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Bravo Balsa L, Abu-Akel A, Mevorach C. Dynamic functional connectivity in the right temporoparietal junction captures variations in male autistic trait expression. Autism Res 2024; 17:702-715. [PMID: 38456581 DOI: 10.1002/aur.3117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2023] [Accepted: 02/21/2024] [Indexed: 03/09/2024]
Abstract
Autistic individuals can experience difficulties with attention reorienting and Theory of Mind (ToM), which are closely associated with anterior and posterior subdivisions of the right temporoparietal junction. While the link between these processes remains unclear, it is likely subserved by a dynamic crosstalk between these two subdivisions. We, therefore, examined the dynamic functional connectivity (dFC) between the anterior and posterior temporoparietal junction, as a biological marker of attention and ToM, to test its contribution to the manifestation of autistic trait expression in Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC). Two studies were conducted, exploratory (14 ASC, 15 TD) and replication (29 ASC, 29 TD), using resting-state fMRI data and the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) from the Autism Brain Imaging Data Exchange repository. Dynamic Independent Component Analysis was performed in both datasets using the CONN toolbox. An additional sliding-window analysis was performed in the replication study to explore different connectivity states (from highly negatively to highly positively correlated). Dynamic FC was reduced in ASC compared to TD adults in both the exploratory and replication datasets and was associated with increased SRS scores (especially in ASC). Regression analyses revealed that decreased SRS autistic expression was predicted by engagement of highly negatively correlated states, while engagement of highly positively correlated states predicted increased expression. These findings provided consistent evidence that the difficulties observed in ASC are associated with altered patterns of dFC between brain regions subserving attention reorienting and ToM processes and may serve as a biomarker of autistic trait expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Bravo Balsa
- Centre for Human Brain Health, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, UK
- Centre for the Developing Brain, School of Biomedical Engineering & Imaging Sciences, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Ahmad Abu-Akel
- School of Psychological Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
- Haifa Brain and Behavior Hub, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
| | - Carmel Mevorach
- Centre for Human Brain Health, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, UK
- School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, UK
- Centre for Developmental Science, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, UK
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2
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Nenadić I, Meller T, Evermann U, Pfarr JK, Federspiel A, Walther S, Grezellschak S, Abu-Akel A. Modelling the overlap and divergence of autistic and schizotypal traits on hippocampal subfield volumes and regional cerebral blood flow. Mol Psychiatry 2023:10.1038/s41380-023-02302-w. [PMID: 37891246 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-023-02302-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2022] [Revised: 09/22/2023] [Accepted: 10/11/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023]
Abstract
Psychiatric disorders show high co-morbidity, including co-morbid expressions of subclinical psychopathology across multiple disease spectra. Given the limitations of classical case-control designs in elucidating this overlap, new approaches are needed to identify biological underpinnings of spectra and their interaction. We assessed autistic-like traits (using the Autism Quotient, AQ) and schizotypy - as models of subclinical expressions of disease phenotypes and examined their association with volumes and regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) of anterior, mid- and posterior hippocampus segments from structural MRI scans in 318 and arterial spin labelling (ASL) in 346 nonclinical subjects, which overlapped with the structural imaging sample (N = 298). We demonstrate significant interactive effects of positive schizotypy and AQ social skills as well as of positive schizotypy and AQ imagination on hippocampal subfield volume variation. Moreover, we show that AQ attention switching modulated hippocampal head rCBF, while positive schizotypy by AQ attention to detail interactions modulated hippocampal tail rCBF. In addition, we show significant correlation of hippocampal volume and rCBF in both region-of-interest and voxel-wise analyses, which were robust after removal of variance related to schizotypy and autistic traits. These findings provide empirical evidence for both the modulation of hippocampal subfield structure and function through subclinical traits, and in particular how only the interaction of phenotype facets leads to significant reductions or variations in these parameters. This makes a case for considering the synergistic impact of different (subclinical) disease spectra on transdiagnostic biological parameters in psychiatry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Igor Nenadić
- Cognitive Neuropsychiatry Lab, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Philipps Universität Marburg, Marburg, Germany.
- Center for Mind, Brain, and Behavior (CMBB), University of Marburg and Justus Liebig University Giessen, Marburg, Germany.
- Marburg University Hospital - UKGM, Marburg, Germany.
| | - Tina Meller
- Cognitive Neuropsychiatry Lab, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Philipps Universität Marburg, Marburg, Germany
- Center for Mind, Brain, and Behavior (CMBB), University of Marburg and Justus Liebig University Giessen, Marburg, Germany
| | - Ulrika Evermann
- Cognitive Neuropsychiatry Lab, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Philipps Universität Marburg, Marburg, Germany
- Center for Mind, Brain, and Behavior (CMBB), University of Marburg and Justus Liebig University Giessen, Marburg, Germany
| | - Julia-Katharina Pfarr
- Cognitive Neuropsychiatry Lab, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Philipps Universität Marburg, Marburg, Germany
- Center for Mind, Brain, and Behavior (CMBB), University of Marburg and Justus Liebig University Giessen, Marburg, Germany
| | - Andrea Federspiel
- Translational Research Center, University Hospital of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
- Institute of Diagnostic and Interventional Neuroradiology, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, and University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Sebastian Walther
- Translational Research Center, University Hospital of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Sarah Grezellschak
- Cognitive Neuropsychiatry Lab, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Philipps Universität Marburg, Marburg, Germany
- Center for Mind, Brain, and Behavior (CMBB), University of Marburg and Justus Liebig University Giessen, Marburg, Germany
- Marburg University Hospital - UKGM, Marburg, Germany
| | - Ahmad Abu-Akel
- School of Psychological Sciences, University of Haifa, Mount Carmel, Haifa, Israel
- The Haifa Brain and Behavior Hub, University of Haifa, Mount Carmel, Haifa, Israel
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3
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Külz J, Spitz A, Abu-Akel A, Günnemann S, West R. United States politicians' tone became more negative with 2016 primary campaigns. Sci Rep 2023; 13:10495. [PMID: 37380698 PMCID: PMC10307896 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-36839-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2022] [Accepted: 06/11/2023] [Indexed: 06/30/2023] Open
Abstract
There is a widespread belief that the tone of political debate in the US has become more negative recently, in particular when Donald Trump entered politics. At the same time, there is disagreement as to whether Trump changed or merely continued previous trends. To date, data-driven evidence regarding these questions is scarce, partly due to the difficulty of obtaining a comprehensive, longitudinal record of politicians' utterances. Here we apply psycholinguistic tools to a novel, comprehensive corpus of 24 million quotes from online news attributed to 18,627 US politicians in order to analyze how the tone of US politicians' language as reported in online media evolved between 2008 and 2020. We show that, whereas the frequency of negative emotion words had decreased continuously during Obama's tenure, it suddenly and lastingly increased with the 2016 primary campaigns, by 1.6 pre-campaign standard deviations, or 8% of the pre-campaign mean, in a pattern that emerges across parties. The effect size drops by 40% when omitting Trump's quotes, and by 50% when averaging over speakers rather than quotes, implying that prominent speakers, and Trump in particular, have disproportionately, though not exclusively, contributed to the rise in negative language. This work provides the first large-scale data-driven evidence of a drastic shift toward a more negative political tone following Trump's campaign start as a catalyst. The findings have important implications for the debate about the state of US politics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan Külz
- Department of Computer Science, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Andreas Spitz
- Department of Computer and Information Science, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Ahmad Abu-Akel
- School of Psychological Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
| | - Stephan Günnemann
- Department of Computer Science, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Robert West
- School of Computer and Communication Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.
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4
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Song Z, Jones A, Corcoran R, Daly N, Abu-Akel A, Gillespie SM. Psychopathic Traits and Theory of Mind Task Performance: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2023; 151:105231. [PMID: 37172923 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105231] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2023] [Revised: 04/24/2023] [Accepted: 05/09/2023] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
This meta-analysis aims to examine the relationship between psychopathic traits and theory of mind (ToM), which is classically and broadly defined as competency in representing and attributing mental states such as emotions, intentions, and beliefs to others. Our search strategy gathered 142 effect sizes, from 42 studies, with a total sample size of 7463 participants. Random effects models were used to analyze the data. Our findings suggested that psychopathic traits are associated with impaired ToM task performance. This relationship was not moderated by age, population, psychopathy measurement (self-report versus clinical checklist) or conceptualization, or ToM task type (cognitive versus affective). The effect also remained significant after excluding tasks that did not require the participant to 1) mentalize or 2) differentiate self and other perspectives. However, interpersonal/affective traits were associated with a more pronounced impairment in ToM task performance compared to lifestyle/antisocial traits. Future research should investigate the effects of distinct psychopathy facets that will allow for a more precise understanding of the social-cognitive bases of relevant clinical presentations in psychopathy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhaorong Song
- Department of Primary Care and Mental Health, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom.
| | - Andrew Jones
- Department of Psychology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom.
| | - Rhiannon Corcoran
- Department of Primary Care and Mental Health, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom.
| | - Natasha Daly
- Department of Primary Care and Mental Health, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom.
| | - Ahmad Abu-Akel
- Institute of Psychology, University of Lausanne, 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland.
| | - Steven M Gillespie
- Department of Primary Care and Mental Health, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom.
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Parvaiz R, Vindbjerg E, Crespi B, Happe F, Schalbroeck R, Al-Sayegh Z, Danielsen IM, Tonge B, Videbech P, Abu-Akel A. Protocol for the development and testing of the schiZotypy Autism Questionnaire (ZAQ) in adults: a new screening tool to discriminate autism spectrum disorder from schizotypal disorder. BMC Psychiatry 2023; 23:200. [PMID: 36978026 PMCID: PMC10044373 DOI: 10.1186/s12888-023-04690-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2022] [Accepted: 03/14/2023] [Indexed: 03/30/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and schizotypal disorder (SD) both have a heterogenous presentation, with significant overlaps in symptoms and behaviour. Due to elevated recognition and knowledge of ASD worldwide, there is a growing rate of referrals from primary health professionals to specialised units. At all levels of assessment, the differential diagnostic considerations between ASD and SD exert major challenges for clinicians. Although several validated screening questionnaires exist for ASD and SD, none have differential diagnostic properties. Accordingly, in this study, we aim to develop a new screening questionnaire, the schiZotypy Autism Questionnaire (ZAQ), which provides a combined screening for both conditions, while also indicating the relative likelihood of each. METHODS We aim to test 200 autistic patients and 100 schizotypy patients recruited from specialised psychiatric clinics and 200 controls from the general population (Phase 1). The results from ZAQ will be compared to the clinical diagnoses from interdisciplinary teams at specialised psychiatric clinics. After this initial testing phase, the ZAQ will be validated in an independent sample (Phase 2). CONCLUSIONS The aim of the study is to investigate the discriminative properties (ASD vs. SD), diagnostic accuracy, and validity of the schiZotypy Autism Questionnaire (ZAQ). FUNDING Funding was provided by Psychiatric Centre Glostrup, Copenhagen Denmark, Sofiefonden (Grant number: FID4107425), Trygfonden (Grant number:153588), Takeda Pharma. TRIAL REGISTRATION Clinical Trials, NCT05213286, Registered 28 January 2022, clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT05213286?cond = RAADS&draw = 2&rank = 1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rizwan Parvaiz
- Department of ADHD and Autism, Mental Health Services, Capital Region of Denmark, Copenhagen, Denmark.
