires assessing therapeutic alliance, motivation, acceptability, feasibility, and implementation. Following RC2S, the participants with SSD will repeat the same assessment as the baseline. Descriptive statistics will be used to summarize the data about acceptability, feasibility, safety, and implementation. To assess the preliminary effect of RC2S, an intention-to-treat approach will be used with linear mixed models for repeated measures with fixed effects of time. RESULTS So far, 45% (9/20) of participants with SSD (mean age 37.9, SD 9.3 years) have completed the project. They received a mean of 20.5 out of 24 (SD 3.5) sessions of RC2S. A total of 5 therapists also completed the project. CONCLUSIONS Improving social cognitive impairments is an important target in SSD to promote functional recovery. Using digital technologies to address these impairments and deliver the intervention is a promising approach to increase the ecological validity of CR and access to the intervention. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05017532; https://classic.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT05017532. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID) DERR1-10.2196/54251.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisabeth Thibaudeau
- Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Douglas Research Center, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | | | - Nicolas Franck
- Centre Hospitalier Le Vinatier, Lyon, France
- Université Claude-Bernard-Lyon-I, Lyon, France
| | - Hannah Carling
- Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Douglas Research Center, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Martin Lepage
- Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Douglas Research Center, Montreal, QC, Canada
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Peng X, Hou WP, Ding YS, Wang Q, Li F, Sha S, Yu CC, Zhang XJ, Zhou FC, Wang CY. Independent effects of early life adversity on social cognitive function in patients with schizophrenia. Front Psychiatry 2024; 15:1343188. [PMID: 38505800 PMCID: PMC10948615 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1343188] [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: 11/23/2023] [Accepted: 02/01/2024] [Indexed: 03/21/2024] Open
Abstract
Objective The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of early life adversity on cognitive function in patients with schizophrenia, with a focus on social cognition (SC). Methods Two groups of patients with schizophrenia were recruited and matched on sociodemographic and clinical characteristics. One group consisted of 32 patients with a history of childhood trauma (SCZ-ct), and the other group consisted of 30 patients without a history of childhood trauma (SCZ-nct). In addition, 39 healthy controls without a history of childhood trauma (HC-nct) were also recruited. The intelligence of the three groups was assessed using the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence (WAIS-RC) short version. The cognitive function evaluation was conducted using the MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery (MCCB), and early life adversity was measured using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire-Short Form (CTQ) and Bullying Scale for Adults (BSA). Results Patients with schizophrenia endosed significantly higher scores on the CTQ (F=67.61, p<0.001) and BSA (F=9.84, p<0.001) compared to the HC-nct. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) and post-hoc analyses revealed that SCZ-ct (F=11.20, p<0.001) exhibited the most pronounced cognitive impairment among the three groups, as indicated in MCCB total scores and in the domain score of SC. CTQ exhibited a negative correlation with MCCB (r=-0.405, p< 0.001); SC was negatively correlated with physical abuse (PA) of CTQ (r=-0.271, p=0.030) and emotional abuse (EA) of BSA (r=-0.265, p=0.034) in the whole patient sample. Higher SC performance was significantly predicted by CT_total (Beta =-0.582, p<0.001, 95% CI -0.96-0.46), and years of education (Beta=0.260, p =0.014, 95% CI 0.20-1.75) in schizophrenia. Conclusions Besides familial trauma, schizophrenia patients appear to have a higher likelihood of experiencing bullying in their early life. These experiences seem to contribute significantly to their severe impairments in SC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xing Peng
- School of Public Health, North China University of Science and Technology, Tangshan, China
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Mental Disorders, National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders & National Center for Mental Disorders, Beijing Anding Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
- Advanced Innovation Center for Human Brain Protection, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Wen-Peng Hou
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Mental Disorders, National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders & National Center for Mental Disorders, Beijing Anding Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
- Advanced Innovation Center for Human Brain Protection, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Yu-Shen Ding
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Mental Disorders, National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders & National Center for Mental Disorders, Beijing Anding Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
- Advanced Innovation Center for Human Brain Protection, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Qi Wang
- Department of Psychiatry, Fengtai Mental Health Center, Beijing, China
| | - Feng Li
