Anna R. Knippenberg, Sabrina Yavari, Gregory P. Strauss
{"title":"Negative auditory hallucinations are associated with increased activation of the defensive motivational system in schizophrenia","authors":"Anna R. Knippenberg, Sabrina Yavari, Gregory P. Strauss","doi":"10.1016/j.scog.2024.100334","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.scog.2024.100334","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Auditory hallucinations (AH) are the most common symptom of psychosis. The voices people hear make comments that are benign or even encouraging, but most often voices are threatening and derogatory. Negative AH are often highly distressing and contribute to suicide risk and violent behavior. Biological mechanisms underlying the valence of voices (i.e., positive, negative, neutral) are not well delineated. In the current study, we examined whether AH voice valence was associated with increased activation of the Defensive Motivational System, as indexed by central and autonomic system response to unpleasant stimuli. Data were evaluated from two studies that used a common symptom rating instrument, the Psychotic Symptom Rating Scale (PSY-RATS), to measure AH valence. Participants included outpatients diagnosed with SZ. Tasks included: Study 1: Trier Social Stress Task while heart rate was recorded via electrocardiography (<em>N</em> = 27); Study 2: Passive Viewing Task while participants were exposed to pleasant, unpleasant, and neutral images from the International Affective Picture System (IAPS) library while eye movements, pupil dilation, and electroencephalography were recorded (<em>N</em> = 25). Results indicated that negative voice content was significantly associated with: 1) increased heart rate during an acute social stressor, 2) increased pupil dilation to unpleasant images, 3) higher neural reactivity to unpleasant images, and 4) a greater likelihood of having bottom-up attention drawn to unpleasant stimuli. Findings suggest that negative AH are associated with greater Defensive Motivational System activation in terms of central and autonomic nervous system response.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":38119,"journal":{"name":"Schizophrenia Research-Cognition","volume":"39 ","pages":"Article 100334"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142446566","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Philip D. Harvey , Richard S.E. Keefe , Peter Kallestrup , Sara J. Czaja , Hans Klein , William Horan
{"title":"Migration of digital functional capacity assessments from device resident to cloud-based delivery: Development and convergent validity","authors":"Philip D. Harvey , Richard S.E. Keefe , Peter Kallestrup , Sara J. Czaja , Hans Klein , William Horan","doi":"10.1016/j.scog.2024.100331","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.scog.2024.100331","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Decentralized clinical trials are leading to rapid changes in assessment technology, including an expansion of interest in remote delivery. As technology changes, some of the updates include migration to fully cloud-based software and data management, with attendant differences in hardware, response modalities, and modifications in the level of tester engagement. It is rare to see systematic descriptions of the process of migration and upgrading of technology-related assessments. We present comparative data on successive generations of two widely used functional capacity measures, the Virtual Reality Functional Capacity Assessment Tool (VRFCAT) and the Functional Capacity Assessment and Training System (FUNSAT). Four samples of healthy older individuals completed either the original device-resident, computer-administered versions, or cloud-based, tablet-delivered versions of these tasks. For the VRFCAT, performance and correlations with age were similar across versions, although performance was slightly (5 %) faster with iPad delivery. For the FUNSAT, performance and correlations with age and cognitive task scores were generally similar across versions for English Speakers, though there were some differences related to the testing language for the cloud-based version. These results support the feasibility of migrating digital assessments to cloud-based delivery and substantiate fundamental similarity across delivery strategies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":38119,"journal":{"name":"Schizophrenia Research-Cognition","volume":"39 ","pages":"Article 100331"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2215001324000325/pdfft?md5=ca8c916199d8f0f564e82d512be874d7&pid=1-s2.0-S2215001324000325-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142315339","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Leila Shateri , Hamid Yari Renani , Abbas Bakhshipour Rudsari , Touraj Hashemi Nosratabad , Zahra Saeidi