| | - Erik Vindbjerg
- Competence Centre for Transcultural Psychiatry, Mental Health Centre Ballerup, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Bernard Crespi
- Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, V5A 1S6, Canada
| | - Francesca Happe
- Social, Genetic & Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Rik Schalbroeck
- Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands
| | - Zainab Al-Sayegh
- Department of ADHD and Autism, Mental Health Services, Capital Region of Denmark, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Ida-Marie Danielsen
- Department of ADHD and Autism, Mental Health Services, Capital Region of Denmark, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Bruce Tonge
- Centre for Developmental Psychiatry and Psychology, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Poul Videbech
- Center for Neuropsykiatrisk Depressionsforskning Psykiatrisk Center Glostrup, Nordstjernevej 41, Glostrup, Copenhagen, 2600, Denmark
| | - Ahmad Abu-Akel
- School of Psychological Sciences, University of Haifa, 3498838, Haifa, Israel
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Greenberg DM, Warrier V, Abu-Akel A, Allison C, Gajos KZ, Reinecke K, Rentfrow PJ, Radecki MA, Baron-Cohen S. Sex and age differences in "theory of mind" across 57 countries using the English version of the "Reading the Mind in the Eyes" Test. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2022385119. [PMID: 36584298 PMCID: PMC9910622 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2022385119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2020] [Accepted: 09/02/2022] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The "Reading the Mind in the Eyes" Test (Eyes Test) is a widely used assessment of "theory of mind." The NIMH Research Domain Criteria recommends it as one of two tests for "understanding mental states." Previous studies have demonstrated an on-average female advantage on the Eyes Test. However, it is unknown whether this female advantage exists across the lifespan and across a large number of countries. Thus, we tested sex and age differences using the English version of the Eyes Test in adolescents and adults across 57 countries. We also tested for associations with sociodemographic and cognitive/personality factors. We leveraged one discovery dataset (N = 305,726) and three validation datasets (Ns = 642; 5,284; and 1,087). The results show that: i) there is a replicable on-average female advantage in performance on the Eyes Test; ii) performance increases through adolescence and shallowly declines across adulthood; iii) the on-average female advantage is evident across the lifespan; iv) there is a significant on-average female advantage in 36 out of 57 countries; v) there is a significant on-average female advantage on translated (non-English) versions of the Eyes Test in 12 out of 16 countries, as confirmed by a systematic review; vi) D-scores, or empathizing-systemizing, predict Eyes Test performance above and beyond sex differences; and vii) the female advantage is negatively linked to "prosperity" and "autonomy," and positively linked to "collectivism," as confirmed by exploratory country-level analyses. We conclude that the on-average female advantage on the Eyes Test is observed across ages and most countries.
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Affiliation(s)
- David M. Greenberg
- Interdisciplinary Department of Social Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan5290002, Israel
- Department of Music, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan5290002, Israel
- Autism Research Centre, Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, CambridgeCB2 8AH, United Kingdom
| | - Varun Warrier
- Autism Research Centre, Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, CambridgeCB2 8AH, United Kingdom
| | - Ahmad Abu-Akel
- Institut de Psychologie, Université de Lausanne, LausanneCH-1015, Switzerland
- School of Psychological Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa3498838, Israel
| | - Carrie Allison
- Autism Research Centre, Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, CambridgeCB2 8AH, United Kingdom
| | - Krzysztof Z. Gajos
- Harvard Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, United States of America
| | - Katharina Reinecke
- Department of Computer Science and Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195-2355, United States of America
| | - P. Jason Rentfrow
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, CambridgeCB2 3EB, United Kingdom
| | - Marcin A. Radecki
- Autism Research Centre, Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, CambridgeCB2 8AH, United Kingdom
- Social and Affective Neuroscience Group, IMT School for Advanced Studies Lucca, Lucca55100, Italy
| | - Simon Baron-Cohen
- Autism Research Centre, Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, CambridgeCB2 8AH, United Kingdom
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7
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Bechi M, Abu-Akel A, Agostoni G, Buonocore M, Bosia M, Martini F, Cavallaro R. Theory of mind and stereotypic behavior promote daily functioning in patients with schizophrenia. Aust N Z J Psychiatry 2022; 56:818-827. [PMID: 34376088 DOI: 10.1177/00048674211038513] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Functional disruption is a main feature of schizophrenia and still represents a major treatment challenge. A more in-depth identification of functional predictors is crucial for the creation of individualized rehabilitation treatments, which can translate into better functional outcomes. In this study, we aimed at pinpointing specific domains that affect different functional profiles, using a data-driven approach. METHODS We included a comprehensive evaluation of functional predictors, namely demographic, cognitive, sociocognitive and clinical variables, with a focus on constituent subdomains of autistic symptoms that have been associated with functioning in the recent literature. RESULTS In 123 schizophrenia patients, a two-step cluster analysis identified two groups of patients with different functional profiles (low vs high functioning). A backward stepwise logistic regression analysis showed that the odds of being a member of the high functioning group are significantly higher for individuals with (1) more years of education, (2) better Theory of Mind abilities, (3) higher levels of stereotypies/narrowed interests, (4) lower difficulties in social interaction, (5) lower communication difficulties and with (6) being male. CONCLUSION Findings raise the intriguing possibility that stereotypic behaviors may have a beneficial effect on functioning in schizophrenia. While the underlying mechanism is currently unknown, we hypothesize that patients may benefit from contexts in which more predictive relationships between environmental entities can systematically be established. This study underscores the potential utility of routinely assessing autistic symptomatology in schizophrenia, which can be instrumental in identifying novel therapeutic targets that can be utilized to improve daily functioning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Margherita Bechi
- Schizophrenia Research and Clinical Unit, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Ahmad Abu-Akel
- Institute of Psychology, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Giulia Agostoni
- Schizophrenia Research and Clinical Unit, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy.,School of Psychology, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy
| | - Mariachiara Buonocore
- Schizophrenia Research and Clinical Unit, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Marta Bosia
- Schizophrenia Research and Clinical Unit, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy.,School of Psychology, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy
| | - Francesca Martini
- Schizophrenia Research and Clinical Unit, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Roberto Cavallaro
- Schizophrenia Research and Clinical Unit, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy.,School of Psychology, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy
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8
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Palix J, Abu-Akel A, Moulin V, Abbiati M, Gasser J, Hasler C, Marcot D, Mohr C, Dan-Glauser E. The Utility of Physiological Measures in Assessing the Empathic Skills of Incarcerated Violent Offenders. Int J Offender Ther Comp Criminol 2022; 66:98-122. [PMID: 33567952 PMCID: PMC8609505 DOI: 10.1177/0306624x21994056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Since lack of empathy is an important indicator of violent behaviors, researchers need consistent and valid measures. This study evaluated the practical significance of a potential physiological correlate of empathy compared to a traditional self-report questionnaire in 18 male violent offenders and 21 general population controls. Empathy skills were assessed with the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI) questionnaire. Heart-Rate Variability (HRV) was assessed with an electrocardiogram. The RMSSD (Root Mean Square of the Successive beat-to-beat Differences), an HRV index implicated in social cognition, was calculated. There were no group differences in IRI scores. However, RMSSD was lower in the offender group. Positive correlations between RMSSD and IRI subscales were found for controls only. We conclude that psychometric measures of empathy do not discriminate incarcerated violent offenders, and that the incorporation of psychophysiological measures, such as HRV, could be an avenue for forensic research on empathy to establish translatable evidence-based information.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie Palix
- Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Ahmad Abu-Akel
- Institute of Psychology, University of Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Valérie Moulin
- Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Milena Abbiati
- Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Jacques Gasser
- Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | | | | | - Christine Mohr
- Institute of Psychology, University of Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Elise Dan-Glauser
- Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois, Lausanne, Switzerland
- Institute of Psychology, University of Lausanne, Switzerland
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9
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Reniers RLEP, Abu-Akel A, Seara-Cardoso A. Editorial: Cognitive Empathy and Perspective Taking: Understanding the Mechanisms of Normal and Abnormal Experiences and Abilities. Front Psychiatry 2022; 13:945258. [PMID: 35722573 PMCID: PMC9201905 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.945258] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2022] [Accepted: 05/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Renate L E P Reniers
- Institute of Clinical Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom.,Institute for Mental Health, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Ahmad Abu-Akel
- Institute of Psychology, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.,School of Psychological Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
| | - Ana Seara-Cardoso
- Centro de Investigaçāo em Psicologia, Escola de Psicologia, Universidade do Minho, Braga, Portugal
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10
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Abu-Akel A, Wood SJ, Upthegrove R, Chisholm K, Lin A, Hansen PC, Gillespie SM, Apperly IA, Montag C. Psychosocial functioning in the balance between autism and psychosis: evidence from three populations. Mol Psychiatry 2022; 27:2976-2984. [PMID: 35422471 PMCID: PMC9205777 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-022-01543-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2021] [Revised: 03/14/2022] [Accepted: 03/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Functional impairment is a core feature of both autism and schizophrenia spectrum disorders. While diagnostically independent, they can co-occur in the same individual at both the trait and diagnostic levels. The effect of such co-occurrence is hypothesized to worsen functional impairment. The diametric model, however, suggests that the disorders are etiologically and phenotypically diametrical, representing the extreme of a unidimensional continuum of cognition and behavior. A central prediction of this model is that functional impairment would be attenuated in individuals with mixed symptom expressions or genetic liability to both disorders. We tested this hypothesis in two clinical populations and one healthy population. In individuals with chronic schizophrenia and in individuals with first episode psychosis we evaluated the combined effect of autistic traits and positive psychotic symptoms on psychosocial functioning. In healthy carriers of alleles of copy number variants (CNVs) that confer risk for both autism and schizophrenia, we also evaluated whether variation in psychosocial functioning depended on the combined risk conferred by each CNV. Relative to individuals with biased symptom/CNV risk profiles, results show that functional impairments are attenuated in individuals with relatively equal levels of positive symptoms and autistic traits-and specifically stereotypic behaviors-, and in carriers of CNVs with relatively equal risks for either disorder. However, the pattern of effects along the "balance axis" varied across the groups, with this attenuation being generally less pronounced in individuals with high-high symptom/risk profile in the schizophrenia and CNV groups, and relatively similar for low-low and high-high individuals in the first episode psychosis group. Lower levels of functional impairments in individuals with "balanced" symptom profile or genetic risks would suggest compensation across mechanisms associated with autism and schizophrenia. CNVs that confer equal risks for both disorders may provide an entry point for investigations into such compensatory mechanisms. The co-assessment of autism and schizophrenia may contribute to personalized prognosis and stratification strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahmad Abu-Akel
- Institute of Psychology, University of Lausanne, 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland. .,School of Psychological Sciences, University of Haifa, 31905, Haifa, Israel.
