1
|
Koller S, Müller N, Kauschke C. The Elephant in the Room: A Systematic Review of Stimulus Control in Neuro-Measurement Studies on Figurative Language Processing. Front Hum Neurosci 2022; 15:791374. [PMID: 35126074 PMCID: PMC8814624 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2021.791374] [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: 10/08/2021] [Accepted: 12/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The processing of metaphors and idioms has been the subject of neuroscientific research for several decades. However, results are often contradictory, which can be traced back to inconsistent terminology and stimulus control. In this systematic review of research methods, we analyse linguistic aspects of 116 research papers which used EEG, fMRI, PET, MEG, or NIRS to investigate the neural processing of the two figurative subtypes metaphor and idiom. We critically examine the theoretical foundations as well as stimulus control by performing a systematic literature synthesis according to the PRISMA guidelines. We explicitly do not analyse the findings of the studies but instead focus on four primary aspects: definitions of figurative language and its subtypes, linguistic theory behind the studies, control for factors influencing figurative language processing, and the relationship between theoretical and operational definitions. We found both a lack and a broad variety in existing definitions and operationalisation, especially in regard to familiarity and conventionality. We identify severe obstacles in the comparability and validation potential of the results of the papers in our review corpus. We propose the development of a consensus in fundamental terminology and more transparency in the reporting of stimulus design in the research on figurative language processing.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Nadine Müller
- Department of German Studies and Arts, Institute of German Linguistics, Philipps University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | | |
Collapse
|
2
|
Noufi T, Zeev-Wolf M. Activating the Right Hemisphere Through Left-Hand Muscle Contraction Improves Novel Metaphor Comprehension. Front Psychol 2021; 12:729814. [PMID: 34744897 PMCID: PMC8570339 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.729814] [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: 06/23/2021] [Accepted: 09/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The neurotypical brain is characterized by left hemisphere lateralization for most language processing. However, the right hemisphere plays a crucial part when it is required to bring together seemingly unrelated concepts into meaningful expressions, such as in the case of novel metaphors (unfamiliar figurative expressions). The aim of the current study was to test whether it is possible to enhance novel metaphor comprehension through an easy, efficient, and non-invasive method – intentional contraction of the left hand’s muscles, to activate the motor and sensory areas in the contralateral hemisphere. One hundred eighteen neurotypical participants were asked to perform a semantic judgment task involving two-word expressions of four types: literal, conventional metaphors, novel metaphors, or unrelated, while squeezing a rubber ball with their right hand, left hand, or not at all. Results demonstrated that left-hand contraction improved novel metaphor comprehension, as participants were more accurate and quicker in judging them to be meaningful. The findings of the present work provide a simple and efficient method for boosting right hemisphere activation, which can be used to improve metaphoric language comprehension. This method can aid several populations in which right hemisphere function is not fully established, and who struggle with processing figurative language, such as adolescents and individuals on the autistic spectrum.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tala Noufi
- Department of Education, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beersheba, Israel
| | - Maor Zeev-Wolf
- Department of Education, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beersheba, Israel.,Zlotowski Center for Neuroscience, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beersheba, Israel
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Adamczyk P, Jáni M, Ligeza TS, Płonka O, Błądziński P, Wyczesany M. On the Role of Bilateral Brain Hypofunction and Abnormal Lateralization of Cortical Information Flow as Neural Underpinnings of Conventional Metaphor Processing Impairment in Schizophrenia: An fMRI and EEG Study. Brain Topogr 2021; 34:537-554. [PMID: 33973137 PMCID: PMC8195899 DOI: 10.1007/s10548-021-00849-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2020] [Accepted: 05/05/2021] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Figurative language processing (e.g. metaphors) is commonly impaired in schizophrenia. In the present study, we investigated the neural activity and propagation of information within neural circuits related to the figurative speech, as a neural substrate of impaired conventional metaphor processing in schizophrenia. The study included 30 schizophrenia outpatients and 30 healthy controls, all of whom were assessed with a functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) and electroencephalography (EEG) punchline-based metaphor comprehension task including literal (neutral), figurative (metaphorical) and nonsense (absurd) endings. The blood oxygenation level-dependent signal was recorded with 3T MRI scanner and direction and strength of cortical information flow in the time course of task processing was estimated with a 64-channel EEG input for directed transfer function. The presented results revealed that the behavioral manifestation of impaired figurative language in schizophrenia is related to the hypofunction in the bilateral fronto-temporo-parietal brain regions (fMRI) and various differences in effective connectivity in the fronto-temporo-parietal circuit (EEG). Schizophrenia outpatients showed an abnormal pattern of connectivity during metaphor processing which was related to bilateral (but more pronounced at the left hemisphere) hypoactivation of the brain. Moreover, we found reversed lateralization patterns, i.e. a rightward-shifted pattern during metaphor processing in schizophrenia compared to the control group. In conclusion, the presented findings revealed that the impairment of the conventional metaphor processing in schizophrenia is related to the bilateral brain hypofunction, which supports the evidence on reversed lateralization of the language neural network and the existence of compensatory recruitment of alternative neural circuits in schizophrenia.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Przemysław Adamczyk
- Institute of Psychology, Jagiellonian University, Ingardena 6, 30-060, Kraków, Poland.
