Emotional Face Perception in Patients with Schizophrenia: an Event-Related Potential Study

Abstract

Emotional face recognition has been shown to be drastically impaired among patients with schizophrenia. Since the underlying processes of this deficit have not been widely addressed, we attempted to investigate the relationship between facial expression perception and clinical symptoms in patients with schizophrenia. We enrolled 28 patients with schizophrenia and 28 healthy adults matched by their sex and age. The amplitude and latency of component N170 in event-related EEG potentials (ERPs) induced by presentations of happy, fearful, and neutral face images were comparatively evaluated in these two groups. Furthermore, the relationship between the N170 measures and clinical symptoms of schizophrenia were assessed using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS). The N170 responses to facial expressions in patients with schizophrenia were significantly delayed, as compared to healthy control participants [F (1, 54) = 4.25, P = 0.044]. The N170 response to fearful faces (as compared to happy and neutral faces) was elicited with the minimum latency in the control group, while this component was most delayed among schizophrenics. Positive schizophrenia symptoms correlated with the amplitudes of the left-hemisphere N170 component in response to happy, fearful, and neutral faces. Our findings suggest that the facial expression deficit in schizophrenia is related to delayed responses in face perception and is influenced by the severity of positive symptoms. The evident delay in fearful face perception among patients with schizophrenia may partly explain their inappropriate reactions to threatening conditions.