| | - Stephen J. Wood
- grid.6572.60000 0004 1936 7486School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT UK ,grid.1008.90000 0001 2179 088XCentre for Youth Mental Health, University of Melbourne, 35 Poplar Rd, Parkville, VIC 3052 Australia ,grid.488501.00000 0004 8032 6923Orygen, Parkville, VIC 3052 Australia
| | - Rachel Upthegrove
- grid.6572.60000 0004 1936 7486School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT UK ,grid.6572.60000 0004 1936 7486Institute of Clinical Sciences, College of Medical and Dental Science, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT UK ,Forward Thinking Birmingham and Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health Foundation Trust, 1 Printing House Street, Birmingham, B4 6DF UK
| | - Katharine Chisholm
- grid.6572.60000 0004 1936 7486School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT UK ,grid.7273.10000 0004 0376 4727Department of Psychology, Aston University, Birmingham, B4 7ET UK
| | - Ashleigh Lin
- grid.1012.20000 0004 1936 7910Telethon Kids Institute, The University of Western Australia, 15 Hospital Avenue, Perth, WA 6009 Australia
| | - Peter C. Hansen
- grid.6572.60000 0004 1936 7486School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT UK
| | - Steven M. Gillespie
- grid.10025.360000 0004 1936 8470Department of Primary Care and Mental Health, Institute of Population Health, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, L69 3GB UK
| | - Ian A. Apperly
- grid.6572.60000 0004 1936 7486School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT UK
| | - Christiane Montag
- grid.6363.00000 0001 2218 4662Charité University Medicine Berlin (Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin), Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Campus Mitte, Charitéplatz 1, 10117 Berlin, Germany
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11
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Sampson KN, Upthegrove R, Abu-Akel A, Haque S, Wood SJ, Reniers R. Co-occurrence of autistic and psychotic traits: implications for depression, self-harm and suicidality. Psychol Med 2021; 51:1364-1372. [PMID: 32081111 DOI: 10.1017/s0033291720000124] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND There is increasing interest in the clinical and aetiological overlap between autism spectrum disorders and schizophrenia spectrum disorders, reported to co-occur at both diagnostic and trait levels. Individually, sub-clinical autistic and psychotic traits are associated with poor clinical outcomes, including increased depressive symptomatology, self-harming behaviour and suicidality. However, the implications when both traits co-occur remain poorly understood. The study aimed to (1) examine the relationship between autistic and psychotic traits and (2) determine if their co-occurrence increases depressive symptomatology, self-harm and suicidality. METHODS Cross-sectional data from a self-selecting (online and poster advertising) sample of the adult UK population (n = 653) were collected using an online survey. Validated self-report measures were used to assess sub-clinical autistic and psychotic traits, depressive symptomatology, self-harming behaviour and suicidality. Correlation and regression analyses were performed. RESULTS A positive correlation between sub-clinical autistic and positive psychotic traits was confirmed (rs = 0.509, p < 0.001). Overall, autistic traits and psychotic traits were, independently, significant predictors of depression, self-harm and suicidality. Intriguingly, however, depression was associated with a negative interaction between the autistic domain attention to detail and psychotic traits. CONCLUSIONS This study supports previous findings that sub-clinical autistic and psychotic traits are largely independently associated with depression, self-harm and suicidality, and is novel in finding that their combined presence has no additional effect on depression, self-harm or suicidality. These findings highlight the importance of considering both autistic and psychotic traits and their symptom domains in research and when developing population-based depression prevention and intervention strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katie N Sampson
- College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Rachel Upthegrove
- Institute of Clinical Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
- Institute for Mental Health, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
- School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Ahmad Abu-Akel
- Institute of Psychology, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Sayeed Haque
- Institute of Clinical Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Stephen J Wood
- School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
- Orygen, the National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health, Melbourne, Australia
- Centre for Youth Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia
| | - Renate Reniers
- Institute of Clinical Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
- Institute for Mental Health, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
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12
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Bechi M, Abu-Akel A, Agostoni G, Bosia M, Cocchi F, Spangaro M, Cavallaro R. Functional benefits of co-occurring autistic symptoms in schizophrenia is delimited by symptom severity. J Psychiatr Res 2021; 137:48-54. [PMID: 33652326 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2021.02.044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2020] [Revised: 01/27/2021] [Accepted: 02/18/2021] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Impairments in daily functioning characterize both autism spectrum disorder and schizophrenia. Research has shown that a subsample of schizophrenia patients presents autistic symptoms, leading to the hypothesis that their co-occurrence would be associated with a 'double dose' of deficit. A growing body of research examined this hypothesis by looking at the joint effect of autistic and positive psychotic symptoms, and yielded contrasting results, ranging from benefits to adverse effects. We hypothesized that the interactive effect of autistic and positive symptoms on functioning in schizophrenia might depend on the patients' symptom severity. METHOD In 170 schizophrenia patients, a two-step cluster analysis identified two groups of patients with different levels of autistic and positive symptom severity. Using general linear models, we examined the interactions of groups, autistic and positive symptoms on functioning. RESULTS Autistic and positive symptoms were interactively associated with better functioning, but only in the symptomatically less severe patients. In contrast, autistic and positive symptoms were independently associated with worse functioning in the symptomatically more severe patients. These associations were observed above and beyond the effects of I.Q. and illness duration. CONCLUSIONS The findings highlight the complex role played by co-occurring autistic symptoms in schizophrenia, whose beneficial effects on functioning appear to depend on patients' psychopathological severity. Our findings may help to reconcile the seemingly contrasting results from previous studies, and to understand the heterogeneity of behavior and functional outcomes in schizophrenia. This study underscores the potential utility of routinely assessing autism in schizophrenia, in order to better formulate individualized rehabilitative programs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Margherita Bechi
- Schizophrenia Research and Clinical Unit, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Ahmad Abu-Akel
- Institute of Psychology, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Giulia Agostoni
- Schizophrenia Research and Clinical Unit, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy; School of Psychology, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy.
| | - Marta Bosia
- Schizophrenia Research and Clinical Unit, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy; School of Psychology, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy
| | - Federica Cocchi
- Schizophrenia Research and Clinical Unit, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Marco Spangaro
- Schizophrenia Research and Clinical Unit, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy; School of Psychology, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy
| | - Roberto Cavallaro
- Schizophrenia Research and Clinical Unit, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy; School of Psychology, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy
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13
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Nenadić I, Meller T, Evermann U, Schmitt S, Pfarr JK, Abu-Akel A, Grezellschak S. Subclinical schizotypal vs. autistic traits show overlapping and diametrically opposed facets in a non-clinical population. Schizophr Res 2021; 231:32-41. [PMID: 33744683 DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2021.02.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2020] [Revised: 02/03/2021] [Accepted: 02/27/2021] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The overlap of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and psychosis or schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSD) has exposed problems central to conceptualising and understanding co-morbidity in psychiatric disorders. METHODS In the present study, we demonstrate that a deep phenotyping approach aids clarification of both overlapping and diametrically opposed features of ASD and SSD on the level of trait facets. RESULTS We first show overlap of negative and disorganised (but not positive) features of schizotypy with autistic traits in a sample of n = 376 German non-clinical subjects using multiple psychometric measures of schizotypy (MSS multidimensional schizotypy scale, OLIFE Oxford-Liverpool Inventory of Feelings and Experiences, and SPQ-B schizotypal personality questionnaire - brief) and the AQ autism spectrum quotient, with control measures for affective spectrum pathology (BDI). Findings were then replicated in a French-Swiss sample (n = 264) using MSS, OLIFE, AQ, and in addition the Community Assessment of Psychic Experiences (CAPE). Additional principal component analysis confirmed our finding of the co-existence of both overlapping (loss of function, social communication deficit, and negative schizotypy) as well as diametrically opposed features (AQ attention to detail, positive schizotypy) across the two spectra. Results were validated with Horn's parallel analyses, affirming two component solutions, and PCA using sample-specific, factor-analysis-derived schizotypy scores. CONCLUSIONS Providing a framework for multi-dimensional transdiagnostic characterisation of ASD vs. SSD phenotypes we point out overlapping vs. discriminating facets. In addition to the use of novel multidimensional schizotypy scales, it also shows transcultural consistency of findings, and highlights a particular role for the attention to detail AQ subscale.
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Affiliation(s)
- Igor Nenadić
- Cognitive Neuropsychiatry Lab, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Philipps Universität Marburg, Marburg, Germany; Center for Mind, Brain, and Behavior (CMBB), University of Marburg and Justus Liebig University Giessen, Germany; Marburg University Hospital - UKGM, Marburg, Germany.
| | - Tina Meller
- Cognitive Neuropsychiatry Lab, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Philipps Universität Marburg, Marburg, Germany; Center for Mind, Brain, and Behavior (CMBB), University of Marburg and Justus Liebig University Giessen, Germany
| | - Ulrika Evermann
- Cognitive Neuropsychiatry Lab, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Philipps Universität Marburg, Marburg, Germany; Center for Mind, Brain, and Behavior (CMBB), University of Marburg and Justus Liebig University Giessen, Germany
| | - Simon Schmitt
- Cognitive Neuropsychiatry Lab, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Philipps Universität Marburg, Marburg, Germany; Center for Mind, Brain, and Behavior (CMBB), University of Marburg and Justus Liebig University Giessen, Germany
| | - Julia-Katharina Pfarr
- Cognitive Neuropsychiatry Lab, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Philipps Universität Marburg, Marburg, Germany; Center for Mind, Brain, and Behavior (CMBB), University of Marburg and Justus Liebig University Giessen, Germany
| | - Ahmad Abu-Akel
- Institute of Psychology, University of Lausanne, Quartier UNIL-Mouline, Géopolis, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Sarah Grezellschak
- Cognitive Neuropsychiatry Lab, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Philipps Universität Marburg, Marburg, Germany; Center for Mind, Brain, and Behavior (CMBB), University of Marburg and Justus Liebig University Giessen, Germany; Marburg University Hospital - UKGM, Marburg, Germany
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14
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Abu-Akel A, Spitz A, West R. The effect of spokesperson attribution on public health message sharing during the COVID-19 pandemic. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0245100. [PMID: 33534800 PMCID: PMC7857592 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0245100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2020] [Accepted: 12/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
It is urgent to understand how to effectively communicate public health messages during the COVID-19 pandemic. Previous work has focused on how to formulate messages in terms of style and content, rather than on who should send them. In particular, little is known about the impact of spokesperson selection on message propagation during times of crisis. We report on the effectiveness of different public figures at promoting social distancing among 12,194 respondents from six countries that were severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic at the time of data collection. Across countries and demographic strata, immunology expert Dr. Anthony Fauci achieved the highest level of respondents' willingness to reshare a call to social distancing, followed by a government spokesperson. Celebrity spokespersons were least effective. The likelihood of message resharing increased with age and when respondents expressed positive sentiments towards the spokesperson. These results contribute to the development of evidence-based knowledge regarding the effectiveness of prominent official and non-official public figures in communicating public health messaging in times of crisis. Our findings serve as a reminder that scientific experts and governments should not underestimate their power to inform and persuade in times of crisis and underscore the crucial importance of selecting the most effective messenger in propagating messages of lifesaving information during a pandemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahmad Abu-Akel
- Institute of Psychology, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Andreas Spitz
- School of Computer and Communication Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Robert West
- School of Computer and Communication Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
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15
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Abstract
'Hyperfocus' is a phenomenon that reflects one's complete absorption in a task, to a point where a person appears to completely ignore or 'tune out' everything else. Hyperfocus is most often mentioned in the context of autism, schizophrenia, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, but research into its effect on cognitive and neural functioning is limited. We propose that hyperfocus is a critically important aspect of cognition, particularly with regard to clinical populations, and that it warrants significant investigation. Hyperfocus, though ostensibly self-explanatory, is poorly defined within the literature. In many cases, hyperfocus goes undefined, relying on the assumption that the reader inherently knows what it entails. Thus, there is no single consensus to what constitutes hyperfocus. Moreover, some studies do not refer to hyperfocus by name, but describe processes that may be related. In this paper, we review how hyperfocus (as well as possibly related phenomena) has been defined and measured, the challenges associated with hyperfocus research, and assess how hyperfocus affects both neurotypical and clinical populations. Using this foundation, we provide constructive criticism about previously used methods and analyses. We also propose an operational definition of hyperfocus for researchers to use moving forward.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brandon K Ashinoff
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, 1051 Riverside Dr, New York, NY, 10032, USA.
