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Løchen AR, Kolskår KK, de Lange AMG, Sneve MH, Haatveit B, Lagerberg TV, Ueland T, Melle I, Andreassen OA, Westlye LT, Alnæs D. Visual processing deficits in patients with schizophrenia spectrum and bipolar disorders and associations with psychotic symptoms, and intellectual abilities. Heliyon 2023; 9:e13354. [PMID: 36825178 PMCID: PMC9941950 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e13354] [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: 01/11/2022] [Revised: 01/18/2023] [Accepted: 01/26/2023] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Objective Low-level sensory disruption is hypothesized as a precursor to clinical and cognitive symptoms in severe mental disorders. We compared visual discrimination performance in patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorder or bipolar disorder with healthy controls, and investigated associations with clinical symptoms and IQ. Methods Patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorder (n = 32), bipolar disorder (n = 55) and healthy controls (n = 152) completed a computerized visual discrimination task. Participants responded whether the latter of two consecutive grids had higher or lower spatial frequency, and discrimination thresholds were estimated using an adaptive maximum likelihood procedure. Case-control differences in threshold were assessed using linear regression, F-test and post-hoc pair-wise comparisons. Linear models were used to test for associations between visual discrimination threshold and psychotic symptoms derived from the PANSS and IQ assessed using the Matrix Reasoning and Vocabulary subtests from the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence (WASI). Results Robust regression revealed a significant main effect of diagnosis on discrimination threshold (robust F = 6.76, p = .001). Post-hoc comparisons revealed that patients with a schizophrenia spectrum disorder (mean = 14%, SD = 0.08) had higher thresholds compared to healthy controls (mean = 10.8%, SD = 0.07, β = 0.35, t = 3.4, p = .002), as did patients with bipolar disorder (12.23%, SD = 0.07, β = 0.21, t = 2.42, p = .04). There was no significant difference between bipolar disorder and schizophrenia (β = -0.14, t = -1.2, p = .45). Linear models revealed negative associations between IQ and threshold across all participants when controlling for diagnostic group (β = -0.3, t = -3.43, p = .0007). This association was found within healthy controls (t = -3.72, p = .0003) and patients with bipolar disorder (t = -2.53, p = .015), and no significant group by IQ interaction on threshold (F = 0.044, p = .97). There were no significant associations between PANSS domain scores and discrimination threshold. Conclusion Patients with schizophrenia spectrum or bipolar disorders exhibited higher visual discrimination thresholds than healthy controls, supporting early visual deficits among patients with severe mental illness. Discrimination threshold was negatively associated with IQ among healthy controls and bipolar disorder patients. These findings elucidate perception-related disease mechanisms in severe mental illness, which warrants replication in independent samples.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aili R. Løchen
- NORMENT, Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital & Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Norway,Corresponding author. Oslo University Hospital, PO Box 4956 Nydalen, 0424 Oslo, Norway.
| | - Knut K. Kolskår
- NORMENT, Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital & Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Norway,Sunnaas Rehabilitation Hospital HT, Nesodden, Norway,Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Norway
| | - Ann-Marie G. de Lange
- NORMENT, Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital & Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Norway,LREN, Centre for Research in Neurosciences, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV) and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland,Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | | | - Beathe Haatveit
- NORMENT, Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital & Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Norway
| | - Trine V. Lagerberg
- NORMENT, Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital & Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Norway
| | - Torill Ueland
- NORMENT, Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital & Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Norway,Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Norway
| | - Ingrid Melle
- NORMENT, Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital & Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Norway
| | - Ole A. Andreassen
- NORMENT, Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital & Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Norway,KG Jebsen Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, University of Oslo, Norway
| | - Lars T. Westlye
- NORMENT, Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital & Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Norway,Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Norway,KG Jebsen Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, University of Oslo, Norway
| | - Dag Alnæs
- NORMENT, Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital & Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Norway,Kristiania University College, Oslo, Norway,Corresponding author. Oslo University Hospital, PO Box 4956 Nydalen, 0424 Oslo, Norway.
