Schizophrenia Research and Treatment最新文献

{"title":"Lack of Association between the IL6R Gene Asp358Ala Variant (rs2228145), IL-6 Plasma Levels, and Treatment Resistance in Chilean Schizophrenic Patients Treated with Clozapine","authors":"Álvaro Cavieres, C. Campos-Estrada, Y. Moya, Rocío Maldonado, R. González-Vargas, M. Bustamante, P. Moya","doi":"10.1155/2019/5601249","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1155/2019/5601249","url":null,"abstract":"Alterations in neuroinflammatory processes have been suggested to contribute to the development of Schizophrenia (SZ); one component of the inflammatory system that has been linked to this disorder is interleukin-6 (IL-6). The minor allele of rs2228145, a functional polymorphism in the IL-6 receptor gene, has been associated to elevated IL-6 plasma levels and increased inflammatory activity, making it an interesting candidate to study as a possible factor underlying clinical heterogeneity in SZ. We studied a sample of 100 patients undergoing treatment with clozapine. Their symptoms were quantified by Brief Psychotic Rating Scale; those with the lowest scores (“remitted”) were compared with the highest (“clozapine treatment resistant”). We determined allelic frequencies for rs2228145 and IL-6 plasma levels. Our results do not support a role of IL-6 in response to treatment with clozapine. Further studies accounting for potential confounding factors are necessary.","PeriodicalId":45388,"journal":{"name":"Schizophrenia Research and Treatment","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2019-06-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"79142145","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Attitude towards Antipsychotic Medications in Patients Diagnosed with Schizophrenia: A Cross-Sectional Study at Amanuel Mental Specialized Hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.","authors":"Tilahun Kassew,&nbsp;Demeke Demilew,&nbsp;Addis Birhanu,&nbsp;Mesele Wonde,&nbsp;Biks Liyew,&nbsp;Shegaye Shumet","doi":"10.1155/2019/5094017","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1155/2019/5094017","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Poor attitude towards antipsychotic drugs is high, and it is a factor for non-adherence to treatment. This increases the risk of relapse, associated healthcare utilization, and costs. This study aimed to assess attitude towards antipsychotic medication among patients with schizophrenia.</p><p><strong>Objectives: </strong>The aim of this institution based cross-sectional study was to assess attitude towards antipsychotic medications and associated factors among patients with schizophrenia who attend the outpatient clinics at Amanuel Mental Specialized Hospital, 2018.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>In a cross-sectional study, 393 schizophrenic patients from Amanuel Mental Specialized Hospital were recruited by a systematic random sampling technique. Drug Attitude Inventory (DAI-10) was used to assess attitude, experience, and belief about antipsychotics. Glasgow antipsychotic side effect scale modified version, positive and negative syndrome scale, and Birch wood's insight scale for psychosis were the instruments used to assess the associated factors. Simple and multiple linear regression analysis models were fitted, and the adjusted unstandardized beta (<i>β</i>) coefficient at 95% confidence interval was used.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The mean score of attitude towards antipsychotic medications was 6.51 with standard deviation (SD) of 2.22. In multiple linear regression, positive symptoms (<i>β</i>= -0.07, 95% CI: (-0.09, -0.05)), negative symptoms (<i>β</i>= -0.04, 95% CI: (-0.06,-0.02)), shorter (≤5 years) duration of illness (<i>β</i>= -0.39, 95% CI: (-0.63, -0.15)), first generation antipsychotics (<i>β</i> = -0.35, 95% CI: (-0.55,-0.14)), having sedation (<i>β</i>= -0.28, 95% CI: (-0.52, -0.02)), and extra-pyramidal side effects (<i>β</i>= -0.34, 95% CI: (-0.59,-0.09)) were factors negatively associated with attitude towards antipsychotic medication treatment. Insight to illness (<i>β</i>= 0.24, 95% CI: (0.20, 0.27) was a factor positively associated with attitude towards antipsychotic medications.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The result suggests that the mean score of participants' attitude towards antipsychotic medications was good. Prevention of side effects particularly due to first generation antipsychotics is necessary.</p>","PeriodicalId":45388,"journal":{"name":"Schizophrenia Research and Treatment","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2019-05-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1155/2019/5094017","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"37381945","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":"Assessing the Relationship between Performance on the University of California Performance Skills Assessment (UPSA) and Outcomes in Schizophrenia: A Systematic Review and Evidence Synthesis.","authors":"Shelagh Szabo,&nbsp;Elizabeth Merikle,&nbsp;Greta Lozano-Ortega,&nbsp;Lauren Powell,&nbsp;Thomas Macek,&nbsp;Stephanie Cline","doi":"10.1155/2018/9075174","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1155/2018/9075174","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>To perform a systematic review of the published literature to evaluate how functional capacity, as measured by the University of California at San Diego (UCSD) Performance-based Skills Assessment (UPSA), relates to other functional measures and real-world outcomes among individuals with schizophrenia.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The MEDLINE® and Embase® databases were searched to identify joint evaluations with UPSA and key functional outcomes (functional scale measures; generic or disease-specific, health-related quality of life [HRQoL]; or real-world outcomes [residential status; employment status]) in patients with schizophrenia. Pearson correlations were estimated between UPSA scores, HRQoL, other functional scale measures, and real-world outcomes, for outcomes described in at least six studies.