- Centre for Human Brain Health (CHBH), School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK.
| | - Ahmad Abu-Akel
- Institute of Psychology, University of Lausanne, Quartier UNIL-Mouline, Geopolis, Lausanne, 1015, Switzerland
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16
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Abu-Akel A, Spitz A, West R. Who Is Listening? Spokesperson Effect on Communicating Social and Physical Distancing Measures During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Front Psychol 2021; 11:564434. [PMID: 33510664 PMCID: PMC7837291 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.564434] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2020] [Accepted: 12/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Effective communication during a pandemic, such as the current COVID-19 crisis, can save lives. At the present time, social and physical distancing measures are the lead strategy in combating the spread of COVID-19. In this study, a survey was administered to 705 adults from Switzerland about their support and practice of social distancing measures to examine if their responses depended on (1) whether these measures were supported by a government official or an internationally recognized celebrity as a spokesperson, (2) whether this spokesperson was liked, and (3) the respondent's age. We also considered several attitudinal and demographic variables that may influence the degree to which people support and comply with social distancing measures. We found that the government official was more effective in eliciting responses supportive of social distancing, particularly as manifested in the stated current compliance with social distancing measures. The effect was substantially stronger among older respondents, although these respondents expressed a lower risk perception. Although there was a general trend for greater endorsement of the social distancing measures among participants who liked the spokesperson, this was non-significant. In addition, respondents' greater support and compliance was positively associated with (1) higher concern for the current situation, (2) higher concern for the well-being of others, and (3) greater belief that others were practicing social distancing, and negatively with (4) greater self-reported mobility. Current compliance correlated negatively with (5) household size. Since different parts of the population appear to have different perceptions of risk and crisis, our preliminary results suggest that different spokespersons may be needed for different segments of the population, and particularly for younger and older populations. The development of evidence-based knowledge is required to further identify who would be the most effective spokesperson, and in particular to groups with low risk perception and low compliance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahmad Abu-Akel
- Institute of Psychology, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Andreas Spitz
- Institute of Computer and Communication Sciences, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Robert West
- Institute of Computer and Communication Sciences, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
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17
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Jonauskaite D, Abu-Akel A, Dael N, Oberfeld D, Abdel-Khalek AM, Al-Rasheed AS, Antonietti JP, Bogushevskaya V, Chamseddine A, Chkonia E, Corona V, Fonseca-Pedrero E, Griber YA, Grimshaw G, Hasan AA, Havelka J, Hirnstein M, Karlsson BSA, Laurent E, Lindeman M, Marquardt L, Mefoh P, Papadatou-Pastou M, Pérez-Albéniz A, Pouyan N, Roinishvili M, Romanyuk L, Salgado Montejo A, Schrag Y, Sultanova A, Uusküla M, Vainio S, Wąsowicz G, Zdravković S, Zhang M, Mohr C. Universal Patterns in Color-Emotion Associations Are Further Shaped by Linguistic and Geographic Proximity. Psychol Sci 2020; 31:1245-1260. [DOI: 10.1177/0956797620948810] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Many of us “see red,” “feel blue,” or “turn green with envy.” Are such color-emotion associations fundamental to our shared cognitive architecture, or are they cultural creations learned through our languages and traditions? To answer these questions, we tested emotional associations of colors in 4,598 participants from 30 nations speaking 22 native languages. Participants associated 20 emotion concepts with 12 color terms. Pattern-similarity analyses revealed universal color-emotion associations (average similarity coefficient r = .88). However, local differences were also apparent. A machine-learning algorithm revealed that nation predicted color-emotion associations above and beyond those observed universally. Similarity was greater when nations were linguistically or geographically close. This study highlights robust universal color-emotion associations, further modulated by linguistic and geographic factors. These results pose further theoretical and empirical questions about the affective properties of color and may inform practice in applied domains, such as well-being and design.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Nele Dael
- Institute of Psychology, University of Lausanne
- Department of Organizational Behavior, University of Lausanne
| | - Daniel Oberfeld
- Institute of Psychology, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz
| | | | | | | | - Victoria Bogushevskaya
- Department of Linguistic Sciences and Foreign Literatures, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart
| | - Amer Chamseddine
- School of Computer and Communication Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne
| | - Eka Chkonia
- Department of Psychiatry, Tbilisi State Medical University
| | - Violeta Corona
- Escuela de Ciencias Económicas y Empresariales, Universidad Panamericana
- Business Management Department, Universitat Politècnica de València
| | | | - Yulia A. Griber
- Department of Sociology and Philosophy, Smolensk State University
| | - Gina Grimshaw
- School of Psychology, Victoria University of Wellington
| | - Aya Ahmed Hasan
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Arts, Alexandria University
| | | | - Marco Hirnstein
- Department of Biological and Medical Psychology, University of Bergen
| | - Bodil S. A. Karlsson
- Division of Built Environment, Research Institutes of Sweden AB, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Eric Laurent
- Laboratory of Psychology, University Bourgogne Franche–Comté
- Maison des Sciences de l’Homme et de l’Environnement, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) and University of Franche-Comté
| | | | - Lynn Marquardt
- Department of Biological and Medical Psychology, University of Bergen
| | | | - Marietta Papadatou-Pastou
- School of Education, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
- Biomedical Research Foundation (BRFaa), Academy of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | | | | | - Maya Roinishvili
- Laboratory of Vision Physiology, I. Beritashvili Center of Experimental Biomedicine, T’bilisi, Georgia
| | - Lyudmyla Romanyuk
- Faculty of Psychology, Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv
- Department of Psychology, V. I. Vernadsky Taurida National University
- Department of Psychology, Kyiv National University of Culture and Arts
| | - Alejandro Salgado Montejo
- Escuela Internacional de Ciencias Económicas y Administrativas, Universidad de La Sabana
- Center for Multisensory Marketing, BI Norwegian Business School
- Neurosketch, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Yann Schrag
- Institute of Psychology, University of Lausanne
| | - Aygun Sultanova
- National Mental Health Centre, Ministry of Health, Baku, Azerbaijan
| | | | - Suvi Vainio
- Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Helsinki
| | | | - Sunčica Zdravković
- Department of Psychology, University of Novi Sad
- Laboratory for Experimental Psychology, University of Belgrade
| | - Meng Zhang
- Department of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, Zhejiang University
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18
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Bo S, Abu-Akel A, Kongerslev M, Simonsen E. Predictors of criminal offending in a clinical sample of patients diagnosed with schizophrenia: A 6-year follow-up study. Personal Disord 2020; 12:216-227. [PMID: 32324010 DOI: 10.1037/per0000401] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Criminal behavior in schizophrenia has been associated with a number of risk factors including symptoms of schizophrenia, co-occurring personality disorders (PDs), substance abuse, intellectual and cognitive dysfunctions, history of violence, and a number of sociodemographic variables. However, the relative importance and predictive power of these factors when considered simultaneously is understudied. In this 6-year follow-up study, we examined the association of these factors with criminal offending in a sample of 108 patients diagnosed with schizophrenia (80.6% men). The proportion of offenders during the follow-up period was 53.7%. A cox proportional hazards model showed that Facet 3 and Facet 4 of the Hare Psychopathy Checklist-Revised, passive-aggressive PD, narcissistic PD, and Global Assessment Functioning were the only significant predictors of offending when all putative risk factors were considered simultaneously. Results also revealed high predictive accuracy of the total score of the Hare Psychopathy Checklist-Revised for offending. Of all potential predictors considered, personality pathology and specifically the antisocial facet of psychopathy emerged as the main predictor of criminal behavior in patients with schizophrenia. These results underscore the importance of including an assessment of personality pathology, including psychopathy, in the evaluation of risk for violence and crime in schizophrenia. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).
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Wang Y, Harding IH, Testa R, Tonge B, Jones H, Seal M, Ross N, Chan RCK, van Beurden F, Abu-Akel A, Skafidas E, Pantelis C. Structural and functional brain abnormalities in children with schizotypal disorder: a pilot study. NPJ Schizophr 2020; 6:6. [PMID: 32188859 PMCID: PMC7080771 DOI: 10.1038/s41537-020-0095-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2019] [Accepted: 01/24/2020] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Schizotypal disorder lies in the schizophrenia spectrum and is widely studied in adult populations. Schizotypal disorder in children (SDc) is less well described. This study examined brain morphological and functional connectivity abnormalities in SDc (12 SDc and 9 typically developing children), focusing on the default mode and executive control brain networks. Results indicated that SDc is associated with reduced grey matter volume (GMV) in superior and medial frontal gyri, and increased resting-state functional connectivity between the superior frontal gyrus and inferior parietal lobule, compared to typically developing children (cluster-level FWE-corrected p < 0.05). The brain structure abnormality (GMV in left superior frontal gyrus) was correlated with clinical symptoms in SDc (r = −0.66, p = 0.026) and functional connectivity abnormality was correlated with extra-dimensional shifting impairments in all participants (r = 0.62, p = 0.011), suggesting their contribution to the underlying mechanisms of clinical presentation. These preliminary results motivate further work to characterize the neural basis of SDc and its significance as a risk factor for later psychosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ya Wang
- Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne & Melbourne Health, Carlton South, VIC, Australia.,Neuropsychology and Applied Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Beijing, China
| | - Ian H Harding
- Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne & Melbourne Health, Carlton South, VIC, Australia.,Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health & School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia
| | - Renee Testa
- Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne & Melbourne Health, Carlton South, VIC, Australia.,School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia.,The Child and Adolescent Neuropsychology Group, East Melbourne, VIC, Australia.,Mental Health Department, The Royal Children's Hospital, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Bruce Tonge
- Centre for Developmental Psychiatry and Psychology, School of Clinical Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia
| | - Harvey Jones
- Department of Psychology, Epworth HealthCare, Richmond, VIC, Australia
| | - Marc Seal
- Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Nola Ross
- The Child and Adolescent Neuropsychology Group, East Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Raymond C K Chan
- Neuropsychology and Applied Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Beijing, China
| | - Florian van Beurden
- Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne & Melbourne Health, Carlton South, VIC, Australia
| | - Ahmad Abu-Akel
- Institute of Psychology, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Efstratios Skafidas
- Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne & Melbourne Health, Carlton South, VIC, Australia.,Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Christos Pantelis
- Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne & Melbourne Health, Carlton South, VIC, Australia. .,Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia. .,Florey Institute for Neurosciences and Mental Health, Parkville, VIC, Australia.