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Gröhn C, Norgren E, Eriksson L. A systematic review of the neural correlates of multisensory integration in schizophrenia. SCHIZOPHRENIA RESEARCH-COGNITION 2021; 27:100219. [PMID: 34660211 PMCID: PMC8502765 DOI: 10.1016/j.scog.2021.100219] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2021] [Revised: 09/27/2021] [Accepted: 09/27/2021] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Multisensory integration (MSI), in which sensory signals from different modalities are unified, is necessary for our comprehensive perception of and effective adaptation to the objects and events around us. However, individuals with schizophrenia suffer from impairments in MSI, which could explain typical symptoms like hallucination and reality distortion. Because the neural correlates of aberrant MSI in schizophrenia help us understand the physiognomy of this psychiatric disorder, we performed a systematic review of the current research on this subject. The literature search concerned investigated MSI in diagnosed schizophrenia patients compared to healthy controls using brain imaging. Seventeen of 317 identified studies were finally included. To assess risk of bias, the Newcastle-Ottawa quality assessment was used, and the review was written according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis (PRISMA). The results indicated that multisensory processes in schizophrenia are associated with aberrant, mainly reduced, neural activity in several brain regions, as measured by event-related potentials, oscillations, activity and connectivity. The conclusion is that a fronto-temporal region, comprising the frontal inferior gyrus, middle temporal gyrus and superior temporal gyrus/sulcus, along with the fusiform gyrus and dorsal visual stream in the occipital-parietal lobe are possible key regions of deficient MSI in schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Lars Eriksson
- Corresponding author at: Department of Social and Psychological Studies, Karlstad University, SE-651 88 Karlstad, Sweden.
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Wolf A, Ueda K. Contribution of Eye-Tracking to Study Cognitive Impairments Among Clinical Populations. Front Psychol 2021; 12:590986. [PMID: 34163391 PMCID: PMC8215550 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.590986] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2020] [Accepted: 05/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
In the field of psychology, the merge of decision-theory and neuroscientific methods produces an array of scientifically recognized paradigms. For example, by exploring consumer’s eye-movement behavior, researchers aim to deepen the understanding of how patterns of retinal activation are being meaningfully transformed into visual experiences and connected with specific reactions (e.g., purchase). Notably, eye-movements provide knowledge of one’s homeostatic balance and gatekeep information that shape decisions. Hence, vision science investigates the quality of observed environments determined under various experimental conditions. Moreover, it answers questions on how human process visual stimuli and use gained information for a successful strategy to achieve certain goals. While capturing cognitive states with the support of the eye-trackers progresses at a relatively fast pace in decision-making research, measuring the visual performance of real-life tasks, which require complex cognitive skills, is tentatively translated into clinical experiments. Nevertheless, the potential of the human eye as a highly valuable source of biomarkers has been underlined. In this article, we aim to draw readers attention to decision-making experimental paradigms supported with eye-tracking technology among clinical populations. Such interdisciplinary approach may become an important component that will (i) help in objectively illustrating patient’s models of beliefs and values, (ii) support clinical interventions, and (iii) contribute to health services. It is possible that shortly, eye-movement data from decision-making experiments will grant the scientific community a greater understanding of mechanisms underlining mental states and consumption practices that medical professionals consider as obsessions, disorders or addiction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra Wolf
- JSPS International Research Fellow, Research Center for Applied Perceptual Science, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Kazuo Ueda
- Unit of Perceptual Psychology, Dept. Human Science, Research Center for Applied Perceptual Science, Division of Auditory and Visual Perception Research, Research and Development Center for Five-Sense Devices, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
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Wolf A, Ueda K, Hirano Y. Recent updates of eye movement abnormalities in patients with schizophrenia: A scoping review. Psychiatry Clin Neurosci 2021; 75:82-100. [PMID: 33314465 PMCID: PMC7986125 DOI: 10.1111/pcn.13188] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2020] [Revised: 11/27/2020] [Accepted: 12/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
