Facial Emotion Identification Test Research Articles

Negative symptoms and social cognition as mediators of the relationship between neurocognition and functional outcome in schizophrenia.

In this study we assessed the contribution of psychopathology, including the two domains of negative symptoms (motivational deficit and expressive deficit), processing speed as an index of neurocognition, and emotion recognition, as an index of social cognition, to poor functional outcomes in people with schizophrenia. The Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale was used to evaluate positive symptoms and disorganization and the Brief Negative Symptom Scale to assess negative symptoms. The Symbol Coding and the Trail Making Test A and B were used to rate processing speed and the Facial Emotion Identification Test to assess emotion recognition. Functional outcome was assessed with the Personal and Social Performance Scale (PSP). Regression analyses were performed to identify predictors of functional outcome. Mediation analyses was used to investigate whether social cognition and negative symptom domains fully or partially mediated the impact of processing speed on functional outcome. One hundred and fifty subjects from 8 different European centers were recruited. Our data showed that the expressive deficit predicted global functioning and together with motivational deficit fully mediated the effects of neurocognition on it. Motivational deficit was a predictor of personal and social functioning and fully mediated neurocognitive impairment effects on the same outcome. Both motivational deficit and neurocognitive impairment predicted socially useful activities, and the emotion recognition domain of social cognition partially mediated the impact of neurocognitive deficits on this outcome. Our results indicate that pathways to functional outcomes are specific for different domains of real-life functioning and that negative symptoms and social cognition mediate the impact of neurocognitive deficits on different domains of functioning. Our results suggest that both negative symptoms and social cognition should be targeted by psychosocial interventions to enhance the functional impact of neurocognitive remediation.

Is impairment of facial emotion recognition independent of cognitive dysfunction in multiple sclerosis?

BackgroundEmotions expressed on the face play a key role in social cognition and communication by providing inner emotional experiences. This study aimed to evaluate facial emotion identification and discrimination and empathy abilities in patients with MS and whether it is related to cognitive dysfunction.MethodsOne hundred twenty patients with relapsing–remitting MS and age- and sex-matched 120 healthy controls were enrolled in the study. All the subjects were evaluated with the Facial Emotion Identification Test (FEIT), Facial Emotion Discrimination Test (FEIDT), and Empathy Quotient (EQ). We used the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) for depression and detailed cognitive tests, including the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), the Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT), and the Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test (PASAT). The quality of life was assessed with Multiple Sclerosis Quality of Life-54 (MSQL-54).ResultsPatients with MS were 37.6 ± 9.5 years old, had a mean disease duration of 8.8 ± 6.6 (8–28) years, and a mean EDSS score of 1.6 ± 1.3 (0–4.5). We found significant differences in the identification of facial emotions, discrimination of facial emotions, and empathy in MS patients compared to controls (p < 0.05). Especially the recognition of feelings of sadness, fear, and shame was significantly lower in MS patients. The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed low SDMT and FEIDT scores which showed an independent association with MS.ConclusionsOur findings indicate that facial emotion recognition and identification deficits are remarkable among patients with MS and emotion recognition is impaired together with and independently of cognitive dysfunction in MS patients.

Facial emotion recognition is associated with executive functions and depression scores, but not staging of dementia, in mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease.

Although deficits in facial emotion recognition (FER) significantly affect interpersonal communication and social functioning, there is no consensus on how FER affects Alzheimer's disease (AD). In this study, we aimed to investigate the clinical and neuropsychological factors affecting the possible deficits in the FER abilities of patients with AD. This cross-sectional study included 37 patients with mild [clinical dementia rating (CDR) scale score=1] or moderate (CDR=2) AD, in whom vascular dementia and depression were excluded, and 24 cognitively normal (CDR=0) subjects. FER ability was determined using the facial emotion identification test (FEIT) and facial emotion discrimination test (FEDT). All participants underwent mini-mental state examination (MMSE), frontal assessment battery (FAB), and geriatric depression scale (GDS). The neuropsychiatric inventory-clinician rating scale (NPI-C), Katz index of independence in activities of daily living, and Lawton instrumental activities of daily living were also administered to patients with AD. The FEIT and FEDT total scores showed that patients with mild and moderate AD had significant FER deficits compared to healthy controls. However, no significant difference was observed between patients with mild and moderate AD in the FEIT and FEDT total scores. FEIT and FEDT scores were not correlated with the MMSE and NPI-C total and subscales scores in patients with AD. Linear regression indicated that FEIT and FEDT total scores were significantly related to age and FAB scores. The GDS score negatively moderated the relationship between FAB and FEDT. This study demonstrated a decreased FER ability in patients with AD. The critical point in FER deficits is the presence of dementia, not the dementia stage, in AD. It has been determined that executive functions and depression (even at a subsyndromal level), which have limited knowledge, are associated with FER abilities.