| | - Martin Jáni
- Institute of Psychology, Jagiellonian University, Ingardena 6, 30-060, Kraków, Poland.,Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University and University Hospital Brno, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Tomasz S Ligeza
- Institute of Psychology, Jagiellonian University, Ingardena 6, 30-060, Kraków, Poland
| | - Olga Płonka
- Institute of Psychology, Jagiellonian University, Ingardena 6, 30-060, Kraków, Poland
| | - Piotr Błądziński
- Community Psychiatry and Psychosis Research Center, Chair of Psychiatry, Medical College, Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland
| | - Miroslaw Wyczesany
- Institute of Psychology, Jagiellonian University, Ingardena 6, 30-060, Kraków, Poland
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Marron TR, Berant E, Axelrod V, Faust M. Spontaneous cognition and its relationship to human creativity: A functional connectivity study involving a chain free association task. Neuroimage 2020; 220:117064. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.117064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2019] [Revised: 05/24/2020] [Accepted: 06/13/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
|
5
|
de Leede-Smith S, Roodenrys S, Horsley L, Matrini S, Mison E, Barkus E. Role for Positive Schizotypy and Hallucination Proneness in Semantic Processing. Front Psychol 2020; 11:542002. [PMID: 32982899 PMCID: PMC7492677 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.542002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2020] [Accepted: 08/12/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Semantic processing underpins the organization of verbal information for both storage and retrieval. Deficits in semantic processing are associated with both the risk for and symptoms presented in schizophrenia. However, studies are mixed and could reflect the confounding effects of medication and symptom heterogeneity. Therefore, we considered whether two risk phenotypes, positive schizotypy and hallucinatory predisposition, present in the general population were associated with differential responding profiles for a semantic processing task. One hundred and eighty-three participants completed the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire, Launay-Slade Hallucination Scale, National Adult Reading Test, a handedness measure, and a computerized semantic relatedness judgment task. Pairs of words were related through their dominant or subordinate meanings, or unrelated. Participants were divided into four groups using a mean split on cognitive-perceptual (positive) schizotypy and hallucination proneness. Significant differences between groups were found for reaction time on the semantic relatedness task, with the high cognitive-perceptual schizotypy groups responding significantly slower to all word pairs compared to their low scoring counterparts. There was some evidence that high hallucination proneness was associated with significantly faster reaction times which may reflect disinhibitive processes, however additional support is required. The results suggest that these two components of psychosis risk are associated with different patterns of responding to semantic processing. More diffuse activation of semantic information appeared to be associated with positive schizotypy, while those predisposed to hallucinations appeared to respond quicker. These results have significant implications in the re-conceptualization of hallucination proneness as distinct from positive schizotypy. Additional research is required to investigate the association between psychotic-like experiences separate from personality variables such as positive schizotypy and semantic processing.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Steven Roodenrys
- Cognitive Basis of Atypical Behaviour Initiative (CBABi), School of Psychology, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, Australia
| | - Lauren Horsley
- School of Psychology, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, Australia
| | - Shannen Matrini
- School of Psychology, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, Australia
| | - Erin Mison
- School of Psychology, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, Australia
| | - Emma Barkus
- Cognitive Basis of Atypical Behaviour Initiative (CBABi), School of Psychology, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, Australia.,School of Psychology, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Zeev-Wolf M, Rassovsky Y. Testing the magnocellular-pathway advantage in facial expressions processing for consistency over time. Neuropsychologia 2020; 138:107352. [PMID: 31958409 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2020.107352] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2019] [Revised: 12/12/2019] [Accepted: 01/16/2020] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