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20
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Abu-Akel A, Philip RCM, Lawrie SM, Johnstone EC, Stanfield AC. Categorical and Dimensional Approaches to Examining the Joint Effect of Autism and Schizotypal Personality Disorder on Sustained Attention. Front Psychiatry 2020; 11:798. [PMID: 32848955 PMCID: PMC7426517 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2020.00798] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2020] [Accepted: 07/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Accumulating evidence for the co-occurrence autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and schizotypal personality disorder (SPD) at both the diagnostic and symptom levels raises important questions about the nature of their association and the effect of their co-occurrence on the individual's phenotype and functional outcome. Research comparing adults with ASD and SPD, as well as the impact of their co-occurrence on outcomes is extremely limited. We investigated executive functioning in terms of response inhibition and sustained attention, candidate endophenotypes of both conditions, in adults with ASD, SPD, comorbid ASD and SPD, and neurotypical adults using both categorical and dimensional approaches. METHODS A total of 88 adults (Mean Age = 37.54; SD = 10.17): ASD (n = 26; M/F = 20/6); SPD (n = 20; M/F = 14/6); comorbid ASD and SPD (n=9; M/F=6/3) and neurotypicals (n=33; M/F=23/10) completed the Sustained Attention to Response Task (SART) in both its fixed and random forms. Positive and autistic symptom severity was assessed with the positive subscale of the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSSpos) and the PANSS Autism Severity Score (PAUSS), respectively. RESULTS Controlling for full scale IQ, working memory and medication dosage, group analyses revealed that the comorbid group committed fewer omission errors than the ASD group on the fixed SART, and fewer omission errors than the ASD and SPD groups on the random SART. The individual difference analyses of the entire sample revealed that the PANSSpos and PAUSS interactively reduced omission errors in both the fixed and random SARTs, as well as increased d' scores, indicative of improved overall performance. We observed no significant results for commission errors or reaction time. CONCLUSIONS Concurrent elevated levels of autistic and positive psychotic symptoms seem to be associated with improved sustained attention abilities (reduced omission errors) but not inhibition (commission errors). Our findings highlight the importance of investigating the concurrent effect of ASD and SPD at both the symptom and diagnostic levels, and raise important questions for future research regarding the clinical and behavioral phenotypes of adults with dual diagnosis and, more generally, about the nature of the relationship between ASD and SPD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahmad Abu-Akel
- Institute of Psychology, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Ruth C M Philip
- Tailor Ed Foundation, Edinburgh, United Kingdom.,Division of Psychiatry, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Stephen M Lawrie
- Division of Psychiatry, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Eve C Johnstone
- Division of Psychiatry, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Andrew C Stanfield
- Division of Psychiatry, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom.,Patrick Wild Centre, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
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Ford TC, Crewther DP, Abu-Akel A. Psychosocial deficits across autism and schizotypal spectra are interactively modulated by excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmission. Autism 2019; 24:364-373. [PMID: 31339349 DOI: 10.1177/1362361319866030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Continued human and animal research has strengthened evidence for aberrant excitatory-inhibitory neural processes underlying autism and schizophrenia spectrum disorder psychopathology, particularly psychosocial functioning, in clinical and nonclinical populations. We investigated the extent to which autistic traits and schizotypal dimensions were modulated by the interactive relationship between excitatory glutamate and inhibitory GABA neurotransmitter concentrations in the social processing area of the superior temporal cortex using proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy. In total, 38 non-clinical participants (20 females; age range = 18-35 years, mean (standard deviation) = 23.22 (5.52)) completed the autism spectrum quotient and schizotypal personality questionnaire, and underwent proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy to quantify glutamate and GABA concentrations in the right and left superior temporal cortex. Regression analyses revealed that glutamate and GABA interactively modulated autistic social skills and schizotypal interpersonal features (pcorr < 0.05), such that those with high right superior temporal cortex glutamate but low GABA concentrations exhibited poorer social and interpersonal skills. These findings evidence an excitation-inhibition imbalance that is specific to psychosocial features across the autism and schizophrenia spectra.
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Affiliation(s)
- Talitha C Ford
- Deakin University, Australia.,Swinburne University of Technology, Australia
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Abu-Akel A, Allison C, Baron-Cohen S, Heinke D. The distribution of autistic traits across the autism spectrum: evidence for discontinuous dimensional subpopulations underlying the autism continuum. Mol Autism 2019; 10:24. [PMID: 31149329 PMCID: PMC6537408 DOI: 10.1186/s13229-019-0275-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2018] [Accepted: 05/08/2019] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Background A considerable amount of research has discussed whether autism and psychiatric/neurodevelopmental conditions in general are best described categorically or dimensionally. In recent years, finite mixture models have been increasingly applied to mixed populations of autistic and non-autistic individuals to answer this question. However, the use of such methods with mixed populations may not be appropriate for two reasons: First, subgroups within mixed populations are often skewed and thus violate mixture models assumptions, which are based on weighted sum of Gaussian distributions. Second, these analyses have, to our knowledge, been solely applied to enriched samples, where the prevalence of the clinical condition within the study sample far exceeds epidemiological estimates. Method We employed a dual Weibull mixture model to examine the distribution of the Autism Spectrum Quotient scores of a mixed sample of autistic and non-autistic adults (N = 4717; autism = 811), as well as of a derived sample (from the enriched sample; N = 3973; autism = 67) that reflects the current prevalence of autism within the general population. Results In a mixed autistic and non-autistic population, our model provided a better description of the underlying structure of autistic traits than traditional finite Gaussian mixture models and performed well when applied to a sample that reflected the prevalence of autism in the general population. The model yielded results, which are consistent with predictions of current theories advocating for the co-existence of a mixed categorical and dimensional architecture within the autism spectrum. Conclusion The results provide insight into the continuum nature of the distribution of autistic traits, support the complementary role of both categorical and dimensional approaches to autism spectrum condition, and underscore the importance of analyzing samples that reflect the epidemiological prevalence of the condition. Owing to its flexibility to represent a wide variety of distributions, the Weibull distribution might be better suited for latent structure studies, within enriched and prevalence-true samples.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahmad Abu-Akel
- 1Institut de Psychologie, Université de Lausanne, Quartier UNIL-Mouline, Géopolis, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Carrie Allison
- 2Autism Research Centre, Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Simon Baron-Cohen
- 2Autism Research Centre, Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Dietmar Heinke
- 3School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
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Abu-Akel A. Genetic variations in the SNP rs850807 reflect a trade-off between autism and paranoia symptom expressions: a comment on Crespi et al. 2018. Biol Lett 2019; 14:rsbl.2018.0108. [PMID: 30111658 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2018.0108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2018] [Accepted: 07/18/2018] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Ahmad Abu-Akel
- Institute of Psychology, University of Lausanne, Quartier UNIL-Mouline, Geopolis, Lausanne 1015, Switzerland
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Ford TC, Abu-Akel A, Crewther DP. The association of excitation and inhibition signaling with the relative symptom expression of autism and psychosis-proneness: Implications for psychopharmacology. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2019; 88:235-242. [PMID: 30075170 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2018.07.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2018] [Revised: 07/09/2018] [Accepted: 07/29/2018] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
The underlying mechanisms of autism and schizophrenia are poorly understood, partly due to a lack of dimension-specific research. Aberrant excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmission are implicated in both conditions, particularly in social dysfunction. This study investigates the extent to which the degree of autistic tendency and psychosis-proneness exclusively and interactively predict excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitter concentrations in the superior temporal cortex (STC). In 38 adults (18 male, 18-40 years), we obtained autistic tendencies (Autism-Spectrum Quotient [AQ]) and psychosis-proneness scores (Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire [PP]); magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) quantified glutamate and GABA+ concentrations from the STC. Results demonstrated a negative AQ/PP interaction with glutamate concentration for the left STC voxel, where PP increased with glutamate for average AQ, while AQ decreased with glutamate for average-high PP. There was a negative AQ/PP interaction with glutamate/GABA+ ratio for the right STC, AQ increasing with glutamate/GABA+ for low-average PP, while PP decreased with glutamate/GABA+ for high AQ. Consistent with animal studies, we also reveal that overall reduced glutamate/GABA+ ratio might be precipitated by increased right hemisphere GABA+ concentrations. These findings illustrate the importance of considering the concurrent effects of autism and psychosis dimensions on understanding the pathophysiological mechanisms implicated in either condition, and can advance psychopharmacological research into better treatment options for patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Talitha C Ford
- Centre for Human Psychopharmacology, Arts and Design, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
| | - Ahmad Abu-Akel
- Institute of Psychology, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - David P Crewther
- Centre for Human Psychopharmacology, Arts and Design, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
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Abu-Akel A, Baxendale L, Mohr C, Sullivan S. The association between schizotypal traits and social functioning in adolescents from the general population. Psychiatry Res 2018; 270:895-900. [PMID: 30551341 DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2018.11.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2018] [Revised: 11/04/2018] [Accepted: 11/05/2018] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Difficulties in social functioning have been linked to schizotypy, which may reflect vulnerability to psychotic disorders. We investigated these links in early adolescence, a developmental stage when many mental illnesses first emerge. Using the Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire and The Community Assessment of Psychic Experiences, we examined the association of peer-relationship problems and prosocial behavior with positive and negative schizotypy in a sample of 149 school children (70 girls, 79 boys) between 12 and 15 years old. The results showed that while increased positive schizotypy was significantly associated with increased peer-relationship problems, increased negative schizotypy was significantly associated with decreased prosocial behavior. These effects were observed after the potential effects of age, sex, general cognitive abilities, the ability to infer affective mental states, anxiety, and depression had been taken into account. These results suggest that different dimensions of schizotypy are associated with different aspects of social dysfunction in adolescents. Interventions aimed at improving social functioning in adolescence would benefit from considering these unique associations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahmad Abu-Akel
- Institute of Psychology, University of Lausanne, Quartier UNIL-Mouline, Géopolis, Lausanne 1015, Switzerland.