Eye-movement analysis on facial expression for identifying children and adults with neurodevelopmental disorders.

Experienced psychiatrists identify people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and schizophrenia (Sz) through interviews based on diagnostic criteria, their responses, and various neuropsychological tests. To improve the clinical diagnosis of neurodevelopmental disorders such as ASD and Sz, the discovery of disorder-specific biomarkers and behavioral indicators with sufficient sensitivity is important. In recent years, studies have been conducted using machine learning to make more accurate predictions. Among various indicators, eye movement, which can be easily obtained, has attracted much attention and various studies have been conducted for ASD and Sz. Eye movement specificity during facial expression recognition has been studied extensively in the past, but modeling taking into account differences in specificity among facial expressions has not been conducted. In this paper, we propose a method to detect ASD or Sz from eye movement during the Facial Emotion Identification Test (FEIT) while considering differences in eye movement due to the facial expressions presented. We also confirm that weighting using the differences improves classification accuracy. Our data set sample consisted of 15 adults with ASD and Sz, 16 controls, and 15 children with ASD and 17 controls. Random forest was used to weight each test and classify the participants as control, ASD, or Sz. The most successful approach used heat maps and convolutional neural networks (CNN) for eye retention. This method classified Sz in adults with 64.5% accuracy, ASD in adults with up to 71.0% accuracy, and ASD in children with 66.7% accuracy. Classifying of ASD result was significantly different (p<.05) by the binomial test with chance rate. The results show a 10% and 16.7% improvement in accuracy, respectively, compared to a model that does not take facial expressions into account. In ASD, this indicates that modeling is effective, which weights the output of each image.

The Cognitive Assessment Interview (CAI): Association with neuropsychological scores and real-life functioning in a large sample of Italian subjects with schizophrenia

IntroductionThe Cognitive Assessment Interview (CAI) is an interview-based scale developed to measure cognitive impairment and its impact on functioning in subjects with schizophrenia (SCZ). Previous studies demonstrated good psychometric properties of the CAI. However, only relatively small samples of SCZ were investigated. This study aimed to determine in a large sample of SCZ (N = 580) the relationships of the Italian Version of the CAI with measures of cognitive performance and functional capacity and real-life functioning, using state-of-the-art instruments. MethodsIntraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) and Cronbach's alpha were calculated to examine the CAI's inter-rater reliability and internal consistency. Pearson's correlation coefficients were used to evaluate relationships between CAI global and domain composite scores with neurocognition, social cognition, functional capacity, and functioning. ResultsThe inter-rater reliability and internal consistency were good to excellent. The CAI global composite score showed a strong correlation with the MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery (MCCB) composite score (r = −0.50) and moderate/strong associations with measures of functional capacity (−0.46 < r < −0.52) and real-life functioning (−0.30 < r < −0.51). Finally, CAI composite social cognition score correlated moderately with the Facial Emotion Identification Test (r = −0.31) and two subscales of the Awareness of Social Inference Test (−0.32 < r < −0.34). ConclusionsThe study suggests that CAI is a valid co-primary measure for clinical trials and a suitable instrument to screen impairment in neurocognitive and social cognitive domains and its impact on functioning in SCZ in everyday clinical practice.

Decreased Facial Emotion Recognition in Elderly Patients With Hearing Loss Reflects Diminished Social Cognition

The main objective of this research was to evaluate the correlation between the severity of hearing loss and the facial emotional recognition as a critical part of social cognition in elderly patients. The prospective study was comprised of 85 individuals. The participants were divided into 3 groups. The first group consisted of 30 subjects older than 65 years with a bilateral pure-tone average mean >30 dB HL. The second group consisted of 30 subjects older than 65 years with a PTA mean ≤30 dB HL. The third group consisted of 25 healthy subjects with ages ranging between 18 and 45 years and a PTA mean ≤25 dB HL. A Facial Emotion Identification Test and a Facial Emotion Discrimination Test were administered to all groups. Elderly subjects with hearing loss performed significantly worse than the other 2 groups on the facial emotion identification and discrimination tests (P < .05). Appealingly, they identified a positive emotion, "happiness," more accurately in comparison to the other negative emotions. Our results suggest that increased age might be associated with decreased facial emotion identification and discrimination scores, which could be deteriorated in the presence of significant hearing loss.

Impact of Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) on Theory of Mind and Executive Function in Major Depressive Disorder and Its Correlation with Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF): A Randomized, Double-Blind, Sham-Controlled Trial.