{"title":"Through the lens of schizophrenia: Recognizing negative facial expressions and family patterns","authors":"Leila Shateri , Hamid Yari Renani , Abbas Bakhshipour Rudsari , Touraj Hashemi Nosratabad , Zahra Saeidi","doi":"10.1016/j.scog.2024.100336","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.scog.2024.100336","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Schizophrenia is a complex disorder with symptoms such as hallucinations, delusions, and impaired social interactions, and deficits in facial emotion recognition are a key area of impairment. Studies indicate that recognizing facial emotions is essential for social interaction, and individuals with schizophrenia show significant difficulties, especially in recognizing negative emotions. Previous research has primarily focused on patients, with less attention on their first-degree relatives. This study investigates the ability to recognize negative facial expressions in paranoid and non-paranoid schizophrenia patients, their siblings, and matched healthy controls. This cross-sectional study included 60 paranoid schizophrenia patients, 60 non-paranoid schizophrenia patients, 59 siblings of paranoid patients, 60 siblings of non-paranoid patients, and 30 healthy controls, recruited from outpatients at Razi Hospital in Tabriz, Iran. The mean age was 35.7 years, and 54 % of participants were female. The Ekman 60 Faces Test assessed the recognition of basic facial emotions, focusing on negative emotions. The results revealed that paranoid schizophrenia patients showed significantly lower performance in recognizing negative facial emotions (mean score: 15.7) compared to non-paranoid patients (16.4) and siblings (28.1 for paranoid siblings, 27.4 for non-paranoid siblings). In contrast, healthy controls scored highest (29.0). This study highlights the deficits in emotion recognition in schizophrenia and their potential genetic underpinnings within family lines, contributing to understanding social cognition deficits related to the disorder.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":38119,"journal":{"name":"Schizophrenia Research-Cognition","volume":"39 ","pages":"Article 100336"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142593127","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Sadia Rehman Safwi , Abid Rizvi , Mohammad Amir Usmani , Karrar Husain , Kanwarjeet Brar , Deep Yadava
{"title":"Transcranial direct current stimulation and its effect on cognitive symptoms of schizophrenia: An updated review","authors":"Sadia Rehman Safwi , Abid Rizvi , Mohammad Amir Usmani , Karrar Husain , Kanwarjeet Brar , Deep Yadava","doi":"10.1016/j.scog.2024.100335","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.scog.2024.100335","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objective</h3><div>Cognitive impairments in schizophrenia significantly affect functional outcomes and quality of life. This meta-analysis evaluates the effectiveness of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) as an intervention for cognitive deficits in individuals with schizophrenia.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>From May 20 to June 15, 2024, a systematic search of PubMed, Medline, Embase, and the Cochrane central register of controlled trials was conducted. After applying eligibility criteria, 13 randomized sham-controlled trials were included, involving 261 participants in the tDCS group and 247 in the sham group. Standardized mean difference (SMD) was computed to measure the effect size of cognitive outcomes. Statistical analyses were performed using a random-effects model to account for heterogeneity.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>The pooled analysis yielded an SMD of 0.09 (95 % CI: −0.17 to 0.35), indicating a non-significant difference between tDCS and sham on cognitive outcomes. Moderate heterogeneity (I<sup>2</sup> = 44 %) was observed, attributed to variations in tDCS protocols, participant demographics, and cognitive assessment tools. Although certain studies showed improvements in specific domains like working memory, the overall impact of tDCS on cognitive symptoms was not statistically significant.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>This meta-analysis underscores the lack of significant evidence for tDCS in improving cognitive deficits in schizophrenia. The findings highlight the urgent need for standardizing tDCS protocols and employing domain-specific cognitive assessments. This standardization, along with the collection of more domain-specific data, is crucial for future research and the improvement of current methodologies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":38119,"journal":{"name":"Schizophrenia Research-Cognition","volume":"39 ","pages":"Article 100335"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142526866","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Cognitive functioning and functional ability in women with schizophrenia and homelessness","authors":"Jayakumar Menon , Suvarna Jyothi Kantipudi , Aruna Mani , Rajiv Radhakrishnan","doi":"10.1016/j.scog.2024.100338","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.scog.2024.100338","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Studies of schizophrenia and homelessness are minimal from the Indian subcontinent. Women with schizophrenia and homelessness in India remain a highly vulnerable group and there is no data to date regarding their clinical characteristics. Cognitive impairment in schizophrenia remains a major factor determining outcomes in schizophrenia. We examined the cognitive functioning of women with schizophrenia and homelessness (WSH) and compared it to an age-matched group of women with schizophrenia living with their family (WSF).</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>36 women with schizophrenia and homelessness, and 32 women with schizophrenia who were living with family were evaluated for psychopathology using Scale for Assessment of Positive Symptoms (SAPS)/ Scale for assessment of negative symptoms (SANS) scales. Cognitive function was assessed using Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MOCA)/Rowland Universal Dementia Scale (RUDAS), and Frontal Assessment Battery (FAB), disability using World Health Organization - Disability assessment Scale (WHO-DAS) and psychosocial factors using a semi-structured proforma. The groups were compared using <em>t</em>-tests and chi-square for continuous and categorical variables respectively.