| | - Laura Baxendale
- Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust, Chippenham, UK
| | - Christine Mohr
- Institute of Psychology, University of Lausanne, Quartier UNIL-Mouline, Géopolis, Lausanne 1015, Switzerland
| | - Sarah Sullivan
- Bristol Medical School, Population Health Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
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Bartholomeusz CF, Ganella EP, Whittle S, Allott K, Thompson A, Abu-Akel A, Walter H, McGorry P, Killackey E, Pantelis C, Wood SJ. An fMRI study of theory of mind in individuals with first episode psychosis. Psychiatry Res Neuroimaging 2018; 281:1-11. [PMID: 30212786 DOI: 10.1016/j.pscychresns.2018.08.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2018] [Revised: 08/16/2018] [Accepted: 08/16/2018] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Theory of mind (ToM), the ability to infer one's own and others' mental states, is the social cognitive process shown to have the greatest impact on functional outcome in schizophrenia. It is not yet known if neural abnormalities underlying ToM present early, during the first episode of psychosis (FEP). Fourteen FEP participants and twenty-two healthy control participants, aged 15-25, were included in analyses. All participants had a 3T magnetic resonance imaging scan and completed a block-design picture-story attribution-of-intentions ToM fMRI task, and completed a battery of behavioral social cognitive measures including a ToM task. General linear model analyses were carried out. Post-hoc regression analyses were conducted to explore whether aberrant ToM-related activation in FEP participants was associated with symptomatology and global social and occupational functioning. FEP participants, when compared to healthy controls, had significantly less activity in the right temporoparietal junction, right orbitofrontal cortex and left middle prefrontal/inferior frontal cortex, when making social attributions. Aberrant ToM-related activation in the right temporoparietal junction was associated with severity of overall psychopathology, but not functional outcome. Specific regions of the social brain network, associated with ToM, are dysfunctional in young people with FEP. Future research should determine whether alteration of normal brain functioning in relation to ToM occurs before or during illness onset.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cali F Bartholomeusz
- Orygen, The National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health, 35 Poplar Road, Parkville 3053, Victoria, Australia; The Centre for Youth Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
| | - Eleni P Ganella
- Orygen, The National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health, 35 Poplar Road, Parkville 3053, Victoria, Australia; The Centre for Youth Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Sarah Whittle
- Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Kelly Allott
- Orygen, The National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health, 35 Poplar Road, Parkville 3053, Victoria, Australia; The Centre for Youth Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Andrew Thompson
- Division of Mental Health and Wellbeing, Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, Coventry, United Kingdom
| | - Ahmad Abu-Akel
- Institute of Psychology, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Henrik Walter
- Division of Mind and Brain Research, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy CCM, Charité - Berlin University of Medicine, corporate member of Free University of Berlin, Humboldt University of Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany
| | - Patrick McGorry
- Orygen, The National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health, 35 Poplar Road, Parkville 3053, Victoria, Australia; The Centre for Youth Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Eóin Killackey
- Orygen, The National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health, 35 Poplar Road, Parkville 3053, Victoria, Australia; The Centre for Youth Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Christos Pantelis
- Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; Centre for Neural Engineering (CfNE), Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, University of Melbourne, Carlton South, Victoria, Australia; Florey Institute for Neuroscience & Mental Health, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Stephen J Wood
- Orygen, The National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health, 35 Poplar Road, Parkville 3053, Victoria, Australia; The Centre for Youth Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
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Lesaffre L, Kuhn G, Abu-Akel A, Rochat D, Mohr C. Magic Performances - When Explained in Psychic Terms by University Students. Front Psychol 2018; 9:2129. [PMID: 30459687 PMCID: PMC6232384 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2017] [Accepted: 10/16/2018] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Paranormal beliefs (PBs), such as the belief in the soul, or in extrasensory perception, are common in the general population. While there is information regarding what these beliefs correlate with (e.g., cognitive biases, personality styles), there is little information regarding the causal direction between these beliefs and their correlates. To investigate the formation of beliefs, we use an experimental design, in which PBs and belief-associated cognitive biases are assessed before and after a central event: a magic performance (see also Mohr et al., 2018). In the current paper, we report a series of studies investigating the "paranormal potential" of magic performances (Study 1, N = 49; Study 2, N = 89; Study 3, N = 123). We investigated (i) which magic performances resulted in paranormal explanations, and (ii) whether PBs and a belief-associated cognitive bias (i.e., repetition avoidance) became enhanced after the performance. Repetition avoidance was assessed using a random number generation task. After the performance, participants rated to what extent the magic performance could be explained in psychic (paranormal), conjuring, or religious terms. We found that conjuring explanations were negatively associated with religious and psychic explanations, whereas religious and psychic explanations were positively associated. Enhanced repetition avoidance correlated with higher PBs ahead of the performance. We also observed a significant increase in psychic explanations and a drop in conjuring explanations when performances involved powerful psychic routines (e.g., the performer contacted the dead). While the experimentally induced enhancement of psychic explanations is promising, future studies should account for potential variables that might explain absent framing and before-after effects (e.g., emotion, attention). Such effects are essential to understand the formation and manipulation of belief.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lise Lesaffre
- Institute of Psychology, Social and Political Sciences, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Gustav Kuhn
- Department of Psychology, Goldsmiths University of London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Ahmad Abu-Akel
- Institute of Psychology, Social and Political Sciences, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Déborah Rochat
- Institute of Psychology, Social and Political Sciences, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Christine Mohr
- Institute of Psychology, Social and Political Sciences, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
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Abstract
OBJECTIVE Autism and schizophrenia are characterized by impairments in social cognition and functioning. They can co-occur at both the trait/symptom and diagnostic levels. We investigated the concurrent effect of autism and psychotic symptom severity on social cognition and functioning in schizophrenia. METHOD Individuals with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder were included (N = 81; 32 women). Symptoms were measured with the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale using the Positive subscale (PANSSpos; Kay, Fiszbein, & Opler, 1987) and the PANSS Autism Severity Score (PAUSS; Kästner et al., 2015). Theory of mind (ToM) was assessed with the Movie for the Assessment of Social Cognition (MASC; Dziobek et al., 2006), which yields scores for three error types: overmentalizing, undermentalizing, and no mentalizing. Functioning was assessed with the Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF-f; Pedersen, Hagtvet, & Karterud, 2007) and the Social Functioning Scale (SFS; Birchwood, Smith, Cochrane, Wetton, & Copestake, 1990). The sample was bimodally distributed and therefore divided into low and high PAUSS groups. We used generalized linear models to examine the effect of PANSSpos, PAUSS, and their interaction on GAF-f, SFS, and MASC scores. RESULTS For the entire cohort, the PANSSpos × PAUSS interaction was significantly associated with better GAF-f (p = .005), SFS (p = .029), and overall ToM (p = .035), and for the high-PAUSS group, with reduced overmentalizing errors (p = .002), resulting in better overall ToM. CONCLUSION Concurrent elevated levels of autism and positive psychotic symptoms seem to benefit functioning and social cognition in schizophrenia. The results are consistent with the diametric model, which posits that autism and schizophrenia are characterized by opposing patterns in mentalizing, and promote the radical idea that the presence of both disorders may be associated with attenuated impairments. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).
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Affiliation(s)
- Anja Vaskinn
- Jebsen Centre for Psychosis Research, Oslo University Hospital
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Abu-Akel A, Ramain J, Mohr C. Autistic and positive schizotypal traits modulate cognitive control tendencies. J Vis 2018. [DOI: 10.1167/18.10.1124] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
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Abstract
Currently, there is an intense pursuit of pathognomonic markers and diagnostic ('risk-based') classifiers of psychiatric conditions. Commonly, the epidemiological prevalence of the condition is not factored into the development of these classifiers. By not adjusting for prevalence, classifiers overestimate the potential of their clinical utility. As valid predictive values have critical implications in public health and allocation of resources, development of clinical classifiers should account for the prevalence of psychiatric conditions in both general and high-risk populations. We suggest that classifiers are most likely to be useful when targeting enriched populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahmad Abu-Akel
- Institute of Psychology,University of Lausanne,Lausanne,Switzerland
| | - Chad Bousman
- Department of Psychiatry,Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre,University of Melbourne & Melbourne Health,Carlton South,Victoria,Australia
| | - Efstratios Skafidas
- Department of Psychiatry,Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre,University of Melbourne & Melbourne Health,Carlton South,Victoria,Australia
| | - Christos Pantelis
- Department of Psychiatry,Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre,University of Melbourne & Melbourne Health,Carlton South,Victoria,Australia
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Upthegrove R, Abu-Akel A, Chisholm K, Lin A, Zahid S, Pelton M, Apperly I, Hansen PC, Wood SJ. Autism and psychosis: Clinical implications for depression and suicide. Schizophr Res 2018; 195:80-85. [PMID: 28823724 DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2017.08.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2017] [Revised: 08/15/2017] [Accepted: 08/16/2017] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
There is increasing recognition of the co-occurrence of autism and schizophrenia spectrum disorders. However, the clinical significance of this on outcomes such as depression and suicidal thinking has not been explored. This study examines the association of autism spectrum traits, depressive symptoms and suicidal behaviour in individuals with psychotic experiences. In two cross sectional studies, individuals from a non-help seeking university student sample and patients with first episode psychosis (FEP) service completed standardized measures of autism spectrum traits, psychotic experiences, depressive symptoms and suicidal thinking. In healthy non-help seeking students, increased autism traits and increased subclinical psychotic experiences were significantly associated with depressive symptoms; a significant interaction effect suggests their combined presence has a greater impact on depression. In FEP, high autism traits and positive symptoms were associated with increased depression, hopelessness and suicidality, however there was no significant interaction effect. In FEP a multiple mediation model revealed that the relationship between autism traits and risk for suicidality was mediated through hopelessness. Young people with subclinical psychotic experiences and all patients with FEP should be screened for autism spectrum traits, which may have significant impact on clinical outcomes. Tailored interventions for patients with high levels of autistic spectrum co-morbidities in FEP should be a priority for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel Upthegrove
- University of Birmingham, School of Psychology, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, United Kingdom; University of Birmingham, Institute of Clinical Sciences, College of Medical and Dental Science, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, United Kingdom; Forward Thinking Birmingham and Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health Foundation Trust, 1 Printing House Street, Birmingham B4 6DF, United Kingdom.