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The synthesis included 76 studies that provided 73 unique data sets. Quantitative assessment between the Specific Level of Function (SLOF) (n=18) scores and UPSA scores demonstrated a moderate borderline-significant correlation (0.45, <i>p</i>=0.06). Quantitative analysis of the relationship between the Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) (n=11) and the Multidimensional Scale of Independent Functioning (MSIF) (n=6) scales revealed moderate and small nonsignificant Pearson correlations of -0.34 (<i>p=</i>0.31) and 0.12 (<i>p=</i>0.83), respectively. There was a small borderline-significant correlation between UPSA score and residential status (n=36; 0.31; <i>p=</i>0.08), while no correlation was found between UPSA score and employment status (n=19; 0.04; <i>p</i>=0.88).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The SLOF was the most often used functional measure and had the strongest observed correlation with the UPSA. Although knowledge gaps remain, evidence from this review indicates that there is a quantitative relationship between functional capacity and real-world outcomes in individuals with schizophrenia.</p>","PeriodicalId":45388,"journal":{"name":"Schizophrenia Research and Treatment","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2018-12-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1155/2018/9075174","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"36946247","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":"Effectiveness of Integrated Neurocognitive Therapy on Cognitive Impairment and Functional Outcome for Schizophrenia Outpatients.","authors":"Andreana De Mare,&nbsp;Miriam Cantarella,&nbsp;Giovanni Galeoto","doi":"10.1155/2018/2360697","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1155/2018/2360697","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Cognitive impairment is highly prevalent in patients with schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder. Many interventions have been developed to treat cognitive deficit, since it has a strong impact on functional outcome; however, there are no integrated interventions targeting multiple neuro- and social-cognitive domains with a particular focus on the generalization of the effects of therapy on the functional outcome. Recently, a group of experts has developed a cognitive remediation group therapy approach called Integrated Neurocognitive Therapy (INT), which includes exercises to improve the MATRICS (Measurement and Treatment Research to Improve Cognition in Schizophrenia) neuro- and social-cognitive domains. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to assess the efficacy of this approach. We conducted a search of PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and PsycINFO to select primary studies evaluating INT in schizophrenic and schizoaffective patients. The primary outcomes of the meta-analysis included negative and positive symptoms and global functioning. Two randomized controlled trials met inclusion criteria. A total of 217 participants were included. Based on the results from the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), a significant pooled effect size was observed for negative symptoms, which demonstrated not only an improvement in the patients treated immediately after therapy but also a permanence of positive results at a 9-12-month follow-up. On the other hand, no significant effect size was observed for positive symptoms. In addition, a significant pooled effect size was found for Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF), which shows how INT's integrated approach has lasting positive implications on patients' functional outcome. We concluded that INT might be an effective treatment for negative symptoms and global functioning in patients with schizophrenia, compared to treatment as usual (TAU).</p>","PeriodicalId":45388,"journal":{"name":"Schizophrenia Research and Treatment","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2018-10-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1155/2018/2360697","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"36716728","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":"Long-Acting Injectable Second-Generation Antipsychotics Improve Negative Symptoms and Suicidal Ideation in Recent Diagnosed Schizophrenia Patients: A 1-Year Follow-up Pilot Study.","authors":"Valentina Corigliano,&nbsp;Anna Comparelli,&nbsp;Iginia Mancinelli,&nbsp;Benedetta Montalbani,&nbsp;Dorian A Lamis,&nbsp;Antonella De Carolis,&nbsp;Denise Erbuto,&nbsp;Paolo Girardi,&nbsp;Maurizio Pompili","doi":"10.1155/2018/4834135","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1155/2018/4834135","url":null,"abstract":"Long-acting injectable second-generation antipsychotics (LAI-SGA) are typically used to maintain treatment adherence in patients with chronic schizophrenia. Recent research suggests that they may also provide an effective treatment strategy for patients with early-phase disease. The aim of this study is to evaluate clinical and psychosocial outcomes among recent and long-term diagnosed schizophrenia outpatients treated with LAI-SGA during a follow-up period of 12 months. Stable schizophrenia patients receiving LAI-SGA with 5 or less years of illness duration (n = 10) were compared to those with more than 5 years of illness duration (n = 15). Clinical data was assessed through the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), the Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF), the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS), the Recovery Style Questionnaire (RSQ), and the Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT) Managing Emotion branch. Recently diagnosed patients showed greater improvement versus patients diagnosed for more than 5 years in adjusted mean GAF score, in PANSS factor score for negative and depressive symptoms, and in severity and intensity of suicidal ideation. Our preliminary findings support the hypothesis that LAI-SGA may influence the course of the illness if administered at the early phase of the illness. However, replicate studies are needed, possibly with larger samples.","PeriodicalId":45388,"journal":{"name":"Schizophrenia Research and Treatment","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2018-08-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1155/2018/4834135","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"36518382","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":"Metabolic Syndrome among Schizophrenic Patients: A Comparative Cross-Sectional Study in the Middle Belt of Ghana.","authors":"Angela Owusu-Ansah,&nbsp;Anto Berko Panyin,&nbsp;Christian Obirikorang,&nbsp;Christian Agyare,&nbsp;Emmanuel Acheampong,&nbsp;Simon Kwofie,&nbsp;Enoch Odame Anto,&nbsp;Emmanuella Nsenbah Batu","doi":"10.1155/2018/6542983","DOIUrl":"10.1155/2018/6542983","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The study determined the prevalence of MetS in patients with schizophrenia at the Psychiatric Unit of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), Kumasi, Ghana. This comparative cross-sectional study recruited 348 schizophrenic patients comprising 236 antipsychotic-treated and 112 newly diagnosed treatment-<i>naïve</i> patients. The MetS prevalence was assessed based on World Health Organization (WHO), International Diabetes Federation (IDF), and the National Cholesterol Education Programme, Adult Treatment Panel III (NCEP ATP III) criteria. The overall prevalence of MetS was 14.1%, 20.4%, and 23.6% using NCEP ATP III, WHO, and IDF criteria, respectively, compared to 7.8%, 3.9%, and 2.2% reported in the general Ghanaian population. The prevalence was significantly higher among treated psychiatric patients compared to treatment-<i>naïve</i> group based on NCEP ATP III (17.8% versus 6.2%; p = 0.0001), WHO (26.2% versus 8.0%; p < 0.0001), and IDF (30.3% versus 10.0%; p < 0.0001). MetS was prevalent among patients on atypical antipsychotics compared to typical antipsychotics irrespective of the criteria used (i.e., 17.1% versus 11.1% for NCEP ATP III; 29.5% versus 25.9% for WHO; and 44.3% versus 18.5% for IDF). Using logistic regression model, obesity, raised fasting blood sugar, raised total cholesterol, and decreased high density lipoprotein were observed to be significant predictors of MetS (p<0.05).The study found high prevalence of MetS in Ghanaians with schizophrenia and higher prevalence rate of MetS associated with monotherapy. Regular monitoring of cardiometabolic parameters should be an important therapeutic objective in the management of these patients.</p>","PeriodicalId":45388,"journal":{"name":"Schizophrenia Research and Treatment","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2018-06-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1155/2018/6542983","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"36345235","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":"Change in Prolactin Levels in Pediatric Patients Given Antipsychotics for Schizophrenia and Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders: A Network Meta-Analysis.","authors":"Chakrapani Balijepalli,&nbsp;Eric Druyts,&nbsp;Michael J Zoratti,&nbsp;Ping Wu,&nbsp;Salmaan Kanji,&nbsp;Kiran Rabheru,&nbsp;Kevin Yan,&nbsp;Kristian Thorlund","doi":"10.1155/2018/1543034","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1155/2018/1543034","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Treatment of schizophrenia with first- and second-generation antipsychotics has been associated with elevated prolactin levels, which may increase the risk for prolactin-related adverse events.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) included in a recent systematic review were considered for this analysis. A Bayesian network meta-analysis was used to compare changes in prolactin levels in pediatric patients diagnosed with schizophrenia or schizophrenia spectrum disorders treated with second-generation antipsychotics (SGAs).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Five RCTs, including 989 patients combined, have evaluated the changes in prolactin for pediatric patients after 6 weeks of treatment with risperidone, quetiapine, aripiprazole, olanzapine, and paliperidone. In the overall study population, treatment with risperidone was associated with the highest increase in mean prolactin levels compared to other SGAs. Patients treated with risperidone 4-6 mg/day were found to experience the greatest increases (55.06 ng/ml [95% CrI: 40.53-69.58]) in prolactin levels, followed by risperidone 1-3 mg/day, paliperidone 3-6 mg/day, and paliperidone 6-12 mg/day.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>This study shows that there are differences in SGAs ability to cause hyperprolactinemia. Further, there is clear evidence of safety concerns with risperidone and paliperidone treatment in adolescent schizophrenia patients.</p><p><strong>Registration: </strong>PROSPERO CRD42014009506.