AIM Although eye-tracking technology expands beyond capturing eye data just for the sole purpose of ensuring participants maintain their gaze at the presented fixation cross, gaze technology remains of less importance in clinical research. Recently, impairments in visual information encoding processes indexed by novel gaze metrics have been frequently reported in patients with schizophrenia. This work undertakes a scoping review of research on saccadic dysfunctions and exploratory eye movement deficits among patients with schizophrenia. It gathers promising pieces of evidence of eye movement abnormalities in attention-demanding tasks on the schizophrenia spectrum that have mounted in recent years and their outcomes as potential biological markers. METHODS The protocol was drafted based on PRISMA for scoping review guidelines. Electronic databases were systematically searched to identify articles published between 2010 and 2020 that examined visual processing in patients with schizophrenia and reported eye movement characteristics as potential biomarkers for this mental illness. RESULTS The use of modern eye-tracking instrumentation has been reported by numerous neuroscientific studies to successfully and non-invasively improve the detection of visual information processing impairments among the screened population at risk of and identified with schizophrenia. CONCLUSIONS Eye-tracking technology has the potential to contribute to the process of early intervention and more apparent separation of the diagnostic entities, being put together by the syndrome-based approach to the diagnosis of schizophrenia. However, context-processing paradigms should be conducted and reported in equally accessible publications to build comprehensive models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra Wolf
- International Research Fellow of Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Fukuoka, Japan.,Department of Human Science, Research Center for Applied Perceptual Science, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Kazuo Ueda
- Department of Human Science, Research Center for Applied Perceptual Science, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Yoji Hirano
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
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A Possible Link between Anxiety and Schizophrenia and a Possible Role of Anhedonia. SCHIZOPHRENIA RESEARCH AND TREATMENT 2018; 2018:5917475. [PMID: 29593903 PMCID: PMC5822762 DOI: 10.1155/2018/5917475] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2017] [Revised: 08/24/2017] [Accepted: 12/10/2017] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
In the prodromal phase of schizophrenia, severe alterations of the visual appearance of the environment have been found, accompanied by a state of intense anxiety. The present study considers the possibility that these alterations really exist in the appearance of objects, but that healthy people do not see them. The image of the world that we see is continuously deformed and fragmented by foreshortenings, partial overlapping, and so on and must be constantly reassembled and interpreted; otherwise, it could change so much that we would hardly recognize it. Since pleasure has been found to be involved in visual and cognitive information processing, the possibility is considered that anhedonia (the reduction of the ability to feel pleasure) might interfere with the correct reconstruction and interpretation of the image of the environment and alter its appearance. The possibility is also considered that these alterations might make the environment hostile, might at times evoke the sensation of being trapped by a predator, and might be the cause of the anxiety that accompanies them. According to some authors, they might also induce delusional ideas, in an attempt to restore meaning in a world that has become chaotic and frightening.
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Malt EA, Juhasz K, Malt UF, Naumann T. A Role for the Transcription Factor Nk2 Homeobox 1 in Schizophrenia: Convergent Evidence from Animal and Human Studies. Front Behav Neurosci 2016; 10:59. [PMID: 27064909 PMCID: PMC4811959 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2016.00059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2015] [Accepted: 03/11/2016] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Schizophrenia is a highly heritable disorder with diverse mental and somatic symptoms. The molecular mechanisms leading from genes to disease pathology in schizophrenia remain largely unknown. Genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have shown that common single-nucleotide polymorphisms associated with specific diseases are enriched in the recognition sequences of transcription factors that regulate physiological processes relevant to the disease. We have used a “bottom-up” approach and tracked a developmental trajectory from embryology to physiological processes and behavior and recognized that the transcription factor NK2 homeobox 1 (NKX2-1) possesses properties of particular interest for schizophrenia. NKX2-1 is selectively expressed from prenatal development to adulthood in the brain, thyroid gland, parathyroid gland, lungs, skin, and enteric ganglia, and has key functions at the interface of the brain, the endocrine-, and the immune system. In the developing brain, NKX2-1-expressing progenitor cells differentiate into distinct subclasses of forebrain GABAergic and cholinergic neurons, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes. The transcription factor is highly expressed in mature limbic circuits related to context-dependent goal-directed patterns of behavior, social interaction and reproduction, fear responses, responses to light, and other homeostatic processes. It is essential for development and mature function of the thyroid gland and the respiratory system, and is involved in calcium metabolism and immune responses. NKX2-1 interacts with a number of genes identified as susceptibility genes for schizophrenia. We suggest that NKX2-1 may lie at the core of several dose dependent pathways that are dysregulated in schizophrenia. We correlate the symptoms seen in schizophrenia with the temporal and spatial activities of NKX2-1 in order to highlight promising future research areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva A Malt
- Department of Adult Habilitation, Akershus University HospitalLørenskog, Norway; Institute of Clinical Medicine, Ahus Campus University of OsloOslo, Norway
| | - Katalin Juhasz