The ability to identify facial expressions rapidly and accurately is central to human evolution. Previous studies have demonstrated that this ability relies to a large extent on the magnocellular, rather than parvocellular, visual pathway, which is biased toward processing low spatial frequencies. Despite the generally consistent finding, no study to date has investigated the reliability of this effect over time. In the present study, 40 participants completed a facial emotion identification task (fearful, happy, or neutral faces) using facial images presented at three different spatial frequencies (low, high, or broad spatial frequency), at two time points separated by one year. Bayesian statistics revealed an advantage for the magnocellular pathway in processing facial expressions; however, no effect for time was found. Furthermore, participants' RT patterns of results were highly stable over time. Our replication, together with the consistency of our measurements within subjects, underscores the robustness of this effect. This capacity, therefore, may be considered in a trait-like manner, suggesting that individuals may possess various ability levels for processing facial expressions that can be captured in behavioral measurements.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Maor Zeev-Wolf
- Department of Education and Zlotowski Center for Neuroscience, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel
| | - Yuri Rassovsky
- Department of Psychology and Gonda Multidisciplinary Brain Research Center, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel; Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Iwashiro N, Takano Y, Natsubori T, Aoki Y, Yahata N, Gonoi W, Kunimatsu A, Abe O, Kasai K, Yamasue H. Aberrant attentive and inattentive brain activity to auditory negative words, and its relation to persecutory delusion in patients with schizophrenia. Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat 2019; 15:491-502. [PMID: 30858706 PMCID: PMC6387602 DOI: 10.2147/ndt.s194353] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Previous research has suggested that deficits in emotion recognition are involved in the pathogenesis of persecutory delusion in schizophrenia. Although disruption in auditory and language processing is crucial in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia, the neural basis for the deficits in emotion recognition of auditorily presented language stimuli and its relation to persecutory delusion have not yet been clarified. PATIENTS AND METHODS The current functional magnetic resonance imaging study used a dichotic listening task for 15 patients with schizophrenia and 23 healthy controls matched for age, sex, parental socioeconomic background, handedness, dexterous ear, and intelligence quotient. The participants completed a word recognition task on the attended side in which a word with emotionally valenced content (negative/neutral) was presented to one ear and a different neutral word was presented to the other ear. Participants selectively attended to either ear. RESULTS The whole brain analysis detected the aberrant neural activity in the right inferior frontal gyrus in the patients with schizophrenia compared to that in the controls (P<0.05, false discovery rate-corrected). Brain activity in the right pars triangularis of the inferior frontal gyrus was significantly reduced when negatively valenced words were presented to the right ear, whereas the activity of the same region was significantly enhanced when these words were presented to the left ear, irrespective of the attended ear, in the participants with schizophrenia compared to the controls. Furthermore, this diminished brain response to auditorily presented negatively valenced words significantly correlated with severe positive symptoms (r=-0.67, P=0.006) and delusional behavior (r=-0.62, P=0.014) in the patients with schizophrenia. CONCLUSION The present results indicate that the significantly impaired brain activity in response to auditorily presented negatively valenced words in the right pars triangularis of the inferior frontal gyrus is associated with the pathogenesis of positive symptoms such as persecutory delusion.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Norichika Iwashiro
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan,
| | - Yosuke Takano
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan,
| | - Tatsunobu Natsubori
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan,
| | - Yuta Aoki
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan,
| | - Noriaki Yahata
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan, .,Department of Molecular Imaging and Theranostics, National Institute of Radiological Sciences, National Institutes for Quantum and Radiological Science and Technology, Chiba-city, Chiba, Japan
| | - Wataru Gonoi
- Department of Radiology, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Japan
| | - Akira Kunimatsu
- Department of Radiology, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Japan
| | - Osamu Abe
- Department of Radiology, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Japan
| | - Kiyoto Kasai
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan,
| | - Hidenori Yamasue
- Department of Psychiatry, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Higashi-ku, Hamamatsu City, Japan,
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Marron TR, Lerner Y, Berant E, Kinreich S, Shapira-Lichter I, Hendler T, Faust M. Chain free association, creativity, and the default mode network. Neuropsychologia 2018; 118:40-58. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2018.03.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2017] [Revised: 03/12/2018] [Accepted: 03/13/2018] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
|
9
|
Taghipour M, Ghaffarpasand F. Corpus Callosotomy for Drug-Resistant Schizophrenia; Novel Treatment Based on Pathophysiology. World Neurosurg 2018; 116:483-484. [PMID: 30049036 DOI: 10.1016/j.wneu.2018.04.113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2018] [Accepted: 04/17/2018] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Mousa Taghipour
