1
|
Guiral JA. Neuropsychological dimensions related to alterations of verbal self-monitoring neural networks in schizophrenic language: systematic review. Front Psychiatry 2024; 15:1356726. [PMID: 38501094 PMCID: PMC10944891 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1356726] [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] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2023] [Accepted: 01/23/2024] [Indexed: 03/20/2024] Open
Abstract
Although schizophrenia has traditionally been interpreted as a disorder of thought, contemporary perspectives suggest that it may be more appropriate to conceptualize it as a disorder of language connectivity. The linguistic anomalies present in schizophrenia possess distinctive characteristics that, despite certain connections, are not comparable to aphasic disorders. It is proposed that these anomalies are the result of dysfunctions in verbal self-monitoring mechanisms, which may influence other neuropsychological dimensions. This study set out to examine the neuropsychological dimensions associated with alterations in the neural networks of verbal self-monitoring in schizophrenic language, based on the scientific evidence published to date. Exhaustive searches were conducted in PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus to identify magnetic resonance studies that evaluated verbal self-monitoring mechanisms in schizophrenia. Of a total of 133 articles identified, 22 were selected for qualitative analysis. The general findings indicated alterations in frontotemporoparietal networks and in systems such as the insula, amygdala, anterior cingulate cortex, putamen, and hippocampus. Despite the heterogeneity of the data, it is concluded that language plays a fundamental role in schizophrenia and that its alterations are linked with other neuropsychological dimensions, particularly emotional and perceptual ones.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Julián Andrés Guiral
- Humanities, EAFIT University, Medellín, Colombia
- Instituto de Neuropsicología y Lenguaje, EAFIT University, Medellín, Colombia
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Shoaib M, Iqbal M, Waqas UJ, Ahmed SM, Sangeet F, Raza FA, Shahab A, Fatima K, Siddiqui M, Nadeem A. Concurrent Obsessive-Compulsive Symptoms in Patients With Schizophrenia: A Retrospective Study From a Tertiary Care Centre in Sindh, Pakistan. Cureus 2023; 15:e37583. [PMID: 37197122 PMCID: PMC10184718 DOI: 10.7759/cureus.37583] [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] [Accepted: 04/13/2023] [Indexed: 05/19/2023] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The present study aimed to evaluate the proportion of concurrent symptoms of obsessive-compulsive symptoms (OCSs) among patients with schizophrenia. METHODS A retrospective study was undertaken at the Department of Psychiatry, Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Center, Sindh, Pakistan between 1st March 2019 and 1st April 2020. All cases with diagnosed schizophrenia irrespective of gender, age, or ethnicity were eligible for the study. We excluded patients with acute psychosis due to isolated substance use disorder or any organic brain disease. The medical records for each patient were retrieved from the departmental database. Sociodemographic factors including age, gender, ethnicity, and presence of OCSs and other psychiatric comorbidities were recorded in a predefined pro forma. The presence of OCSs was noted by the attending psychiatrist during history taking as positive or negative. RESULTS A total of 139 patients were included. A predominance of the male gender was noted. There were 63 (45.3%) patients with concurrent OCSs. Out of the total patients, 42 (66.67%) males and 21 (33.33%) females had OCSs. A total of 28 (44.44%) patients between 31 and 45 years of age had OCSs. Out of the 63 patients with OCSs, 36 (57.14%) had a history of substance abuse (p = 0.471). In the study, 17 (26.98%) Balochi and 19 (30.16%) Pashtuns had OCSs. However, the difference was statistically insignificant. CONCLUSION In conclusion, OCSs were frequent in patients with schizophrenia, according to the current study. We discovered that males, individuals between the ages of 18 and 30 years, Balochis, Pashtuns, and those with a history of substance abuse were more likely to have OCSs. However, the difference was not statistically significant.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Marium Shoaib
- Department of Acute Medicine, Blackpool Victoria Hospital, Lancashire, GBR
| | - Maria Iqbal
- Department of Surgery, Blackpool Victoria Hospital, Lancashire, GBR
| | - Uzma J Waqas
- Department of Medicine, Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, Karachi, PAK
| | - Sheikh M Ahmed