Background: Studies have implicated hypofrontality in the pathogenesis of impaired theory of mind (ToM) and executive function (EF) in major depressive disorder (MDD). These symptoms are usually resistant to treatment. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) has been shown to reverse hypofrontality. Moreover, BDNF is an effective biomarker of antidepressant effects, but there have been very few studies on the correlation between BDNF and rTMS. We aimed to evaluate the efficacy of 20 sessions of a 10 Hz unilateral rTMS intervention over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) in improving ToM and EF in patients with MDD and its correlation with BDNF. Methods: A total of 120 MDD patients were enrolled in this randomized, sham-controlled, double-blind trial. Each participant received 20 sessions of rTMS at 10 Hz frequency through the active or the sham coil over 4 weeks. ToM was assessed with the facial emotion identification test (FEIT) and hinting task (HT). EF was assessed with the Wisconsin card sorting test (WCST). BDNF assessments were carried out at baseline and 2-, 4-, 12-, and 24-week follow-ups. Results: The improvement in the ToM (FEIT, HT) in the active rTMS group was significantly different from that in the sham rTMS group (F = 18.09, p < 0.001; F = 5.02, p = 0.026). There were significant differences in the WCST (categories completed, response errors, response perseverative errors, non-response perseverative errors) after logarithmic transformation at different time points in the active rTMS group (F = 14.71, p < 0.001; F = 5.99, p = 0.046; F = 8.90, p = 0.031; F = 2.31, p = 0.048). However, there was no significant difference in log transformed BDNF concentration between the two groups (t = 0.07 to t = 1.29, p > 0.05). BDNF was negatively correlated with WCST categories completed at the 24th week (r = −0.258, p = 0.046). Conclusions: The results show that rTMS may improve the ToM and EF of patients with MDD and there was no significant correlation with serum BDNF concentration. RTMS can not only be used for treatment of patients with MDD but also has a positive effect on ToM and EF.

The Neural Correlates of Effortful Cognitive Processing Deficits in Schizophrenia: An ERP Study.

Background: Individuals’ information processing includes automatic and effortful processes and the latter require sustained concentration or attention and larger amounts of cognitive “capacity.” Event-related potentials (ERPs) reflect all neural activities that are related to a certain stimulus. Investigating ERP characteristics of effortful cognitive processing in people with schizophrenia would be helpful in further understanding the neural mechanism of schizophrenia.Methods: Both schizophrenia patients (SCZ, n = 33) and health controls (HC, n = 33) completed ERP measurements during the performance of the basic facial emotion identification test (BFEIT) and the face-vignette task (FVT). Data of ERP components (N100, P200, and N250), BFEIT and FVT performances were analyzed.Results: Schizophrenia patients’ accuracies of face emotion detection in the BFEIT and vignette emotion detection in the FVT were both significantly worse than the performance of the HC group. Repeated-measures ANOVAs performed on mean amplitudes and latencies revealed that the interaction effect for group × experiment × site (prefrontal, frontal, central, parietal, and occipital site) was significant for N250 amplitude. In FVT experiment, N250 amplitudes at prefrontal and frontal sites in schizophrenia group were larger than those of HC group; the maximum N250 amplitude was present at the prefrontal site in both the groups. For N250 latency, the interaction effect for group × experiment was significant; N250 latencies in the schizophrenia group were longer than those of the HC group.Conclusion: Schizophrenia patients present effortful cognitive processing dysfunctions which reflect in abnormal ERP components, especially N250 at prefrontal cortex and frontal cortex sites. These findings have important implications for further clarifying the neural mechanism of effortful cognitive processing deficits in schizophrenia.

Problem Solving Therapy Improves Effortful Cognition in Major Depression.

Background: Effortful cognition processing is an intentionally initiated sequence of cognitive activities, which may supply top-down and goal-oriented reassessment of specific stimuli to regulate specific state-driven responses contextually, whereas automatic cognitive processing is a sequence of cognitive activities that is automatically initiated in response to an input configuration. The effortful–automatic perspective has implications for understanding the nature of the clinical features of major depressions. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of problem solving therapy (PST) on effortful cognition in major depression (MD).Methods: The participants included an antidepressant treatment (AT) group (n = 31) or the combined antidepressant treatment and PST (CATP) group (n = 32) and healthy controls (HCs) (n = 30). Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD, 17-item version) and the face–vignette task (FVT) were measured for AT group and CATP group at baseline (before the first intervention) and after 12 weeks of interventions. The HC group was assessed with the FVT only once. At baseline, both patients and HCs were required to complete the basic facial emotion identification test (BFEIT).Results: The emotion identification accuracy of the HC group was higher than that of the patient group when they performed BFEIT; patients with MD present poor FVT performances; compared to the antidepressant treatment, PST plus antidepressant treatment decreased HAMD scores and improved FVT performances in patients with MD.Conclusions: Patients with MD present effortful cognition dysfunction, and PST can improve effortful cognitive dysfunction. These findings suggest that the measurement of effortful cognition might be one of the indexes for the therapeutic effect of PST in MD.