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Mental Disorders, National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders & National Center for Mental Disorders, Beijing Anding Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
- Advanced Innovation Center for Human Brain Protection, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Sha Sha
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Mental Disorders, National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders & National Center for Mental Disorders, Beijing Anding Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
- Advanced Innovation Center for Human Brain Protection, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | | | - Xiu-Jun Zhang
- School of Public Health, North China University of Science and Technology, Tangshan, China
| | - Fu-Chun Zhou
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Mental Disorders, National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders & National Center for Mental Disorders, Beijing Anding Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
- Advanced Innovation Center for Human Brain Protection, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Chuan-Yue Wang
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Mental Disorders, National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders & National Center for Mental Disorders, Beijing Anding Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
- Advanced Innovation Center for Human Brain Protection, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
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Charaf K, Agoub M, Boussaoud D. Associative learning and facial expression recognition in schizophrenic patients: Effects of social presence. Schizophr Res Cogn 2024; 35:100295. [PMID: 38025824 PMCID: PMC10663675 DOI: 10.1016/j.scog.2023.100295] [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: 06/22/2023] [Revised: 10/31/2023] [Accepted: 11/05/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023]
Abstract
Schizophrenia (SCZ) is a psychiatric disorder that alters both general and social cognition. However, the exact mechanisms that are altered remain to be elucidated. In this study, we investigated associative learning (AL) and facial expression recognition (FER) in the same patients, using emotional expressions and abstract images. Our main aim was to investigate how these cognitive abilities are affected by SCZ and to assess the role of mere social presence, a factor that has not been considered before. The study compared the behavioral performance of 60 treated outpatients with SCZ and 103 demographically matched healthy volunteers. In the AL task, participants had to associate abstract images or facial expressions with key presses, guided by feedback on each trial. In the FER task, they had to report whether two successively presented facial expressions were the same or different. All participants performed the two tasks under two social context conditions: alone or in the presence of a passive but attentive audience. The results showed a severe learning impairment in patients compared to controls, with a slight advantage for facial expressions compared to abstract images, and a gender-dependent effect of social presence. In contrast, facial expression recognition was partially spared in patients and facilitated by social presence. We conclude that cognitive abilities are impaired in patients with SCZ, but their investigation needs to take into account the social context in which they are assessed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Khansa Charaf
- Laboratoire de Neurosciences Cliniques, Faculté de Médecine, Université Hassan II, Casablanca, Morocco
| | - Mohamed Agoub
- Laboratoire de Neurosciences Cliniques, Faculté de Médecine, Université Hassan II, Casablanca, Morocco
| | - Driss Boussaoud
- Aix-Marseille Université, INSERM, INS, Institut de Neurosciences des Systèmes, Marseille, France
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38
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Higgins WC, Kaplan DM, Deschrijver E, Ross RM. Construct validity evidence reporting practices for the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test: A systematic scoping review. Clin Psychol Rev 2024; 108:102378. [PMID: 38232573 DOI: 10.1016/j.cpr.2023.102378] [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: 09/23/2023] [Revised: 11/20/2023] [Accepted: 12/21/2023] [Indexed: 01/19/2024]
Abstract
The Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test (RMET) is one of the most influential measures of social cognitive ability, and it has been used extensively in clinical populations. However, questions have been raised about the validity of RMET scores. We conducted a systematic scoping review of the validity evidence reported in studies that administered the RMET (n = 1461; of which 804 included at least one clinical sample) with a focus on six key dimensions: internal consistency, test-retest reliability, factor structure, convergent validity, discriminant validity, and known group validity. Strikingly, 63% of these studies failed to provide validity evidence from any of these six categories. Moreover, when evidence was reported, it frequently failed to meet widely accepted validity standards. Overall, our results suggest a troubling conclusion: the validity of RMET scores (and the research findings based on them) are largely unsubstantiated and uninterpretable. More broadly, this project demonstrates how unaddressed measurement issues can undermine a voluminous psychological literature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wendy C Higgins
- Macquarie University, School of Psychological Sciences, NSW 2109, Australia.