- Department of Medicine, Liaquat National Hospital, Karachi, PAK
| | - Fnu Sangeet
- Department of Psychiatry, Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, Karachi, PAK
| | - Fatima A Raza
- Department of Medicine, Karachi Medical and Dental College, Karachi, PAK
| | - Azka Shahab
- Department of Medicine, Pakistan Navy Station Shifa Hospital, Karachi, PAK
| | - Kiran Fatima
- Department of Medicine, Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, Karachi, PAK
| | - Maham Siddiqui
- Department of Medicine, Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, Karachi, PAK
| | - Ammar Nadeem
- Department of Medicine, Jinnah Sindh Medical University, Karachi, PAK
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Lin C, Wan X, Zhang R, Yang X, Liu Y. Quality of life and its influencing factors in patients with schizophrenia. Zhong Nan Da Xue Xue Bao Yi Xue Ban 2023; 48:472-480. [PMID: 37164931 PMCID: PMC10930085 DOI: 10.11817/j.issn.1672-7347.2023.220438] [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] [Grants] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2022] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
Schizophrenia is a chronic mental disease. With the change of medical model, quality of life has gradually become an important prognostic indicator for patients with schizophrenia. People with schizophrenia have a lower quality of life than the general population or people with other chronic diseases, Sociodemographic factors such as age, gender, employment, education level, income and living situation; clinical factors such as psychiatric symptoms, medication compliance and insight; and psychosocial factors such as social support, cognition, stigma, self-esteem and needs are the main influencing factors for schizophrenia patients. Medication and psychological interventions such as social skills training, family intervention, cognitive correction and cognitive behavioral therapy can be used to improve the quality of life of patients with schizophrenia. Understanding the factors affecting the quality of life of schizophrenia patients and the improvement measures helps to provide reference for improving their quality of life.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Chunying Lin
- Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, West China School of Public Health and West China Fourth Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041.
| | - Xiaoyan Wan
- Center of Health Management Cadre Training, West China School of Public Health and West China Fourth Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041
| | - Ruohan Zhang
- Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, West China School of Public Health and West China Fourth Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041
| | - Xianmei Yang
- Department of Mental Health and Social Services, Sichuan Mental Health Center (Third Hospital of Mianyang), Mianyang Sichuan 621054, China
| | - Yuanyuan Liu
- Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, West China School of Public Health and West China Fourth Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041.
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Stuchlíková Z, Klírová M. A Literature Mini-Review of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation in Schizophrenia. Front Psychiatry 2022; 13:874128. [PMID: 35530026 PMCID: PMC9069055 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.874128] [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] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2022] [Accepted: 03/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a non-invasive neurostimulation method that utilizes the effect of low-current on brain tissue. In recent years, the effect of transcranial direct current stimulation has been investigated as a therapeutic modality in various neuropsychiatric indications, one of them being schizophrenia. This article aims to provide an overview of the potential application and effect of tDCS in treating patients with schizophrenia. A literature search was performed using the PubMed, Web of Science, and Google Scholar databases for relevant research published from any date until December 2021. Eligible studies included those that used randomized controlled parallel-group design and focused on the use of transcranial direct current stimulation for the treatment of positive, negative, or cognitive symptoms of schizophrenia. Studies were divided into groups based on the focus of research and an overview is provided in separate sections and tables in the article. The original database search yielded 705 results out of which 27 randomized controlled trials met the eligibility criteria and were selected and used for the purpose of this article. In a review of the selected trials, transcranial direct current stimulation is a safe and well-tolerated method that appears to have the potential as an effective modality for the treatment of positive and negative schizophrenic symptoms and offers promising results in influencing cognition. However, ongoing research is needed to confirm these conclusions and to further specify distinct application parameters.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Zuzana Stuchlíková