- Department of Neurosurgery, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | | |
Collapse
|
10
|
Rossetti I, Brambilla P, Papagno C. Metaphor Comprehension in Schizophrenic Patients. Front Psychol 2018; 9:670. [PMID: 29867648 PMCID: PMC5954116 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00670] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2017] [Accepted: 04/18/2018] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
People with schizophrenia often exhibit difficulties to comprehend figurative expressions, such as irony, proverbs, metaphors and idioms, with a general proneness to neglect the figurative meaning and to accept the more literal one. This inability is usually referred to as concretism and it constitutes a clinical manifestation of the broader language dysfunction called Formal Thought Disorder. The current review focuses on the neuropsychological and neuroanatomical underpinnings of schizophrenics’ misinterpretation of a subgroup of figurative expressions, i.e., metaphors. Metaphors are heterogeneous in nature, classifiable according to various criteria; for instance, metaphors can be conventional and familiar, or conversely, novel and unusual. These linguistic distinctions are substantial because the comprehension of the different types of metaphor entails partially different cognitive strategies and neural substrates. This review gathers studies that have directly investigated which neurocognitive deficits explain the inefficient comprehension of metaphor in schizophrenia. Several impairments have been put forward, such as general intelligence, executive functions and theory of mind deficits. Moreover, the neural correlates of metaphor comprehension in schizophrenia, like the left inferior/medial frontal gyrus and the temporal lobe, match those cortices affected by the neuropathology of schizophrenia. Even though the causal defective mechanism is still a matter of investigation, we provide an attempt to integrate existing findings.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ileana Rossetti
- Dipartimento di Psicologia, Università di Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy
| | - Paolo Brambilla
- Scientific Institute IRCCS "E. Medea", Bosisio Parini, Italy.,Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Costanza Papagno
- Dipartimento di Psicologia, Università di Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy.,Center for Mind/Brain Sciences and Centro di Riabilitazione Neurocognitiva, University of Trento, Trento, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Kenett YN, Gold R, Faust M. Metaphor Comprehension in Low and High Creative Individuals. Front Psychol 2018; 9:482. [PMID: 29686639 PMCID: PMC5900434 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00482] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2017] [Accepted: 03/22/2018] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
The comprehension of metaphors involves the ability to activate a broader, more flexible set of semantic associations in order to integrate the meanings of the weakly related parts of the metaphor into a meaningful linguistic expression. Previous findings point to a relation between levels of creativity and efficiency in processing metaphoric expressions, as measured by reaction times (RTs) and error rates. Furthermore, recent studies have found that more creative individuals exhibit a relatively more flexible semantic memory structure compared to less creative individuals, which may facilitate their comprehension of novel metaphors. In the present study, lower and higher creative individuals performed a semantic relatedness judgment task on word pairs. These word pairs comprised four types of semantic relations: novel metaphors, conventional metaphors, literal word pairs, and meaningless word pairs. We hypothesized that the two groups will perform similarly in comprehending the literal, unrelated, and the conventional metaphoric word pairs. However, with respect to novel metaphors, we predicted that higher creative individuals will demonstrate better performance compared to lower creative individuals, as indicated by smaller RTs and more accurate responses. Our main finding shows that higher creative individuals were faster in comprehending both types of metaphors, conventional and novel, compared to lower creative individuals. Furthermore, higher creative individuals were significantly more accurate than lower creative individual only in comprehending novel metaphors. The findings are discussed in light of previous findings regarding the relation between metaphor comprehension, semantic memory, and creativity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yoed N Kenett
- Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States.,The Leslie and Susan Gonda (Goldschmied) Multidisciplinary Brain Research Center, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel
| | - Rinat Gold
- Department of Communication Disorders, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Miriam Faust
- The Leslie and Susan Gonda (Goldschmied) Multidisciplinary Brain Research Center, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel.,Department of Psychology, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Perlini C, Bellani M, Finos L, Lasalvia A, Bonetto C, Scocco P, D'Agostino A, Torresani S, Imbesi M, Bellini F, Konze A, Veronese A, Ruggeri M, Brambilla P. Non literal language comprehension in a large sample of first episode psychosis patients in adulthood. Psychiatry Res 2018; 260:78-89. [PMID: 29175503 DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2017.11.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2017] [Revised: 09/22/2017] [Accepted: 11/08/2017] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