| | - David M Kaplan
- Macquarie University, School of Psychological Sciences, NSW 2109, Australia
| | - Eliane Deschrijver
- Macquarie University, School of Psychological Sciences, NSW 2109, Australia; University of Sydney, School of Psychology, NSW 2006, Australia
| | - Robert M Ross
- Macquarie University, Department of Philosophy, NSW 2109, Australia
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Vergallito A, Gramano B, La Monica K, Giuliani L, Palumbo D, Gesi C, Torriero S. Combining transcranial magnetic stimulation with training to improve social cognition impairment in schizophrenia: a pilot randomized controlled trial. Front Psychol 2024; 15:1308971. [PMID: 38445059 PMCID: PMC10912559 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1308971] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2023] [Accepted: 01/16/2024] [Indexed: 03/07/2024] Open
Abstract
Schizophrenia is a severe, chronic mental disorder that profoundly impacts patients' everyday lives. The illness's core features include positive and negative symptoms and cognitive impairments. In particular, deficits in the social cognition domain showed a tighter connection to patients' everyday functioning than the other symptoms. Social remediation interventions have been developed, providing heterogeneous results considering the possibility of generalizing the acquired improvements in patients' daily activities. In this pilot randomized controlled trial, we investigated the feasibility of combining fifteen daily cognitive and social training sessions with non-invasive brain stimulation to boost the effectiveness of the two interventions. We delivered intermittent theta burst stimulation (iTBS) over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). Twenty-one patients were randomized into four groups, varying for the assigned stimulation condition (real vs. sham iTBS) and the type of cognitive intervention (training vs. no training). Clinical symptoms and social cognition tests were administered at five time points, i.e., before and after the treatment, and at three follow-ups at one, three, and six months after the treatments' end. Preliminary data show a trend in improving the competence in managing emotion in participants performing the training. Conversely, no differences were found in pre and post-treatment scores for emotion recognition, theory of mind, and attribution of intentions scores. The iTBS intervention did not induce additional effects on individuals' performance. The methodological approach's novelty and limitations of the present study are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Bianca Gramano
- Department of Mental Health and Addictions, ASST Fatebenefratelli-Sacco, Milan, Italy
| | - Kevin La Monica
- Department of Mental Health and Addictions, ASST Fatebenefratelli-Sacco, Milan, Italy
| | - Luigi Giuliani
- Department of Psychiatry, Università degli Studi della Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Naples, Italy
| | - Davide Palumbo
- Department of Psychiatry, Università degli Studi della Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Naples, Italy
| | - Camilla Gesi
- Department of Mental Health and Addictions, ASST Fatebenefratelli-Sacco, Milan, Italy
| | - Sara Torriero
- Department of Mental Health and Addictions, ASST Fatebenefratelli-Sacco, Milan, Italy
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Gorrino I, Rossetti MG, Girelli F, Bellani M, Perlini C, Mattavelli G. A critical overview of emotion processing assessment in non-affective and affective psychoses. Epidemiol Psychiatr Sci 2024; 33:e8. [PMID: 38356360 PMCID: PMC10894699 DOI: 10.1017/s204579602400009x] [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: 07/25/2023] [Revised: 01/08/2024] [Accepted: 01/21/2024] [Indexed: 02/16/2024] Open
Abstract
AIMS Patients with affective and non-affective psychoses show impairments in both the identification and discrimination of facial affect, which can significantly reduce their quality of life. The aim of this commentary is to present the strengths and weaknesses of the available instruments for a more careful evaluation of different stages of emotion processing in clinical and experimental studies on patients with non-affective and affective psychoses. METHODS We reviewed the existing literature to identify different tests used to assess the ability to recognise (e.g. Ekman 60-Faces Test, Facial Emotion Identification Test and Penn Emotion Recognition Test) and to discriminate emotions (e.g. Face Emotion Discrimination Test and Emotion Differentiation Task). RESULTS The current literature revealed that few studies combine instruments to differentiate between different levels of emotion processing disorders. The lack of comprehensive instruments that integrate emotion recognition and discrimination assessments prevents a full understanding of patients' conditions. CONCLUSIONS This commentary underlines the need for a detailed evaluation of emotion processing ability in patients with non-affective and affective psychoses, to characterise the disorder at early phases from the onset of the disease and to design rehabilitation treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irene Gorrino
- IUSS Cognitive Neuroscience (ICoN) Center, Scuola Universitaria Superiore IUSS, Pavia, Italy
| | - Maria Gloria Rossetti
- Section of Psychiatry, Department of Neurosciences, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
- UOC Psychiatry, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Integrata (AOUI), Verona, Italy
| | - Francesca Girelli
- UOC Psychiatry, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Integrata (AOUI), Verona, Italy
| | - Marcella Bellani
- Section of Psychiatry, Department of Neurosciences, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Cinzia Perlini
- Section of Clinical Psychology, Department of Neurosciences, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Giulia Mattavelli
- IUSS Cognitive Neuroscience (ICoN) Center, Scuola Universitaria Superiore IUSS, Pavia, Italy
- Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory of Pavia Institute, Istituti Clinici Scientifici Maugeri IRCCS, Pavia, Italy