- National Institute of Mental Health, Klecany, Czechia.,Third Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Prague, Czechia.,Hospital České Budĕjovice, a.s., České Budĕjovice, Czechia
| | - Monika Klírová
- National Institute of Mental Health, Klecany, Czechia.,Third Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Prague, Czechia
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Abstract
BACKGROUND Face perception impairment in schizophrenia has long been recognized. However, brain mechanisms underlying this socially important perceptual deficit are not well understood. Previous magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies have shown that patients have altered structure in brain regions responsible for processing face information, but functional properties of these brain regions are not clearly determined. A key functional property of the face-processing system--face selectivity--has yet to be evaluated in schizophrenia. METHODS We used functional MRI (fMRI) to examine face selectivity of 3 core face-processing regions--fusiform face area (FFA), occipital face area (OFA), and superior temporal sulcus (STS)--in schizophrenia patients (n = 24) and healthy controls (n = 23). To disassociate face-specific processing from general perceptual processing, we compared cortical activations during performance of perceptually equated face and tree detection tasks. RESULTS Activation levels of the 3 putative face-processing regions during face detection did not differ between patients and controls, being similar for FFA and OFA and absent for STS. However, face selectivity, indexed by the difference in cortical activation between face and tree detection, was significantly reduced in patients for FFA, especially for low-contrast stimuli. FFA activation and perceptual performance during face detection were associated in patients. CONCLUSIONS These results show a lack of face-specific processing in the schizophrenic brain region presumably subserving face perception. This finding suggests boosting visual salience of face images as a potential therapeutic venue for improving face perception in this psychiatric disorder.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Stephen Maher
- McLean Hospital, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Belmont, MA
| | - Tor Ekstrom
- McLean Hospital, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Belmont, MA
| | - Daphne Holt
- Massachusetts General Hospital, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Dost Ongur
- McLean Hospital, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Belmont, MA
| | - Yue Chen
- McLean Hospital, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Belmont, MA;
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Zuo XC, Liu SK, Yi ZY, Xie ZH, Li HD. Steady-state pharmacokinetic properties of aripiprazole 10 mg PO g12h in Han Chinese adults with schizophrenia: A prospective, open-label, pilot study. Curr Ther Res Clin Exp 2014; 67:258-69. [PMID: 24678101 DOI: 10.1016/j.curtheres.2006.08.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [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] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/27/2006] [Indexed: 10/24/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The aims of this study were to investigate the pharmacokinetic (PK) properties of aripiprazole in the steady state in Han Chinese adults with schizophrenia and to compare them between Han Chinese and white populations described in the literature. METHODS This prospective, open4abel, pilot study was conducted at the Mental Health Institute, Xiang-ya Second Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China. Male and female hospitalized patients aged 18 to 45 years diagnosed with Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV)-defined schizophrenia, with a Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) total score ⩾60 (indicating schizophrenia of at least mild severity) were eligible. On study days 1 and 2, patients were pretreated with aripiprazole 10 mg PO QD, followed by 10 mg g12h on days 3 to 21. Blood samples were drawn for analysis on day 21 before dosing and 1, 3, 4, 5, 12, 24, 48, 72, 96, 144, and 192 hours after the morning dosing of aripiprazole on day 21. Patients received low-dose (25-100 mg/d) clozapine on day 25 until day 