- Department of Adult Habilitation, Akershus University Hospital Lørenskog, Norway
| | - Ulrik F Malt
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of OsloOslo, Norway; Department of Research and Education, Institution of Oslo University HospitalOslo, Norway
| | - Thomas Naumann
- Centre of Anatomy, Institute of Cell Biology and Neurobiology, Charite Universitätsmedizin Berlin Berlin, Germany
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Stone DB, Coffman BA, Bustillo JR, Aine CJ, Stephen JM. Multisensory stimuli elicit altered oscillatory brain responses at gamma frequencies in patients with schizophrenia. Front Hum Neurosci 2014; 8:788. [PMID: 25414652 PMCID: PMC4220133 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2014.00788] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2013] [Accepted: 09/17/2014] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Deficits in auditory and visual unisensory responses are well documented in patients with schizophrenia; however, potential abnormalities elicited from multisensory audio-visual stimuli are less understood. Further, schizophrenia patients have shown abnormal patterns in task-related and task-independent oscillatory brain activity, particularly in the gamma frequency band. We examined oscillatory responses to basic unisensory and multisensory stimuli in schizophrenia patients (N = 46) and healthy controls (N = 57) using magnetoencephalography (MEG). Time-frequency decomposition was performed to determine regions of significant changes in gamma band power by group in response to unisensory and multisensory stimuli relative to baseline levels. Results showed significant behavioral differences between groups in response to unisensory and multisensory stimuli. In addition, time-frequency analysis revealed significant decreases and increases in gamma-band power in schizophrenia patients relative to healthy controls, which emerged both early and late over both sensory and frontal regions in response to unisensory and multisensory stimuli. Unisensory gamma-band power predicted multisensory gamma-band power differently by group. Furthermore, gamma-band power in these regions predicted performance in select measures of the Measurement and Treatment Research to Improve Cognition in Schizophrenia (MATRICS) test battery differently by group. These results reveal a unique pattern of task-related gamma-band power in schizophrenia patients relative to controls that may indicate reduced inhibition in combination with impaired oscillatory mechanisms in patients with schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- David B Stone
- The Mind Research Network and Lovelace Biomedical and Environmental Research Institute Albuquerque, NM, USA
| | - Brian A Coffman
- The Mind Research Network and Lovelace Biomedical and Environmental Research Institute Albuquerque, NM, USA ; Department of Psychology, Clinical Neuroscience Center, University of New Mexico Albuquerque NM, USA
| | - Juan R Bustillo
- Department of Psychiatry, Health Sciences Center, University of New Mexico Albuquerque, NM, USA
| | - Cheryl J Aine
- Department of Radiology, Health Sciences Center, University of New Mexico Albuquerque, NM, USA
| | - Julia M Stephen
- The Mind Research Network and Lovelace Biomedical and Environmental Research Institute Albuquerque, NM, USA
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Calderone DJ, Martinez A, Zemon V, Hoptman MJ, Hu G, Watkins JE, Javitt DC, Butler PD. Comparison of psychophysical, electrophysiological, and fMRI assessment of visual contrast responses in patients with schizophrenia. Neuroimage 2013; 67:153-62. [PMID: 23194815 PMCID: PMC3544989 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2012.11.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2012] [Revised: 11/12/2012] [Accepted: 11/18/2012] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Perception has been identified by the NIMH-sponsored Cognitive Neuroscience Treatment Research to Improve Cognition in Schizophrenia (CNTRICS) group as a useful domain for assessing cognitive deficits in patients with schizophrenia. Specific measures of contrast gain derived from recordings of steady-state visual evoked potentials (ssVEP) have demonstrated neural deficits within the visual pathways of patients with schizophrenia. Psychophysical measures of contrast sensitivity have also shown functional loss in these patients. In the current study, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used in conjunction with ssVEP and contrast sensitivity testing to elucidate the neural underpinnings of these deficits. During fMRI scanning, participants viewed 1) the same low and higher spatial frequency stimuli used in the psychophysical contrast sensitivity task, at both individual detection threshold contrast and at a high contrast; and 2) the same stimuli used in the ssVEP paradigm, which were designed to be biased toward either the magnocellular or parvocellular visual pathway. Patients showed significant impairment in contrast sensitivity at both spatial frequencies in the psychophysical task, but showed reduced occipital activation volume for low, but not higher, spatial frequency at the low and high contrasts tested in the magnet. As expected, patients exhibited selective deficits under the magnocellular-biased ssVEP condition. However, occipital lobe fMRI responses demonstrated the same general pattern for magnocellular- and parvocellular-biased stimuli across groups. These results indicate dissociation between the fMRI measures and the psychophysical/ssVEP measures. These latter measures appear to have greater value for the functional assessment of the contrast deficits explored here.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel J Calderone
- Nathan S. Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, 140 Old Orangeburg Road, Orangeburg, NY 10962, USA.
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