</p>","PeriodicalId":45388,"journal":{"name":"Schizophrenia Research and Treatment","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2018-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1155/2018/1543034","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"36136618","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":"History of Suicide Attempt Is Associated with Reduced Medial Prefrontal Cortex Activity during Emotional Decision-Making among Men with Schizophrenia: An Exploratory fMRI Study.","authors":"Stéphane Potvin,&nbsp;Andràs Tikàsz,&nbsp;Stéphane Richard-Devantoy,&nbsp;Ovidiu Lungu,&nbsp;Alexandre Dumais","doi":"10.1155/2018/9898654","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1155/2018/9898654","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Despite the high prevalence of suicidal ideas/attempts in schizophrenia, only a handful of neuroimaging studies have examined the neurobiological differences associated with suicide risk in this population. The main objective of the current exploratory study is to examine the neurofunctional correlates associated with a history of suicide attempt in schizophrenia, using a risky decision-making task, in order to show alterations in brain reward regions in this population. Thirty-two male outpatients with schizophrenia were recruited: 13 patients with (SCZ + S) and 19 without a history of suicidal attempt (SCZ - S). Twenty-one healthy men with no history of mental disorders or suicidal attempt/idea were also recruited. Participants were scanned using fMRI while performing the <i>Balloon Analogue Risk Task</i>. A rapid event-related fMRI paradigm was used, separating decision and outcome events, and the explosion probabilities were included as parametric modulators. The most important finding of this study is that SCZ + S patients had reduced activations of the medial prefrontal cortex during the success outcome event (with parametric modulation), relative to both SCZ - S patients and controls, as illustrated by a spatial conjunction analysis. These exploratory results suggest that a history of suicidal attempt in schizophrenia is associated with blunted brain reward activity during emotional decision-making.</p>","PeriodicalId":45388,"journal":{"name":"Schizophrenia Research and Treatment","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2018-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1155/2018/9898654","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"36036332","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":"Effect of Olanzapine on Clinical and Polysomnography Profiles in Patients with Schizophrenia.","authors":"Mohammad Zia Ul Haq Katshu,&nbsp;Sukanto Sarkar,&nbsp;S Haque Nizamie","doi":"10.1155/2018/3968015","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1155/2018/3968015","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Acute and short-term administration of olanzapine has a favorable effect on sleep in schizophrenia patients. This study aimed to clarify the effect of olanzapine on polysomnographic profiles of schizophrenia patients during the acute phase of illness after controlling for previous drug exposure. Twenty-five drug-naïve or drug-free schizophrenia patients were assessed at baseline and after six weeks of olanzapine treatment on Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS), Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), and Udvalg for Kliniske Undersogelser (UKU) side-effect rating scale and a whole-night polysomnography; fifteen patients completed the study. There was a significant reduction in all psychopathological variables with maximum reduction in PANSS total, BPRS total, and PANSS positive scores. A significant increase in total sleep time (TST), sleep efficiency (SE), nonrapid eye movement (NREM) stage 1 duration, stage 3 duration, stage 4 duration, and stage 4 percentage of TST, number of rapid eye movement (REM) periods, REM duration, and REM percentage of TST was observed. REM latency at baseline inversely predicted the reduction in BPRS total and PANSS total and positive scores. In summary, short-term treatment with olanzapine produced significant improvement in clinical and polysomnography profiles of patients with schizophrenia with shorter REM latency predicting a good clinical response.</p>","PeriodicalId":45388,"journal":{"name":"Schizophrenia Research and Treatment","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2018-02-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1155/2018/3968015","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"36026324","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":"A Possible Link between Anxiety and Schizophrenia and a Possible Role of Anhedonia.","authors":"Luigi Grillo","doi":"10.1155/2018/5917475","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1155/2018/5917475","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In the prodromal phase of schizophrenia, severe alterations of the visual appearance of the environment have been found, accompanied by a state of intense anxiety. The present study considers the possibility that these alterations really exist in the appearance of objects, but that healthy people do not see them. The image of the world that we see is continuously deformed and fragmented by foreshortenings, partial overlapping, and so on and must be constantly reassembled and interpreted; otherwise, it could change so much that we would hardly recognize it. Since pleasure has been found to be involved in visual and cognitive information processing, the possibility is considered that anhedonia (the reduction of the ability to feel pleasure) might interfere with the correct reconstruction and interpretation of the image of the environment and alter its appearance. The possibility is also considered that these alterations might make the environment hostile, might at times evoke the sensation of being trapped by a predator, and might be the cause of the anxiety that accompanies them. According to some authors, they might also induce delusional ideas, in an attempt to restore meaning in a world that has become chaotic and frightening.</p>","PeriodicalId":45388,"journal":{"name":"Schizophrenia Research and Treatment","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2018-01-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1155/2018/5917475","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"35957236","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}