28. The samples were assessed using high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry and compartment model analysis for aripiprazole. PK properties included mean residence time (MRT) steady-state Cmax (Css max), time to Css max (Tmax), elimination t/12, apparent oral clearance (CL/F), and apparent volume of distribution (V/F). Adverse effects were monitored using physical examination (including vital sign measurements), electrocardiography, electroencephalography, and clinical laboratory testing (including biochemistry, hematology, and urinalysis) at baseline and at the end of the study. Patients were asked about adverse events on days 1 to 7 and at random intervals thereafter. Patients were also instructed to report any spontaneous symptoms they experienced. RESULTS Twelve patients were enrolled (6 men, 6 women; mean [SD] age, 26.1 [7.0] years; mean [SD] weight, 56.6 [9.0] kg; mean [SD] PANSS score, 116.8 [12.2]). Aripiprazole exhibited linear kinetic characteristics on a 2-compartment model. After multiple oral doses (10 mg g12h), the mean (SD) t1/2, Css max, Tmax, MRT, V/F, and CL/F were 62.2 (9.0) hours, 557.3 (135.5) ng/mL, 2.6 (1.1) hours, 84.5 (11.2) hours, 173 (48) L, and 1.9 (0.5) L/h, respectively. In Chinese patients, the t/12 values were numerically similar (62.2 [9.0] vs 68.1 [22.9] hours); Css max values were numerically higher (557.3 [135.5] vs 393 [181 ] ng/mL); and V/F and CL/F values were numerically lower (V/F: 173 [48] vs 196 [66] L; CL/F: 1.9 [0.5] vs 3.4 [1.6] L/h) compared with healthy white male volunteers. Adverse effects were mild to moderate: lightheadedness (5 of 12 patients), somnolence (3), tachycardia (3), hypodynamia (2), and extrapyramidal symptoms (EPS) (1). The EPS (convulsive movement of the muscles related to the larynx) led to one patient's discontinuation of the study. CONCLUSIONS In this small pilot study of the PK properties of aripiprazole 10 mg PO g12h in Han Chinese patients with schizophrenia, the mean t1/2 value was numerically similar to that previously reported in a population of healthy white male volunteers. However, the mean Css max value was numerically higher, and V/F and CL/F values were numerically lower, compared with those in healthy white male volunteers.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xiao-Cong Zuo
- Clinical Pharmacy Research Institute, Xiang-ya Second Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China ; Department of Pharmacy, Xiang-ya Third Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Shi-Kun Liu
- Department of Pharmacy, Xiang-ya Third Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Zhi-Yong Yi
- Department of Health Inspection and Supervision, Furong District, Changsha, China
| | - Zhi-Hong Xie
- Clinical Pharmacy Research Institute, Xiang-ya Second Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Huan-De Li
- Clinical Pharmacy Research Institute, Xiang-ya Second Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Abstract
Working memory impairment is considered a core deficit in schizophrenia, but the precise nature of this deficit has not been determined. Multiple lines of evidence implicate deficits at the encoding stage. During encoding, information is held in a precategorical sensory store termed iconic memory, a literal image of the stimulus with high capacity but rapid decay. Pathologically increased iconic decay could reduce the number of items that can be transferred into working memory before the information is lost and could thus contribute to the working memory deficit seen in the illness. The current study used a partial report procedure to test the hypothesis that patients with schizophrenia (n = 37) display faster iconic memory decay than matched healthy control participants (n = 28). Six letters, arranged in a circle, were presented for 50 ms. Following a variable delay of 0-1000 ms, a central arrow cue indicated the item to be reported. In both patients and control subjects, recall accuracy decreased with increasing cue delay, reflecting decay of the iconic representation of the stimulus array. Patients displayed impaired memory performance across all cue delays, consistent with an impairment in working memory, but the rate of iconic memory decay did not differ between patients and controls. This provides clear evidence against faster loss of iconic memory representations in schizophrenia, ruling out iconic decay as an underlying source of the working memory impairment in this population. Thus, iconic decay rate can be added to a growing list of unimpaired cognitive building blocks in schizophrenia.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Britta Hahn
- Maryland Psychiatric Research Center, University of Maryland School of Medicine, P.O. Box 21247, Baltimore, MD 21228, USA.