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Wang G, Huang H, Wang Y, Yang Y, Li C, Luo S, Li Y. A randomized, prospective, active-controlled study comparing intramuscular long-acting paliperidone palmitate versus oral antipsychotics in patients with schizophrenia at risk of violent behavior. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2024; 129:110897. [PMID: 37972752 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2023.110897] [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: 08/21/2023] [Revised: 11/13/2023] [Accepted: 11/13/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Paliperidone palmitate (PP) is an effective long-acting antipsychotic injection, but its impact on the behavior of schizophrenia patients with dangerous tendencies requires further investigation. This study aims to explore the effects of long-term antipsychotic treatment on this population in the community. METHODS This 49-week, randomized controlled trial was conducted across 21 communities in Wuhan and enrolled 134 schizophrenia patients at risk for violent behavior. With a fixed block size of 10, participants were randomly assigned to receive either intramuscular PP 1-month formulation (PP1M) or oral antipsychotic medication (OAP) at a 1:1 ratio. Changes in patients' risk for violent/aggressive behavior, family burden, social, and cognitive functioning were measured using VRAPP, MOAS, PANSS, FBS, PSP, and RBANS scales from baseline to endpoint. Longitudinal data from multiple repeated measures were analyzed using linear mixed-effects models. RESULTS The study protocol was completed by 77.6% of the patients overall. Significant improvements were observed in the risk assessment scores, MOAS total score, PANSS total score, PSP total score, and FBS total score of patients in the PP1M group from baseline to the end of treatment (all P < 0.05). Importantly, compared to patients in the OAP group, the improvements in these measures were also significantly greater in the PP1M group. Commonly observed AEs, such as hyperprolactinemia (70.3% vs. 62.65%) and muscle tension (45.3% vs. 57.8%), were considered to be the PP-related AEs. Nonetheless, the differences between the two groups did not reach statistical significance, and no new safety concerns emerged. CONCLUSIONS Our study suggests that PP long-acting injection (LAI) is a safe and effective treatment option for community-dwelling schizophrenia patients with impulsive violence and risky behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gang Wang
- Wuhan, Mental Health Center, Wuhan, China
| | | | - Yijun Wang
- Wuhan, Mental Health Center, Wuhan, China
| | | | - Chang Li
- Wuhan, Mental Health Center, Wuhan, China
| | - Sen Luo
- Wuhan, Mental Health Center, Wuhan, China
| | - Yi Li
- Wuhan, Mental Health Center, Wuhan, China..
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42
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Smit R, Luckhoff HK, Phahladira L, Du Plessis S, Emsley R, Asmal L. Relapse in schizophrenia: The role of factors other than non-adherence to treatment. Early Interv Psychiatry 2024. [PMID: 38320862 DOI: 10.1111/eip.13510] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2023] [Revised: 11/20/2023] [Accepted: 01/24/2024] [Indexed: 02/08/2024]
Abstract
AIM Relapse rates are very high in schizophrenia. However, little is known about the predictors of the time to relapse other than treatment non-adherence. We investigated possible risk factors for the time to relapse in patients with first-episode schizophrenia (n = 107) who received assured treatment by way of long-acting injectable antipsychotic over 24 months and who underwent regular clinical, cognitive, and metabolic assessments. METHODS Using Cox regression analyses we assessed selected premorbid and baseline potential predictors of time to relapse. Relapse was defined using operationally defined relapse criteria. RESULTS In the primary analysis only neurological soft signs total score retained significance, with higher scores predicting shorter time to relapse (HR = 1.05, 95% CI = 1.01-1.10, p = .029). In a more detailed secondary analysis poorer social relationships predicted shorter time to relapse (HR = 0.85, 95% CI = 0.76-0.95, p = .003). CONCLUSION Our predominantly negative findings suggest that many of the previously implicated risk factors for the time to relapse are mediated by non-adherence rather than having a direct effect on relapse-proneness. Neurological soft signs, and perhaps quality of life in social relationships appear to play a role and merit further investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Smit
- Department of Psychiatry, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - H K Luckhoff
- Department of Psychiatry, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - L Phahladira
- Department of Psychiatry, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - S Du Plessis
- Department of Psychiatry, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - R Emsley
- Department of Psychiatry, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - L Asmal
- Department of Psychiatry, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa
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Green MF, Wynn JK, Eisenberger NI, Horan WP, Lee J, McCleery A, Miklowitz DJ, Reavis EA, Reddy LF. Social cognition and social motivation in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder: are impairments linked to the disorder or to being socially isolated? Psychol Med 2024:1-9. [PMID: 38314526 DOI: 10.1017/s0033291724000102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND People with schizophrenia on average are more socially isolated, lonelier, have more social cognitive impairment, and are less socially motivated than healthy individuals. People with bipolar disorder also have social isolation, though typically less than that seen in schizophrenia. We aimed to disentangle whether the social cognitive and social motivation impairments observed in schizophrenia are a specific feature of the clinical condition v. social isolation generally. METHODS We compared four groups (clinically stable patients with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, individuals drawn from the community with self-described social isolation, and a socially connected community control group) on loneliness, social cognition, and approach and avoidance social motivation. RESULTS Individuals with schizophrenia (n = 72) showed intermediate levels of social isolation, loneliness, and social approach motivation between the isolated (n = 96) and connected control (n = 55) groups. However, they showed significant deficits in social cognition compared to both community groups. Individuals with bipolar disorder (n = 48) were intermediate between isolated and control groups for loneliness and social approach. They did not show deficits on social cognition tasks. Both clinical groups had higher social avoidance than both community groups. CONCLUSIONS The results suggest that social cognitive deficits in schizophrenia, and high social avoidance motivation in both schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, are distinct features of the clinical conditions and not byproducts of social isolation. In contrast, differences between clinical and control groups on levels of loneliness and social approach motivation were congruent with the groups' degree of social isolation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael F Green
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- VA Rehabilitation R&D Center on Enhancing Community Integration for Homeless Veterans, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Jonathan K Wynn
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- VA Rehabilitation R&D Center on Enhancing Community Integration for Homeless Veterans, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | | | - William P Horan
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Karuna Therapeutics, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Junghee Lee
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurobiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Amanda McCleery
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
| | - David J Miklowitz
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Eric A Reavis
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- VA Rehabilitation R&D Center on Enhancing Community Integration for Homeless Veterans, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - L Felice Reddy
- VA Rehabilitation R&D Center on Enhancing Community Integration for Homeless Veterans, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
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Voineskos AN, Hawco C, Neufeld NH, Turner JA, Ameis SH, Anticevic A, Buchanan RW, Cadenhead K, Dazzan P, Dickie EW, Gallucci J, Lahti AC, Malhotra AK, Öngür D, Lencz T, Sarpal DK, Oliver LD. Functional magnetic resonance imaging in schizophrenia: current evidence, methodological advances, limitations and future directions. World Psychiatry 2024; 23:26-51. [PMID: 38214624 PMCID: PMC10786022 DOI: 10.1002/wps.21159] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Functional neuroimaging emerged with great promise and has provided fundamental insights into the neurobiology of schizophrenia. However, it has faced challenges and criticisms, most notably a lack of clinical translation. This paper provides a comprehensive review and critical summary of the literature on functional neuroimaging, in particular functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), in schizophrenia. We begin by reviewing research on fMRI biomarkers in schizophrenia and the clinical high risk phase through a historical lens, moving from case-control regional brain activation to global connectivity and advanced analytical approaches, and more recent machine learning algorithms to identify predictive neuroimaging features. Findings from fMRI studies of negative symptoms as well as of neurocognitive and social cognitive deficits are then reviewed. Functional neural markers of these symptoms and deficits may represent promising treatment targets in schizophrenia. Next, we summarize fMRI research related to antipsychotic medication, psychotherapy and psychosocial interventions, and neurostimulation, including treatment response and resistance, therapeutic mechanisms, and treatment targeting. We also review the utility of fMRI and data-driven approaches to dissect the heterogeneity of schizophrenia, moving beyond case-control comparisons, as well as methodological considerations and advances, including consortia and precision fMRI. Lastly, limitations and future directions of research in the field are discussed. Our comprehensive review suggests that, in order for fMRI to be clinically useful in the care of patients with schizophrenia, research should address potentially actionable clinical decisions that are routine in schizophrenia treatment, such as which antipsychotic should be prescribed or whether a given patient is likely to have persistent functional impairment. The potential clinical utility of fMRI is influenced by and must be weighed against cost and accessibility factors. Future evaluations of the utility of fMRI in prognostic and treatment response studies may consider including a health economics analysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aristotle N Voineskos
- Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute and Brain Health Imaging Centre, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Colin Hawco
- Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute and Brain Health Imaging Centre, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Nicholas H Neufeld
- Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute and Brain Health Imaging Centre, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Jessica A Turner
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, Wexner Medical Center, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Stephanie H Ameis
- Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute and Brain Health Imaging Centre, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Cundill Centre for Child and Youth Depression and McCain Centre for Child, Youth and Family Mental Health, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Alan Anticevic
- Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Robert W Buchanan
- Maryland Psychiatric Research Center, Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Kristin Cadenhead
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Paola Dazzan
- Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Erin W Dickie
- Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute and Brain Health Imaging Centre, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Julia Gallucci
- Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute and Brain Health Imaging Centre, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Adrienne C Lahti
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurobiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Anil K Malhotra
- Institute for Behavioral Science, Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, Manhasset, NY, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, Hempstead, NY, USA
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, Hempstead, NY, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Zucker Hillside Hospital Division of Northwell Health, Glen Oaks, NY, USA
| | - Dost Öngür
- McLean Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Belmont, MA, USA
| | - Todd Lencz
- Institute for Behavioral Science, Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, Manhasset, NY, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, Hempstead, NY, USA
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, Hempstead, NY, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Zucker Hillside Hospital Division of Northwell Health, Glen Oaks, NY, USA
| | - Deepak K Sarpal
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Lindsay D Oliver
- Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute and Brain Health Imaging Centre, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, ON, Canada
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45
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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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Sainz-Cort A, Jimenez-Garrido D, Muñoz-Marron E, Viejo-Sobera R, Heeroma J, Bouso JC. The Effects of Cannabidiol and δ-9-Tetrahydrocannabinol in Social Cognition: A Naturalistic Controlled Study. Cannabis Cannabinoid Res 2024; 9:230-240. [PMID: 35881851 DOI: 10.1089/can.2022.0037] [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] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Social cognition abilities such as empathy and the Theory of Mind (ToM) have been shown to be impaired in neuropsychiatric conditions such as psychotic, autistic, and bipolar disorders. The endocannabinoid system (ECS) seems to play a role in social behavior and emotional processing while it also seems to play a role in those neuropsychiatric conditions showing social cognition impairments. Main plant cannabinoids delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) modulate the ECS and, due to their opposite effects, have been proposed as both cause and treatment for neuropsychiatric-related disorders such as schizophrenia, anxiety, or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The aim of this study was to test the effects of THC and CBD on social cognition abilities in chronic cannabis users. Method: Eighteen members from a cannabis social club were tested for social cognition effects under the effects of different full spectrum cannabis extracts containing either THC, CBD, THC+CBD, or placebo in a naturalistic randomized double-blind crossover placebo-controlled study. Results: Results showed that participants under the effects of THC showed lower cognitive empathy when compared with the effects of CBD but not when those were compared with THC+CBD or placebo. Also, participants showed higher cognitive ToM under the effects of CBD when compared with the effects of placebo, but not when those were compared with THC or THC+CBD. However, we did not find differences on the emotional scales for empathy or ToM. Conclusions: This study provides evidence for the interaction between the effects of THC and CBD and social cognition abilities in a naturalistic environment, which can be of special interest for the clinical practice of medical cannabis on neuropsychiatric disorders. We show for the first time that CBD can improve ToM abilities in chronic cannabis users. Our results might help to understand the role of the ECS in social cognition, and their association with psychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders such as schizophrenia or autism. Finally, we demonstrate how reliable methodologies can be implemented in naturalistic environments to collect valid ecological evidence outside classic laboratory settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alberto Sainz-Cort
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC), Barcelona, Spain
- International Center of Ethnobotanic Education, Research and Service (ICEERS), Barcelona, Spain
- GH Medical, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Daniel Jimenez-Garrido
- International Center of Ethnobotanic Education, Research and Service (ICEERS), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Elena Muñoz-Marron
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Raquel Viejo-Sobera
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC), Barcelona, Spain
| | | | - Jose Carlos Bouso
- International Center of Ethnobotanic Education, Research and Service (ICEERS), Barcelona, Spain
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47
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Borrelli DF, Dell'Uva L, Provettini A, Gambolò L, Di Donna A, Ottoni R, Marchesi C, Tonna M. The Relationship between Childhood Trauma Experiences and Psychotic Vulnerability in Obsessive Compulsive Disorder: An Italian Cross-Sectional Study. Brain Sci 2024; 14:116. [PMID: 38391690 PMCID: PMC10887048 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci14020116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/01/2024] [Revised: 01/18/2024] [Accepted: 01/22/2024] [Indexed: 02/24/2024] Open