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Women with schizophrenia and homelessness were found to have significantly lower cognitive functioning, and much higher disability. Cognition and disability for women with schizophrenia and homelessness differed by 2–3 standard deviations with the mean for women living with family (i.e. z scores). Women with schizophrenia experiencing homelessness (WSH group) exhibited higher literacy levels and previous work experience compared to their counterparts. Those with family support are likely to face reduced pressures to work or earn, which further suggests that premorbid levels of functioning may not be the primary factors influencing the differences observed in cognitive assessments.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>The study demonstrates significantly higher cognitive dysfunction in women with homelessness and schizophrenia, raising the possibility of much higher cognitive dysfunction being a predictor for homelessness in Indian women with schizophrenia.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":38119,"journal":{"name":"Schizophrenia Research-Cognition","volume":"39 ","pages":"Article 100338"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142659060","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Yunfei Ji , Bingjie Huang , Jia Huang , Xiaodong Guo , Tianqi Gao , Yue Zheng , Wanheng Hu , Xiaolin Yin , Xianghe Wang , Xin Yu , Chengcheng Pu
{"title":"Humor processing and its relationship with clinical features in patients with first-episode schizophrenia","authors":"Yunfei Ji , Bingjie Huang , Jia Huang , Xiaodong Guo , Tianqi Gao , Yue Zheng , Wanheng Hu , Xiaolin Yin , Xianghe Wang , Xin Yu , Chengcheng Pu","doi":"10.1016/j.scog.2024.100337","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.scog.2024.100337","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Humor, a higher-order social cognitive process unique to humans, is commonly impaired in patients with chronic schizophrenia. However, humor processing and its association with the clinical characteristics in the early stage of the illness remain unknown. In this study, we investigated humor processing and its relationship with clinical features in patients with first-episode schizophrenia (FES). We recruited 45 patients with FES and 44 healthy controls matched for age, sex, and education level. The participants completed the Picture Humor Processing Task (HPT-p) and Video Humor Processing Task (HPT-v), which evaluated humor comprehension and appreciation, and a questionnaire assessing their humor styles. Clinical participants also completed clinical and social functioning measurements. Signal detection theory analysis was used to calculate the d' and β values, which represent the detection of humor signals in the comprehension phase and inner criteria of the humor appreciation phase, respectively. In the HPT-p, patients with FES showed a higher false alarm rate (<em>p</em> = 0.048) than healthy controls, whereas the hitting rate, signal recognition ability (d' value), and intrinsic evaluation criterion (β value) were comparable between the two participants groups. In the HPT-v, patients with FES showed lower within-group coherence in the funniness rating (<em>p</em> = 0.023) than healthy controls. In addition, the false alarm rate in the HPT-p and negative symptoms effectively predicted social functioning in patients with FES (R<sup>2</sup> = 0.681, <em>p</em> < 0.001). Our results indicate that impairment of humor comprehension in patients with schizophrenia is generated in the first episode and contributes to social functioning deficits, which require early recognition and intervention.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":38119,"journal":{"name":"Schizophrenia Research-Cognition","volume":"39 ","pages":"Article 100337"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142593128","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Daniel Núñez , Javiera Rodríguez-Delgado , Ramón D. Castillo , José Yupanqui , Heidi Kloos
{"title":"Effect of prior beliefs and cognitive deficits on learning in first-episode schizophrenia patients","authors":"Daniel Núñez , Javiera Rodríguez-Delgado , Ramón D. Castillo , José Yupanqui , Heidi Kloos","doi":"10.1016/j.scog.2024.100318","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scog.2024.100318","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Introduction</h3><p>It is known that cognitive deficits are a core feature of schizophrenia and that in the general population, prior beliefs significantly influence learning and reasoning processes. However, the interaction of prior beliefs with cognitive deficits and their impact on performance in schizophrenia patients is still poorly understood. This study investigates the role of beliefs and cognitive variables (CVs) like working memory, associative learning, and processing speed on learning processes in individuals with schizophrenia. We hypothesize that beliefs will influence the ability to learn correct predictions and that first-episode schizophrenia patients (FEP) will show impaired learning due to cognitive deficits.