| | - Emily S. Kappenman
- Center for Mind and Brain and Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, CA 95618
| | - Benjamin M. Robinson
- Maryland Psychiatric Research Center, University of Maryland School of Medicine, P.O. Box 21247, Baltimore, MD 21228
| | - Rebecca L. Fuller
- Maryland Psychiatric Research Center, University of Maryland School of Medicine, P.O. Box 21247, Baltimore, MD 21228
| | - Steven J. Luck
- Center for Mind and Brain and Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, CA 95618
| | - James M. Gold
- Maryland Psychiatric Research Center, University of Maryland School of Medicine, P.O. Box 21247, Baltimore, MD 21228
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Abstract
Motion processing represents a perceptual domain in which dynamic visual information is encoded to support the perception of movement. Research over the last decade has found a variety of abnormalities in the processing of motion information in schizophrenia. The abnormalities span from discrimination of basic motion features (such as speed) to integration of spatially distributed motion signals (such as coherent motion). Motion processing involves visual signals across space and time and thus presents a special opportunity to examine how spatial and temporal information is integrated in the visual system. This article surveys the behavioral and neuroimaging studies that probe into the spatial integration of motion information in schizophrenia. An emerging theme from these studies points to an imbalanced regulation of spatial interaction processes as a potential mechanism mediating different levels of abnormal motion processing in schizophrenia. The synthesis of these mechanism-driven studies suggests that further investigation of the neural basis and functional consequences of this abnormal motion processing are needed in order to render a basic biomarker for assessment and intervention of cognitive dysfunction in this mental disorder.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Y. Chen
- To whom correspondence should be addressed. tel: 617-855-3615, fax: 617-855-3611, e-mail:
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
McBain R, Norton D, Chen Y. Differential roles of low and high spatial frequency content in abnormal facial emotion perception in schizophrenia. Schizophr Res 2010; 122:151-5. [PMID: 20435444 PMCID: PMC2923279 DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2010.03.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [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: 11/13/2009] [Revised: 03/23/2010] [Accepted: 03/29/2010] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
While schizophrenia patients are impaired at facial emotion perception, the role of basic visual processing in this deficit remains relatively unclear. We examined emotion perception when spatial frequency content of facial images was manipulated via high-pass and low-pass filtering. Unlike controls (n=29), patients (n=30) perceived images with low spatial frequencies as more fearful than those without this information, across emotional salience levels. Patients also perceived images with high spatial frequencies as happier. In controls, this effect was found only at low emotional salience. These results indicate that basic visual processing has an amplified modulatory effect on emotion perception in schizophrenia.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Yue Chen
- Mailman Research Center, McLean Hospital, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School,Correspondence: Yue Chen, Ph.D., McLean Hospital, 115 Mill Street. Belmont, MA 02478, Phone: 617-855-3615,
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Chen Y, Norton D, McBain R, Ongur D, Heckers S. Visual and cognitive processing of face information in schizophrenia: detection, discrimination and working memory. Schizophr Res 2009; 107:92-8. [PMID: 18947982 PMCID: PMC2640943 DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2008.09.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [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: 06/06/2008] [Revised: 08/28/2008] [Accepted: 09/03/2008] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Face recognition involves several physiological and psychological processes, including those in visual, cognitive and affective domains. Studies have found that schizophrenia patients are deficient at recognizing facial emotions, yet visual and cognitive processing of facial information in this population has not been systematically examined. In this study, we examined visual detection, perceptual discrimination and working memory of faces as well as non-face visual objects in patients. Visual detection was measured by accuracy when detecting the presence of a briefly displayed face, image which contained only the basic configural information of a face. Perceptual discrimination was measured by discriminability scores for individual facial identity images, in which the degree of similarity between images was systematically varied via morphing. Working memory was measured by the discriminability scores when two comparison face images were separated by 3 or 10 s. All measurements were acquired using a psychophysical method (two-alternative forced choice). Relative to controls, patients showed significantly reduced accuracy in visual detection of faces (p=0.003), moderately degraded performance in perceptual discrimination of faces (p=0.065), and significantly impaired performance in working memory of faces (p<0.001 for both 3 and 10 sec conditions). Patients' performance on non-face versions of these tasks, while degraded, was not correlated with performance on face recognition. This pattern of results indicates that greater signal strength is required for visual and cognitive processing of facial information in schizophrenia.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yue Chen
- McLean Hospital, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, USA.