| | - Ahmad Abu-Akel
- University of Lausanne, Institute of Psychology, UNIL - Mouline, Géopolis - office 4129, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Katharine Chisholm
- University of Birmingham, School of Psychology, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, United Kingdom
| | - Ashleigh Lin
- Telethon Kids Institute, The University of Western Australia, 100 Roberts Rd, Subiaco, WA 6008, Australia
| | - Sofia Zahid
- University of Birmingham, School of Psychology, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, United Kingdom
| | - Mirabel Pelton
- University of Birmingham, School of Psychology, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, United Kingdom
| | - Ian Apperly
- University of Birmingham, School of Psychology, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, United Kingdom
| | - Peter C Hansen
- University of Birmingham, School of Psychology, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, United Kingdom
| | - Stephen J Wood
- University of Birmingham, School of Psychology, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, United Kingdom; University of Melbourne, Centre for Youth Mental Health, 35 Poplar Rd, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia; Orygen, National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health, 2a/2A Hartington Street, Glenroy, Victoria 3046, Australia
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Abu-Akel A, Testa RR, Jones HP, Ross N, Skafidas E, Tonge B, Pantelis C. Attentional set-shifting and social abilities in children with schizotypal and comorbid autism spectrum disorders. Aust N Z J Psychiatry 2018; 52:68-77. [PMID: 28523937 DOI: 10.1177/0004867417708610] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE While diagnostically independent, autism and schizotypal disorders can co-occur. Their concurrent impact on outcomes and phenotypes has not been investigated. We investigated the impact of comorbid autism and schizotypal disorders in children on executive functioning and socio-pragmatic skills - core features of both disorders. METHOD Executive functioning (assessed with the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery) and socio-pragmatic skills (assessed using the Melbourne Assessment of Schizotypy in Kids) were investigated in a total of 67 (6-12 year old) children with autism ( n = 15; M/F = 10/5), schizotypal disorder ( n = 8; M/F = 5/3) and comorbid autism and schizotypal disorder ( n = 12; M/F = 5/7) and typically developing children ( n = 32; M/F = 17/15). RESULTS Both the autism and schizotypal disorder groups performed more poorly than the typically developing group on socio-pragmatic skills and overall performance (i.e. number of stages completed) of the intra-/extra-dimensional set-shifting task (all ps < 0.001). Clear distinctions between the autism and schizotypal groups were present in the intra-/extra-dimensional task relative to the typically developing group - the autism group had difficulties with extra-dimensional shifts ( p < 0.001), and the schizotypal disorder group with intra-dimensional shifts ( p = 0.08). Interestingly, the overall performance of the comorbid group on the intra-/extra-dimensional task was not significantly different from the typically developing group, and they were superior to both the autism ( p = 0.019) and schizotypal disorder ( p = 0.042) groups on socio-pragmatic skills. CONCLUSION The phenotypical overlap between autism and schizotypal disorders may be precipitated by different cognitive styles and/or mechanisms associated with attention and information processing. We propose that sustaining and switching attention represent two poles of irregularities across the autism and schizotypal spectra, which appear to converge in a compensatory manner in the comorbid group. Our findings highlight the importance of investigating children with a dual diagnosis of autism and schizotypal disorders, and raise intriguing questions about possible mechanisms to explain the attenuated impairment observed in the group of children with comorbid autism and schizotpyal disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahmad Abu-Akel
- 1 Institute of Psychology, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Renee R Testa
- 2 Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne and Melbourne Health, Carlton South, VIC, Australia.,3 School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia.,4 The Child and Adolescent Neuropsychology Group, East Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Harvey P Jones
- 2 Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne and Melbourne Health, Carlton South, VIC, Australia.,3 School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia
| | - Nola Ross
- 4 The Child and Adolescent Neuropsychology Group, East Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Efstratios Skafidas
- 5 Centre for Neural Engineering, Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Bruce Tonge
- 6 Centre for Developmental Psychiatry and Psychology, School of Clinical Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia
| | - Christos Pantelis
- 2 Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne and Melbourne Health, Carlton South, VIC, Australia.,5 Centre for Neural Engineering, Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
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Mevorach C, Muller Spaniol M, Green R, Ashinoff B, Fellows A, Parker N, Abu-Akel A. Increased Preceuneus deactivation as a possible mechanism for enhanced preparatory suppression in people with high expression of autistic traits. J Vis 2017. [DOI: 10.1167/17.10.703] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Carmel Mevorach
- School of Psychology, The University of Birmingham, Birmingham,UK
| | | | - Robin Green
- School of Psychology, The University of Leicester, Leicester, UK
| | - Brandon Ashinoff
- School of Psychology, The University of Birmingham, Birmingham,UK
| | - Anthony Fellows
- School of Psychology, The University of Birmingham, Birmingham,UK
| | - Nicola Parker
- School of Psychology, The University of Birmingham, Birmingham,UK
| | - Ahmad Abu-Akel
- Institute of Psychology, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
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Abu-Akel A, Clark J, Perry A, Wood SJ, Forty L, Craddock N, Jones I, Gordon-Smith K, Jones L. Autistic and schizotypal traits and global functioning in bipolar I disorder. J Affect Disord 2017; 207:268-275. [PMID: 27736738 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2016.09.059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2016] [Revised: 08/17/2016] [Accepted: 09/05/2016] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To determine the expression of autistic and positive schizotypal traits in a large sample of adults with bipolar I disorder (BD I), and the effect of co-occurring autistic and positive schizotypal traits on global functioning in BD I. METHOD Autistic and positive schizotypal traits were self-assessed in 797 individuals with BD-I recruited by the Bipolar Disorder Research Network. Differences in global functioning (rated using the Global Assessment Scale) during lifetime worst depressive and manic episodes (GASD and GASM respectively) were calculated in groups with high/low autistic and positive schizotypal traits. Regression analyses assessed the interactive effect of autistic and positive schizotypal traits on global functioning. RESULTS 47.2% (CI=43.7-50.7%) showed clinically significant levels of autistic traits, and 23.22% (95% CI=20.29-26.14) showed clinically significant levels of positive schizotypal traits. In the worst episode of mania, the high autistic, high positive schizotypal group had better global functioning compared to the other groups. Individual differences analyses showed that high levels of both traits were associated with better global functioning in both mood states. LIMITATIONS Autistic and schizotypal traits were assessed using self-rated questionnaires. CONCLUSIONS Expression of autistic and schizotypal traits in adults with BD I is prevalent, and may be important to predict illness aetiology, prognosis, and diagnostic practices in this population. Future work should focus on replicating these findings in independent samples, and on the biological and/or psychosocial mechanisms underlying better global functioning in those who have high levels of both autistic and positive schizotypal traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahmad Abu-Akel
- School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Jennifer Clark
- College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Amy Perry
- Department of Psychological Medicine, University of Worcester, Worcester, United Kingdom
| | - Stephen J Wood
- School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom; Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, University of Melbourne and Melbourne Health, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Liz Forty
- Institute of Psychological Medicine and Clinical Neurosciences, MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - Nick Craddock
- Institute of Psychological Medicine and Clinical Neurosciences, MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - Ian Jones
- Institute of Psychological Medicine and Clinical Neurosciences, MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - Katherine Gordon-Smith
- Department of Psychological Medicine, University of Worcester, Worcester, United Kingdom
| | - Lisa Jones
- Department of Psychological Medicine, University of Worcester, Worcester, United Kingdom.
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Abstract
Atypical responses to salient information are a candidate endophenotype for both autism and psychosis spectrum disorders. The present study investigated the costs and benefits of such atypicalities for saliency-based selection in a large cohort of neurotypical adults in whom both autism and psychosis expressions were assessed. Two experiments found that autism tendencies and psychosis proneness interactively modulated the cost incurred in the presence of a task-irrelevant salient distractor. Specifically, expressions of autism and psychosis had opposing effects on responses to salient information such that the benefits associated with high expressions for autism offset costs associated with high expressions for psychosis. The opposing influences observed on saliency cost may be driven by distinct attentional mechanisms that are differentially affected by expressions for autism and psychosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahmad Abu-Akel
- School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, UK;
| | - Ian A. Apperly
- School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, UK
| | - Stephen J. Wood
- School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, UK;,Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, University of Melbourne and Melbourne Health, Victoria, Australia
| | - Peter C. Hansen
- School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, UK
| | - Carmel Mevorach
- School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, UK
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Abu-Akel A, Apperly I, Spaniol M, Geng J, Mevorach C. Context-given benefits: Saliency-based selection as a function of autism and psychosis traits. J Vis 2016. [DOI: 10.1167/16.12.16] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
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Abstract
INTRODUCTION Patients with schizophrenia show impairments in working-memory and visual-spatial processing, but little is known about the dynamic interplay between the two. To provide insight into this important question, we examined the effect of positive and negative symptom expressions in healthy adults on perceptual processing while concurrently performing a working-memory task that requires the allocations of various degrees of cognitive resources. METHODS The effect of positive and negative symptom expressions in healthy adults (N = 91) on perceptual processing was examined in a dual-task paradigm of visual-spatial working memory (VSWM) under three conditions of cognitive load: a baseline condition (with no concurrent working-memory demand), a low VSWM load condition, and a high VSWM load condition. RESULTS Participants overall performed more efficiently (i.e., faster) with increasing cognitive load. This facilitation in performance was unrelated to symptom expressions. However, participants with high-negative, low-positive symptom expressions were less accurate in the low VSWM condition compared to the baseline and the high VSWM load conditions. CONCLUSIONS Attenuated, subclinical expressions of psychosis affect cognitive performance that is impaired in schizophrenia. The "resource limitations hypothesis" may explain the performance of the participants with high-negative symptom expressions. The dual-task of visual-spatial processing and working memory may be beneficial to assessing the cognitive phenotype of individuals with high risk for schizophrenia spectrum disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Abu-Akel
- a School of Psychology, University of Birmingham , Birmingham , UK
| | - R L E P Reniers
- a School of Psychology, University of Birmingham , Birmingham , UK
| | - S J Wood
- a School of Psychology, University of Birmingham , Birmingham , UK.,b Department of Psychiatry , Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, University of Melbourne and Melbourne Health , Melbourne , Australia
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Abstract
Oxytocin is a nonapeptide that also serves as a neuromodulator in the human central nervous system. Over the last decade, a sizeable body of literature has examined its effects on social behavior in humans. These studies show that oxytocin modulates various aspects of social behaviors such as empathy, trust, in-group preference, and memory of socially relevant cues. Several theoretical formulations have attempted to explain the effects of oxytocin. The prosocial account argues that oxytocin mainly enhances affiliative prosocial behaviors; the fear/stress theory suggests that oxytocin affects social performance by attenuating stress; and the in-/out-group approach proposes that oxytocin regulates cooperation and conflict among humans in the context of intergroup relations. Nonetheless, accumulating evidence reveals that the effects of oxytocin are dependent on a variety of contextual aspects and the individual's characteristics and can induce antisocial effects including aggression and envy. In an attempt to reconcile these accounts, we suggest a theoretical framework that focuses on the overarching role of oxytocin in regulating the salience of social cues through its interaction with the dopaminergic system. Crucially, the salience effect modulates attention orienting responses to external contextual social cues (e.g., competitive vs. cooperative environment) but is dependent on baseline individual differences such as gender, personality traits, and degree of psychopathology. This view could have important implications for the therapeutic applications of oxytocin in conditions characterized with aberrant social behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ahmad Abu-Akel
- School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, Unnited Kingdom
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Abu-Akel A, Heinke D, Gillespie SM, Mitchell IJ, Bo S. Metacognitive impairments in schizophrenia are arrested at extreme levels of psychopathy: The cut-off effect. Journal of Abnormal Psychology 2015; 124:1102-1109. [DOI: 10.1037/abn0000096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