To date no data still exist on the comprehension of figurative language in the early phases of psychosis. The aim of this study is to investigate for the first time the comprehension of metaphors and idioms at the onset of the illness. Two-hundred-twenty eight (228) first episode psychosis (FEP) patients (168 NAP, non-affective psychosis; 60 AP, affective psychosis) and 70 healthy controls (HC) were assessed. Groups were contrasted on: a) type of stimulus (metaphors vs idioms) and b) type of response (OPEN = spontaneous explanations vs CLOSED = multiple choice answer). Moreover, a machine learning (ML) approach was adopted to classifying participants. Both NAP and AP had a poorer performance on OPEN metaphors and idioms compared to HC, with worse results on spontaneous interpretation of idioms than metaphors. No differences were observed between NAP and AP in CLOSED tasks. The ML approach points at CLOSED idioms as the best discriminating variable, more relevant than the set of pre-frontal and IQ scores. Deficits in non-figurative language may represent a core feature of psychosis. The possibility to identify linguistic features discriminating FEP may support the early recognition of patients at risk to develop psychosis, guiding provision of personalized and timely interventions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Cinzia Perlini
- Department of Neurosciences, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, Section of Clinical Psychology, University of Verona, Italy
| | - Marcella Bellani
- UOC of Psychiatry, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Integrata (AOUI) of Verona, Italy
| | - Livio Finos
- Department of Developmental Psychology and Socialization, University of Padua, Italy
| | - Antonio Lasalvia
- UOC of Psychiatry, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Integrata (AOUI) of Verona, Italy
| | - Chiara Bonetto
- Department of Neurosciences, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, Section of Psychiatry, University of Verona, Italy
| | - Paolo Scocco
- Department of Mental Health, AULSS 6 Euganea, Padua, Italy
| | - Armando D'Agostino
- Department of Health Sciences, San Paolo University Hospital, University of Milan, Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Stefano Torresani
- Department of Psychiatry, ULSS, Bolzano Suedtiroler Sanitaetbetrieb- Azienda Sanitaria dell'Alto Adige, Bolzano, Italy
| | | | | | - Angela Konze
- SOC Radiology - S.Maria Nuova Hospital, Usl Central Tuscany, Florence, Italy
| | | | - Mirella Ruggeri
- UOC of Psychiatry, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Integrata (AOUI) of Verona, Italy; Department of Neurosciences, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, Section of Psychiatry, University of Verona, Italy
| | - Paolo Brambilla
- Department of Neurosciences and Mental Health, Psychiatric Clinic, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, University of Milan, Milan, Italy; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, University of Texas at Houston, TX, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Rapp AM, Felsenheimer AK, Langohr K, Klupp M. The Comprehension of Familiar and Novel Metaphoric Meanings in Schizophrenia: A Pilot Study. Front Psychol 2018; 8:2251. [PMID: 29354082 PMCID: PMC5760836 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2017.02251] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2017] [Accepted: 12/11/2017] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Miscomprehension of nonliteral (“figurative”) language like metaphors, proverbs, idioms, and ironic expressions by patients with schizophrenia is a phenomenon mentioned already in historical psychiatric descriptions. However, it was only recently that studies did differentiate between novel and conventional metaphors, a factor that is known to influence the difficulty of comprehension in healthy subjects. Further, familiarity with stimuli is an important factor for comprehension, which was not recommended in utmost previous studies. In this study, 23 patients with DSM IV schizophrenia and 19 healthy control subjects performed a newly-developed German metaphor comprehension test with three types of stimuli: novel metaphors, conventional German metaphors, and meaningless statements. During the test procedure, participants indicated familiarity with the stimulus and then matched the meaning with one out of four given alternatives. Familiarity rankings did not significantly differ between patients and control subjects. However, on descriptive level, there was a tendency for healthy controls to be more familiar with conventional metaphors than schizophrenic patients. Further, comprehension of conventional and novel metaphors differed significantly between the groups, with higher performance in healthy controls. Considering only those metaphors that had been ranked as familiar, patients only revealed significant lower performance opposed to controls regarding novel metaphors, while they did not differ in conventional metaphors. Taken together, the results indicate that patients with schizophrenia might show an altered way of comprehension in novel metaphors, leading to more misunderstandings. However, their previously reported impairments in conventional metaphors might rather be due to a lack of familiarity with the stimuli—making conventional metaphors to novel metaphors in the individual case.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alexander M Rapp