| | - Daniel Norton
- McLean Hospital, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School
| | - Ryan McBain
- McLean Hospital, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School
| | - Dost Ongur
- McLean Hospital, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School
| | | |
Collapse
|
11
|
Abstract
The way schizophrenia patients perceive the world is largely mysterious. Understanding and appreciating the visual world begins with the perception of basic visual features, which is altered in this mental disorder. Yet, the roles basic visual features play in functional activities such as appreciation of art are unclear. This study examined the effects of visual feature manipulation on beauty perception of art in schizophrenia patients (n=29) and in normal controls (n=30). Three pieces of art--The Starry Night (Van Gogh), Mona Lisa (Da Vinci) and a natural landscape photograph (anonymous)--were manipulated in terms of their coloration (removal of color), spatial frequency content (low or high-frequency pass) and visual noise level (with added noise). Subjects judged the beauty of the original and visual-feature-manipulated artworks by rating each piece individually (1 to 7) and by ranking all pieces from most to least beautiful. For the three original art pieces, averaged ratings and rankings were similar in patients and controls. However, when the visual features of the original pieces were manipulated, changes in the beauty ratings were significantly smaller in patients. The reduced sensitivity to visual feature manipulations suggests that the modulation of basic visual signals, often used for vivid and dynamic expressions in art, may be under-appreciated in schizophrenia.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Y Chen
- McLean Hospital, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Belmont, MA 02478, United States.
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
12
|
Abstract
BACKGROUND Schizophrenia is a brain disorder that spans across biological and behavioral levels. The links between altered neural circuitry and abnormal behaviors are yet to be understood. Visual motion perception has been established in basic neuroscience and may provide an opportunity to link different levels of brain functions in schizophrenia. Center-surround interaction is a ubiquitous neural mechanism underlying the organization of visual information over different spatial locations. METHODS We applied a psychophysical paradigm to examine center-surround interaction in schizophrenia. Patients (n = 24) and control subjects (n = 33) judged the direction of a moving random dot pattern (RDP, center) with and without the presence of another concentric surrounding RDP (surround). RESULTS The presence of a moving surround shifted the perceptual judgments of center motion in the opposite direction from the surround in both subject groups but the magnitude of the perceptual shift was significantly larger in patients. The increased perceptual shift was not correlated with psychotic symptoms, which were mild in this patient sample, or antipsychotic medication. CONCLUSIONS The increased perceptual shift suggests that the putative surround suppression on visual motion perception is abnormally increased in schizophrenia. This result provides perceptual evidence for altered basic inhibitory control of visual motion context in schizophrenia.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yue Chen
- McLean Hospital, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Belmont, Massachusetts, USA.
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
13
|
Abstract
BACKGROUND Face recognition has important implications for patients with schizophrenia, who exhibit poor interpersonal and social skills. Previous reports have suggested that patients with schizophrenia have deficits in their ability to recognize faces, and because face recognition relies heavily on information about the configuration of faces, we hypothesized that patients with schizophrenia would have specific problems in processing configural information. METHODS We measured the performance of 20 patients with schizophrenia and 20 normal subjects in a face-discrimination task, using upright and inverted pairs of face photographs that differed in featural or configural information. RESULTS The patients with schizophrenia showed disproportionately poorer performance in discriminating configural compared with featural face sets. CONCLUSION The result suggests that the face-recognition deficit in schizophrenic patients is due to specific impairments in configural processing of faces.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yong-Wook Shin
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Korea
| | - Myung Hyon Na
- Clinical Cognitive Neuroscience Center, SNU-MRC, Seoul, Korea
| | - Tae Hyon Ha
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seoul, Korea
| | - Do-Hyung Kang
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Korea
| | - So-Young Yoo
- Department of Psychiatry, Gachon University of Medicine and Science, Incheon, Korea
| | - Jun Soo Kwon
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Korea