</p></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><p>We used a predictive-learning task to examine how FEP (<em>n</em> = 23) and matched controls (n = 23) adjusted their decisional criteria concerning physical properties during the learning process when predicting the sinking behavior of two transparent containers filled with aluminum discs when placed in water.</p></div><div><h3>Results</h3><p>On accuracy, initial differences by group, trial type, and interaction effects of these variables disappeared when CVs were controlled. The differences by conditions, associated with differential beliefs about why the objects sink slower or faster, were seen in patients and controls, despite controlling the CVs' effect.</p></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><p>Differences between groups were mainly explained by CVs, proving that they play an important role than what is assumed in this type of task. However, beliefs about physical events were not affected by CVs, and beliefs affect in the same way the decisional criteria of the control or FEP patients' groups.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":38119,"journal":{"name":"Schizophrenia Research-Cognition","volume":"38 ","pages":"Article 100318"},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2024-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2215001324000192/pdfft?md5=724aa1494226fad4a9ea8aa278248c96&pid=1-s2.0-S2215001324000192-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141424426","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Jacopo Sapienza , Giulia Agostoni , Stefano Comai , Sofia Nasini , Stefano Dall'Acqua , Stefania Sut , Marco Spangaro , Francesca Martini , Margherita Bechi , Mariachiara Buonocore , Giorgia Bigai , Federica Repaci , Daniela Nocera , Chiara Ave , Carmelo Guglielmino , Federica Cocchi , Roberto Cavallaro , Giacomo Deste , Marta Bosia
{"title":"Neuroinflammation and kynurenines in schizophrenia: Impact on cognition depending on cognitive functioning and modulatory properties in relation to cognitive remediation and aerobic exercise","authors":"Jacopo Sapienza , Giulia Agostoni , Stefano Comai , Sofia Nasini , Stefano Dall'Acqua , Stefania Sut , Marco Spangaro , Francesca Martini , Margherita Bechi , Mariachiara Buonocore , Giorgia Bigai , Federica Repaci , Daniela Nocera , Chiara Ave , Carmelo Guglielmino , Federica Cocchi , Roberto Cavallaro , Giacomo Deste , Marta Bosia","doi":"10.1016/j.scog.2024.100328","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.scog.2024.100328","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><p>In the last decade, the kynurenine pathway (KP) has gained attention in the pathogenesis of cognitive impairment in schizophrenia being at the croassroad between neuroinflammation and glutamatergic and cholinergic neurotransmission. However, clinical findings are scarse and conflicting, and the specific contributions of these two systems to the neurobiology of cognitive symptoms are far from being elucidated. Furthermore, little is known about the molecular underpinnings of non-pharmacological interventions for cognitive improvement, including rehabilitation strategies.</p></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><p>The current study examined 72 patients with schizophrenia, divided in two clusters depending on the severity of the cognitive impairment, with the aim to evaluate the impact of inflammatory biomarkers and KP metabolites depending on cognitive functioning. Moreover, we studied their possible link to the cognitive outcome in relation to sessions of cognitive remediation therapy (CRT) and aerobic exercise (AE) in a longitudinal arm of 42 patients.</p></div><div><h3>Results</h3><p>Neuroinflammation appeared to exert a more pronounced influence on cognition in patients exhibiting a higher cognitive functioning, contrasting with the activation of the KP, which had a greater impact on individuals with a lower cognitive profile. Cognitive improvements after the treatments were negatively predicted by levels of TNF-α and positively predicted by the 3-hydroxykynurenine (3−HK)/kynurenine (KYN) ratio, an index of the kynurenine-3-monooxygenase (KMO) enzyme activity.</p></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><p>Overall, these findings add novel evidence on the biological underpinnings of cognitive impairment in schizophrenia pointing at a differential role of neuroinflammation and KP metabolites in inducing cognitive deficits depending on the cognitive reserve and predicting outcomes after rehabilitation.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":38119,"journal":{"name":"Schizophrenia Research-Cognition","volume":"38 ","pages":"Article 100328"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2024-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2215001324000295/pdfft?md5=54248f45278f1be63d6fe3c4e9270e2f&pid=1-s2.0-S2215001324000295-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142088850","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Ten years of schizophrenia research cognition","authors":"Philip D. Harvey","doi":"10.1016/j.scog.2024.100322","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.scog.2024.100322","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":38119,"journal":{"name":"Schizophrenia Research-Cognition","volume":"38 ","pages":"Article 100322"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2024-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2215001324000234/pdfft?md5=5df6513d7bfd734ab9dcf887d031eede&pid=1-s2.0-S2215001324000234-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142239633","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}