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Mitchell IJ, Gillespie SM, Abu-Akel A. Similar effects of intranasal oxytocin administration and acute alcohol consumption on socio-cognitions, emotions and behaviour: Implications for the mechanisms of action. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2015; 55:98-106. [PMID: 25956250 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2015.04.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2014] [Revised: 04/15/2015] [Accepted: 04/25/2015] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Oxytocin (OT) plays a critical role in the formation of long lasting social attachments across a range of mammalian species. Raising intracerebral OT levels by intranasal administration of the neuropeptide (inOT) can also have pronounced effects on human sociocognitive functioning. inOT has been associated with increasing altruism, generosity, empathy and trust while decreasing fear, anxiety and stress reactions via neural mechanisms which are yet to be fully elucidated. The observation of the prosocial effects of OT has led to speculation about the role the peptide might play in some psychiatric conditions and debate as to its potential therapeutic uses. Here we note the great similarity in the sociocognitive effects that can be induced by inOT and the effects of acute consumption of modest does of alcohol. We further reflect on how both compounds may act on limbic and prefrontal cortical structures to increase GABAergic transmission, thereby facilitating the release of prepotent responses, that is, more automatic responses which are associated with earlier developmental stages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ian J Mitchell
- School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B152TT, UK
| | | | - Ahmad Abu-Akel
- School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B152TT, UK
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Chisholm K, Lin A, Abu-Akel A, Wood SJ. The association between autism and schizophrenia spectrum disorders: A review of eight alternate models of co-occurrence. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2015; 55:173-83. [PMID: 25956249 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2015.04.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 178] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2014] [Revised: 03/30/2015] [Accepted: 04/25/2015] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Although now believed to be two distinct disorders, autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSD) share multiple phenotypic similarities and risk factors, and have been reported to co-occur at elevated rates. In this narrative review, we give a brief overview of the phenomenological, genetic, environmental, and imaging evidence for the overlap between ASD and SSD, highlighting similarities and areas of distinction. We examine eight possible alternate models of explanation for the association and comorbidity between the disorders, and set out a research agenda to test these models. Understanding how and why these disorders co-occur has important implications for diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis, as well as for developing fundamental aetiological models of the disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ashleigh Lin
- Telethon Kids Institute, The University of Western Australia, 100 Roberts Rd, Subiaco, WA, 6008, Australia
| | - Ahmad Abu-Akel
- School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, B15 2TT, UK
| | - Stephen J Wood
- School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, B15 2TT, UK; Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, National Neuroscience Facility, Level 3, Alan Gilbert Building, 161 Barry St, Carlton, Vic, 3053, Australia
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Affiliation(s)
- A Abu-Akel
- School of Psychology, University of Birmingham,Edgbaston,Birmingham,UK
| | | | - Y Levkovitz
- The Emotion-Cognition Research Center, Shalvata Mental Health Care Center,Hod-Hasharon,Israel
| | - J Decety
- Department of Psychology,University of Chicago,Chicago,USA
| | - S Shamay-Tsoory
- Department of Psychology,University of Haifa,Haifa 31905,Israel
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Bo S, Kongerslev M, Dimaggio G, Lysaker PH, Abu-Akel A. Metacognition and general functioning in patients with schizophrenia and a history of criminal behavior. Psychiatry Res 2015; 225:247-53. [PMID: 25582967 DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2014.12.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2014] [Revised: 11/09/2014] [Accepted: 12/21/2014] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
Metacognitive difficulties have been linked to social dysfunction in schizophrenia. However, research examining the role of metacognition in the social functioning of patients with a history of violence and criminality is very limited. This research is especially important for this group given their relatively poor prognosis and their risk to reoffend, as well as the promising benefits of integrating metacognitive approaches in psychosocial treatments. In this study, the association between metacognition and global social functioning was examined in 79 patients with schizophrenia with a criminal background. We also examined the association of positive, negative and disorganized symptoms with social functioning and the extent to which metacognition mediates this association. The results indicate that poor social functioning is associated with metacognitive difficulties and higher levels of delusions and Conceptual Disorganization. In addition, meditation analyses showed that metacognition accounted for about 11% of the total effect size of the association between delusions and social dysfunction, suggesting that the relationship between delusions and social dysfunction is partially driven by impaired metacognition. These findings underscore the importance of interventions designed to enhance the patients׳ metacognitive capacities, that is, the more proximal capacities linked to poorer social functioning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sune Bo
- Psychiatric Research Unit, Region Zealand, Roskilde, Denmark.
| | | | | | - Paul H Lysaker
- Roudebush VA Medical Center and the Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, USA
| | - Ahmad Abu-Akel
- School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
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Abu-Akel A, Fischer-Shofty M, Levkovitz Y, Decety J, Shamay-Tsoory S. The role of oxytocin in empathy to the pain of conflictual out-group members among patients with schizophrenia. Psychol Med 2014; 44:3523-3532. [PMID: 25065955 DOI: 10.1017/s003329171400097x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Oxytocin (OT) is associated with our ability to empathize and has been shown to play a major role in mediating social behaviors within the context of intergroup dynamics. Schizophrenia is associated with impaired empathy, and with a dysfunctional oxytocinergic system. The effect of OT on the empathic responses of patients with schizophrenia within the context of intergroup relationships has not been studied. The present study examined the effect of OT on the patients' empathic responses to pain experienced by in-group, conflictual out-group and neutral out-group members. METHOD In a double-blind, placebo-controlled, within-subject cross-over design, the responses on the Pain Evaluation Task of 28 male patients with schizophrenia were compared to 27 healthy male controls. All participants received a single intranasal dose of 24 IU OT or placebo, 1 week apart. RESULTS OT induced an empathy bias in the healthy controls towards the conflictual out-group members. Although this effect was absent in the patient group, OT seems to heighten an empathic bias in the patient group towards the in-group members when rating non-painful stimuli. CONCLUSIONS The study demonstrates that the administration of OT can result in empathic bias towards adversary out-group members in healthy controls but not in patients with schizophrenia. However, the OT-induced bias in both the patients (in the no-pain condition towards the in-group members) and the healthy controls (in the no-pain and pain conditions towards the adversary out-group) suggests that OT enhances the distinction between conflictual in-group and out-group members.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Abu-Akel
- School of Psychology,University of Birmingham,UK
| | | | - Y Levkovitz
- The Emotion-Cognition Research Center,Shalvata Mental Health Care Center,Hod-Hasharon,Israel
| | - J Decety
- Department of Psychology,University of Chicago,USA
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Abstract
There is growing evidence that the neuropeptide oxytocin (OT) facilitates various forms of sensitivity to others, but the mechanism by which OT enhances empathy in humans is unclear. In this study, we examined whether OT increases empathy by the way of blurring the distinction between self and other, or by enhancing the difference between self and other. In this double-blind, placebo-controlled, within-subject crossover design, empathic responses of healthy participants were compared when imagining oneself (i.e., self-perspective empathy) versus when imagining the other (i.e., other-perspective empathy) in painful and nonpainful situations. Under OT treatment, participants expressed more empathy when imagining others than when imagining oneself in pain. This was in contrast to the placebo condition where there were no differences between the empathic responses during the self- and the other-perspective. We propose that the modulatory effect of OT on empathy when taking the other-perspective may be mediated by its role in self- and other-distinctiveness and corollary by its role in increasing salience to social agents and cues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahmad Abu-Akel
- a School of Psychology , University of Birmingham , Birmingham , UK
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Abstract
Mentalizing abilities are severely disrupted in patients with schizophrenia, but gender-related differences in this domain are virtually unexplored. Given the importance of these abilities in understanding psychopathology, social functioning and outcome, this study aimed to examine the mentalizing abilities of male and female patients with schizophrenia. The cognitive and affective mentalizing abilities of self and other of clinically stable male and female patients with schizophrenia were analyzed using the abbreviated version of the Metacognitive Assessment Scale (MAS-A). Compared to their male counterparts, the female patients demonstrated superior overall mentalizing abilities. This advantage was also evident when mentalizing about the Self or the Other. When examining cognitive versus affective mentalizing, women were significantly better in their ability to attribute and understand the affective mental states of others. These differences were unrelated to intelligence or psychopathology. The superior mentalizing abilities of female patients extend gender-related differences in schizophrenia to include social cognition. This suggests that our current knowledge of socio-cognitive abilities in schizophrenia is generalizable to male but not to female patients. The findings also provide important insights to understanding how etiological differences affect social cognition. Awareness to such differences has important implications for diagnosis and clinical treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahmad Abu-Akel
- School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK.
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Abu-Akel A, Shamay-Tsoory S. Neuroanatomical and neurochemical bases of theory of mind. Neuropsychologia 2011; 49:2971-84. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2011.07.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 390] [Impact Index Per Article: 30.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2010] [Revised: 07/14/2011] [Accepted: 07/14/2011] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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Bo S, Abu-Akel A, Kongerslev M, Haahr UH, Simonsen E. Risk factors for violence among patients with schizophrenia. Clin Psychol Rev 2011; 31:711-26. [PMID: 21497585 DOI: 10.1016/j.cpr.2011.03.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 103] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2010] [Revised: 02/24/2011] [Accepted: 03/02/2011] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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Abushua'leh K, Abu-Akel A. Association of psychopathic traits and symptomatology with violence in patients with schizophrenia. Psychiatry Res 2006; 143:205-11. [PMID: 16879872 DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2005.05.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2003] [Revised: 03/21/2005] [Accepted: 05/25/2005] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
The main aim of the current study is to investigate the association of psychopathic traits and symptomatology with violence in male patients with schizophrenia. The Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R) and the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) were administered to 35 hospitalized male patients diagnosed with schizophrenia. Based on their history of violence, the sample was divided into violent (N = 19) and nonviolent (N = 16) groups. Data were analyzed using parametric, nonparametric and regression analyses. The mean psychopathy and hostility (component of the BPRS) scores were significantly higher for the violent group. Only three patients (16%), all from the violent group, met the diagnostic cutoff for psychopathy (a PCL-R score > or = 30). Regression analyses suggest that both the hostility component of the BPRS and the behavioral component of the PCL-R (Factor 2) are significant predictors of violent behavior in male patients with schizophrenia. However, when the psychopathy scores are high, the probability for violence is already considerable and the level of hostility has only a slight effect. These findings suggest that improvement in illness condition may not reduce the likelihood for violence in male patients with a high psychopathic profile.
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Abstract
This paper, based on naturalistic data, describes the acquisitional course and use of the articles a and the in young English-speaking children (18-61 months), with special emphasis on the role of individual variation. A growth modeling approach to the data reveals that children's individual acquisition schedules are similar in trend, but vary in the rate at which they omit determiners at a given point of time. This picture suggests that an analysis that presumes homogeneous development will seriously misrepresent the fluctuations between and within individuals. Interestingly, this variation does not reflect a variation in children's abilities to use determiners correctly-irrespective of the rate in which they used determiners, children seldom used determiners incorrectly. The analysis also reveals that children's optional omission of determiners in obligatory contexts, beginning at 18 months of age, gradually decreases on average by 3-4% a month until 36 months of age, and thereafter plunges by a factor of 10 to an average of 0.3% per month. At 36 month of age the majority of children use determiners at a near-mastery level (Brown, 1973). These findings provide a useful framework for theorizing about possible mechanisms underlying the nature of early language development pre- and post-36 months of age.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahmad Abu-Akel
- Department of Education, University of California, Los Angeles, USA.
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