- Clinical Cognitive Neuroscience Center, SNU-MRC, Seoul, Korea
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Abstract
BACKGROUND Higher levels of facial processing, such as recognition of the individuality and emotional expression of faces, are abnormal in schizophrenia. It is unknown, however, whether the visual detection of a face as face is impaired as well. METHODS We examined the performance of schizophrenia patients (n=29) and normal controls (n=28) in locating a line-drawn face on the left or the right side of a larger line drawing. To prevent the normal formation of general facial impressions, stimulus presentations were brief (13-104 ms). The face stimuli were either displayed upright or inverted in order to study the face inversion effect, ie, the specific effect of stimulus inversion on face processing. RESULTS Schizophrenia patients showed a significantly reduced face inversion effect, resulting primarily from significantly lower accuracy in detecting upright faces than normal controls. In tree detection, a comparison task that was also administered, the stimulus inversion effect was similarly small in both groups. CONCLUSION Given the primitive nature and brief duration of the stimuli, and the simplicity of the task, these results indicate that at the initial visual detection stage, facial processing is inefficient in schizophrenia. By isolating face detection from other aspects of face recognition, this study identifies a face-specific visual deficit in schizophrenia, which may ultimately contribute to impaired face-related cognitive and emotional processing and social interaction.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yue Chen
- Department of Psychiatry, McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Belmont, MA 02478, USA.
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
15
|
Bidwell LC, Holzman PS, Chen Y. Aging and visual motion discrimination in normal adults and schizophrenia patients. Psychiatry Res 2006; 145:1-8. [PMID: 17069895 PMCID: PMC1764463 DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2005.05.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2004] [Revised: 04/28/2005] [Accepted: 05/28/2005] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Motion perception is impaired in many neuropathological conditions, including schizophrenia. Motion perception also declines in the course of normal aging. In this study, we ask whether aging is an additive factor in the motion-discrimination deficits of schizophrenia patients. We examined motion perception in schizophrenia patients (n=44) and non-psychiatric controls (n=40) whose ages ranged from 18 to 55. The tasks included velocity discrimination and contrast detection. Thresholds for each of the two tasks were determined for each subject using psychophysical methods. Schizophrenia patients showed significantly increased thresholds (degraded performance) for velocity discrimination compared with the controls. Degraded performance in patients was not related to age. In controls, however, velocity discrimination thresholds were significantly increased beginning by age 45. Performance on a contrast-detection task, which does not require precise discrimination of motion signals, was not significantly affected by age in either group. Aging, even in its early stages, degrades motion discrimination in normal adults. Aging, however, does not adversely affect motion-discrimination deficits in schizophrenia patients through age 55. A similar motion-discrimination deficit in schizophrenia patients and aging normal adults suggests that the mechanisms underlying motion processing in schizophrenia and normal aging may be associated.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Yue Chen
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
- * Corresponding author. Mailman Research Center, McLean Hospital, 115 Mill Street, Belmont, MA 02478, USA. Tel.: +1 617 855 3615; fax: +1 617 855 2778. E-mail address: (Y. Chen)
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Abstract
Negative symptoms of schizophrenia remain an area of substantial unmet clinical need. By convening a consensus conference in January 2005, the NIMH has taken a leading role in stimulating a resurgence of interest in methodological considerations related to development of new medications for treating negative symptoms. One audience for this work is clinical researchers in industry. They must take ideas, like those emerging from this consensus meeting, and determine whether they can be applied to their global trials in order to meet the needs of a broad group of customers, which include patients, clinicians, regulators, and payers. This article takes the ideas that surfaced from the NIMH consensus work and interprets them in terms of issues that industry faces for its clinical trials. Particular emphasis is given to addressing hurdles to study design and analysis that come when developing broad-spectrum or adjunctive agents that may be effective for negative symptoms.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Larry Alphs
- Pfizer Global Research & Development, 2800 Plymouth Road, Ann Arbor, MI 48105, USA.
| |
Collapse
|