Abstract
People with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) are at increased risk of developing psychotic disorders; yet little is known about specific clinical features which might hint at this vulnerability. The present study was aimed at elucidating the pathophysiological mechanism linking OCD to psychosis through the investigation of childhood trauma experiences in adolescents and adults with OCD. One hundred outpatients, aged between 12 and 65 years old, were administered the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS) and its Child version (CY-BOCS), as well as the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ); Cognitive-Perceptual basic symptoms (COPER) and high-risk criterion Cognitive Disturbances (COGDIS) were assessed in the study sample. Greater childhood trauma experiences were found to predict psychotic vulnerability (p = 0.018), as well as more severe OCD symptoms (p = 0.010) and an earlier age of OCD onset (p = 0.050). Participants with psychotic vulnerability reported higher scores on childhood trauma experiences (p = 0.02), specifically in the emotional neglect domain (p = 0.01). In turn, emotional neglect and psychotic vulnerability were found higher in the pediatric group than in the adult group (p = 0.01). Our findings suggest that childhood trauma in people with OCD may represent an indicator of psychotic vulnerability, especially in those with an earlier OCD onset. Research on the pathogenic pathways linking trauma, OCD, and psychosis is needed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Davide Fausto Borrelli
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, Psychiatry Unit, University of Parma, 43126 Parma, Italy
- Department of Mental Health, Local Health Service, 29121 Piacenza, Italy
| | - Laura Dell'Uva
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, Psychiatry Unit, University of Parma, 43126 Parma, Italy
| | - Andrea Provettini
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, Psychiatry Unit, University of Parma, 43126 Parma, Italy
| | - Luca Gambolò
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, Psychiatry Unit, University of Parma, 43126 Parma, Italy
| | - Anna Di Donna
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, Psychiatry Unit, University of Parma, 43126 Parma, Italy
| | - Rebecca Ottoni
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, Psychiatry Unit, University of Parma, 43126 Parma, Italy
- Department of Mental Health, Local Health Service, 43125 Parma, Italy
| | - Carlo Marchesi
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, Psychiatry Unit, University of Parma, 43126 Parma, Italy
- Department of Mental Health, Local Health Service, 43125 Parma, Italy
| | - Matteo Tonna
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, Psychiatry Unit, University of Parma, 43126 Parma, Italy
- Department of Mental Health, Local Health Service, 43125 Parma, Italy
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48
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Qianru Y, Teng Q, Li Y, Liu S, Gong S, Liu K. Noise-induced hearing loss reduces inhibitory neurotransmitter synthesis in ventral hippocampus and contributes to the social memory deficits of mice. Neurosci Lett 2024; 820:137592. [PMID: 38103631 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2023.137592] [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: 10/05/2023] [Revised: 11/17/2023] [Accepted: 12/07/2023] [Indexed: 12/19/2023]
Abstract
Despite affecting over 1.5 billion people globally, hearing loss (HL) has been referred to as an "invisible disability", with noise exposure being a major causative factor. Accumulating evidence suggests that HL can induce cognitive impairment. However, relatively little is known about the effects of noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) on social memory. This study aimed to further investigate the effect of NIHL on social behaviours in mice. We established a rodent model of NIHL using 4-week-old C57BL/6J mice who experienced narrow noise exposure at 116 dB for 3 h per day over two consecutive days. Hearing ability was subsequently evaluated through auditory brainstem response (ABR) testing, and potential changes in the morphology of cochlear hair cells were assessed using immunofluorescence. The sociability and social memory of the mice were evaluated using the three-chamber social interaction test. Noise exposure resulted in complete and persistent HL in C57BL/6J mice, accompanied by severe loss of cochlear hair cells. More importantly, social memory was impaired in adult NIHL mice, whereas their sociability remained intact, these changes were accompanied by a decrease in the protein levels of the inhibitory neuron marker glutamic acid decarboxylase 67 (GAD67) in the ventral hippocampus. This study is the first to confirm that long-term auditory deprivation from HL induced by noise exposure results in social memory deficits in mice without altering their sociability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Qianru
- Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100050, China; Clinical Center for Hearing Loss, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100050, China
| | - Qi Teng
- Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100050, China; Clinical Center for Hearing Loss, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100050, China
| | - Yang Li
- Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100050, China; Clinical Center for Hearing Loss, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100050, China
| | - Shan Liu
- Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100050, China; Clinical Center for Hearing Loss, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100050, China
| | - Shusheng Gong
- Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100050, China; Clinical Center for Hearing Loss, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100050, China.
| | - Ke Liu
- Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100050, China; Clinical Center for Hearing Loss, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100050, China.