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Anne K Felsenheimer
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Karin Langohr
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Magdalena Klupp
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Saban-Bezalel R, Hess S, Dolfin D, Hermesh H, Vishne T, Mashal N. Hemispheric processing of idioms in schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorder. JOURNAL OF COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY 2017. [DOI: 10.1080/20445911.2017.1325893] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Ronit Saban-Bezalel
- School of Education, Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel
- School of Health Sciences, Ariel University, Ariel, Israel
| | - Shmuel Hess
- Geha Mental Health Center, Petah Tikva, Israel
| | - Dror Dolfin
- Geha Mental Health Center, Petah Tikva, Israel
| | - Hagai Hermesh
- Geha Mental Health Center, Petah Tikva, Israel
- Sackler Faculty of Medical, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel
| | - Tali Vishne
- Mayanei Hayeshua Medical Center, Bnei Brak, Israel
| | - Nira Mashal
- Mayanei Hayeshua Medical Center, Bnei Brak, Israel
- Gonda Multidisciplinary Brain Research Center, Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Adamczyk P, Daren A, Sułecka A, Błądziński P, Cichocki Ł, Kalisz A, Gawęda Ł, Cechnicki A. Do better communication skills promote sheltered employment in schizophrenia? Schizophr Res 2016; 176:331-339. [PMID: 27546092 DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2016.08.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2016] [Revised: 07/01/2016] [Accepted: 08/15/2016] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Alongside various psychopathological symptoms and neurocognitive dysfunctions, communication skill impairments may be considered core feature of schizophrenia. Although many studies examined the relation between employment status and neurocognition in schizophrenia, we still know very little about the role of communication skills in vocational status among people with schizophrenia. The purpose of this study is to identify the most characteristic communication, neurocognitive and social cognition differences which separate the employed schizophrenia outpatients from those who do not work. The study included three groups: 33 schizophrenia outpatients employed in social firms, 29 unemployed schizophrenia outpatients participating in occupational therapy and sex & age matched 31 healthy controls. We assessed communication skills, global cognitive functioning, executive functions, memory, social cognition as well as severity of psychopathology. Our results indicate that the most characteristic differences between employed and unemployed schizophrenia outpatients are associated with selective language and communication skills, i.e. paralinguistic aspects of communication, understanding of discrete meaning of linguistic context and figurative meaning of language. We find no significant differences between both clinical groups with regard to neurocognition and social cognition. Moreover, unemployed group had more severe psychopathology than the employed group, so we re-analyzed results controlling for symptom severity. The only differences that endured were related to general communication skills and explanation of pictured metaphors, but only when controlling solely for positive or negative syndrome. In conclusion, the present study indicates that employment in schizophrenia is associated with better symptomatic remission and communication skills, but not with better neurocognition and social cognition.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Przemysław Adamczyk
- Department of Community Psychiatry, Chair of Psychiatry, Medical College, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland; Psychosis Research and Psychotherapy Unit, Association for the Development of Psychiatry and Community Care, Krakow, Poland.
| | - Artur Daren
- Department of Community Psychiatry, Chair of Psychiatry, Medical College, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland; Psychosis Research and Psychotherapy Unit, Association for the Development of Psychiatry and Community Care, Krakow, Poland
| | - Aleksandra Sułecka
- Psychosis Research and Psychotherapy Unit, Association for the Development of Psychiatry and Community Care, Krakow, Poland
| | - Piotr Błądziński
- Department of Community Psychiatry, Chair of Psychiatry, Medical College, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland
| | - Łukasz Cichocki
- Department of Community Psychiatry, Chair of Psychiatry, Medical College, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland
| | - Aneta Kalisz
- Department of Community Psychiatry, Chair of Psychiatry, Medical College, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland
| | - Łukasz Gawęda
- II Department of Psychiatry, Medical University of Warsaw, Poland; Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Andrzej Cechnicki
- Department of Community Psychiatry, Chair of Psychiatry, Medical College, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland; Psychosis Research and Psychotherapy Unit, Association for the Development of Psychiatry and Community Care, Krakow, Poland
| |
Collapse
|