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49
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Kent J, Pinkham A. Cerebral and cerebellar correlates of social cognitive impairment in schizophrenia. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2024; 128:110850. [PMID: 37657639 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2023.110850] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2023] [Revised: 07/26/2023] [Accepted: 08/28/2023] [Indexed: 09/03/2023]
Abstract
Social cognition is a broad construct encompassing the ways in which individuals perceive, process, and use information about other people. Social cognition involves both lower- and higher-level processes such as emotion recognition and theory of mind, respectively. Social cognitive impairments have been repeatedly demonstrated in schizophrenia spectrum illnesses and, crucially, are related to functional outcomes. In this review, we summarize the literature investigating the brain networks implicated in social cognitive impairments in schizophrenia spectrum illnesses. In addition to cortical and limbic loci and networks, we also discuss evidence for cerebellar contributions to social cognitive impairment in this population. We conclude by synthesizing these two literatures, with an emphasis on current knowledge gaps, particularly in regard to cerebellar influences, and future directions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jerillyn Kent
- Department of Psychology, School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, The University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX, United States
| | - Amy Pinkham
- Department of Psychology, School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, The University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX, United States.
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50
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Ghamari R, Tahmaseb M, Sarabi-Jamab A, Etesami SA, Mohammadzadeh A, Alizadeh F, Tehrani-Doost M. Association of verbal and non-verbal theory of mind abilities with non-coding variants of OXTR in youth with autism spectrum disorder and typically developing individuals: a case-control study. BMC Psychiatry 2024; 24:30. [PMID: 38191308 PMCID: PMC10773038 DOI: 10.1186/s12888-023-05461-w] [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: 05/31/2023] [Accepted: 12/15/2023] [Indexed: 01/10/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The ability to attribute mental states to others is called theory of mind (ToM) and is a substantial component of social cognition. This ability is abnormally developed in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Several studies over the past decade have identified the oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR) and its variants as promising components for explaining the molecular mechanisms underlying Theory of Mind (ToM). The main aim of this study is to examine the association between rs2268498 and rs53576, two functional single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), and verbal and non-verbal ToM in children and adolescents with ASD and a group of typically developing youth. METHODS The study involved 44 children and adolescents with high-functioning ASD aged 8 to 18 years old and 44 TD individuals who were matched on age and sex. In all participants, blood samples were collected and rs2268498 and rs53576 were genotyped. Happe's Strange Stories test and the moving shapes paradigm were used to measure verbal and non-verbal ToM in all participants. RESULTS The results of permutation tests and logistic regression suggested that in TD group, rs2268498 AA carriers showed significant higher scores in variables representing verbal ToM (ToM stories and appropriateness score) whereas, in ASD group, rs53576 AA carriers exhibited significant better performance in parameters related to non-verbal ToM (ToM general rule and intentionality score). The results of hierarchical clustering in both groups support the findings by distinguishing between language-related and language-independent aspects of ToM. CONCLUSIONS In the present study, we examined the association between rs2268498 and rs53576 and social functioning in individuals with ASD and TD group. We found preliminary evidence that rs2268498 and rs53576 are associated with ToM related abilities in healthy individuals as well as in autistic individuals. Accordingly, rs2268498 and rs53576 may play an important role in predicting ToM capabilities. It will be necessary to conduct further research to address the association of genetic variants with a deficit in ToM in individuals with ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rana Ghamari
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Kharazmi University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mohammad Tahmaseb
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Kharazmi University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Atiye Sarabi-Jamab
- School of Cognitive Sciences, Institute for Research in Fundamental Sciences (IPM), Tehran, Iran
| | | | - Azar Mohammadzadeh
- Research Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Sciences, Roozbeh Psychiatry Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Fatemeh Alizadeh
- Department of Genomic Psychiatry and Behavioral Genomics (DGPBG), School of Medicine, Roozbeh Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS), Tehran, Iran.
| | - Mehdi Tehrani-Doost
- Research Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Sciences, Roozbeh Psychiatry Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
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