Negative symptoms in schizophrenia, assessed by the brief negative symptom scale, self-evaluation of negative symptom scale, and social cognition: a gender effect

Objective Negative symptoms of schizophrenia can be related to social cognition. The aim was to measure a relationship between the results on the new scales for the assessment of negative symptoms such as the Brief Negative Symptom Scale (BNSS) and Self-evaluation of Negative Symptoms (SNS), and the measures of social cognition. Methods The study included 80 patients (40 men, 40 women) with schizophrenia, aged 19–63 (mean 38 years), during the improvement period. They were assessed using the BNSS, SNS, Personal and Social Performance (PSP) scales, and the tests for social cognition such as the Facial Emotion Identification Test, Reading the Mind in Eyes Test, Strange Stories and Faux Pas Test. Results Male patients obtained higher scores than females when assessed by the BNSS. No gender differences were observed for the SNS scale. Female patients scored better in the PSP and both parts of the Faux Pas test and obtained a significant correlation between the results of the SNS scale, BNSS, PSP, and the affective part of the Faux-Pas test what was not the case in males. Conclusions Gender differences were found in the assessment of negative symptoms by a clinical scale and the relationship between negative symptoms and social cognition. KEY POINTS Female patients scored better in the BNSS, PSP and both parts of the Faux-Pas test Gender differences were present in the assessment of negative symptoms by clinical (BNSS) but not the self-assessment (SNS) scale. Female patients obtained a significant correlation between the results of the SNS scale, BNSS, PSP, and the affective part of the Faux-Pas test what was not the case in male subjects.

Relationship between aberrant salience and positive emotion misrecognition in acute relapse of schizophrenia.

Aberrant salience is the incorrect assignment of salience or significance to innocuous stimuli, and been hypothesized to be a central mechanism in the development of psychosis. In addition to aberrant salience, social-cognitive models of psychosis suggest that the way people process information about the self is important in all stages of psychosis. The aim of the present study is to explore the relationship between aberrant salience and emotion processing in schizophrenia patients with psychotic relapse. A sample of 42 patients with relapse was recruited. Aberrant salience was measured with the Aberrant Salience Inventory (ASI). Assessment of social cognition was carried out using the Facial Emotion Identification Test (FEIT). Partial correlations were controlled for possible confounding variables. The ASI factors "increase in meaning" and "heightened cognition" positively correlated with impaired recognition of positive emotions, and ASI total score inversely correlated to time to response to task. Most of incorrect answers corresponded to misclassification of positive emotions. Our findings show that there is evidence for a relationship between aberrant salience and emotion processing during a psychotic episode; we propose that aberrant salience and alterations in emotion processing trigger the loss of modulating feedback from the external world to produce a self-referential mental state.

An evaluation of a psychoeducation programme for emotion identification and expression in individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia.

The inability of individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia to recognize facial expressions is an important issue that has an impact on social functioning. This study was conducted to determine the effects of a psychoeducation programme for emotion identification and expression in those diagnosed with schizophrenia on their ability to identify and discriminate between emotions and social functionality. This quasi-experimental study (pretest-post-test, with control group) comprised an intervention (21) and a control (21) group conducted with individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia. A 10-week psychoeducation programme was offered to the intervention group. Measuring instruments were administered to the groups before the intervention, after the intervention, and 3months after that. The measuring instruments consisted of a personal information form, the Facial Emotion Identification Test, Facial Emotion Discrimination Test, and Personal and Social Performance Scale. The data were analysed using the 'two-way repeated measures analysis of variance'. The TREND method was used for reporting. In the first measurements taken after the psychoeducation programme, a significant difference was found between the two groups in terms of their 'Facial Emotion Identification Test' and 'Personal and Social Performance Scale' mean scores. In the measurements taken 3months after the psychoeducation programme, this difference had disappeared. The psychoeducation programme is an effective programme that makes recognition of facially expressed emotions possible and increases the social functioning of patients.

The Longitudinal Association Between Preadolescent Facial Emotion Identification and Family Factors, and Psychotic Experiences in Adolescence (The TRAILS Study)

The current study examines whether facial emotion identification and family factors at preadolescence (age 11) predict psychotic experiences 5 years later during adolescence (age 16) and whether family factors may mediate the association between facial emotion identification and psychotic experiences. Data was obtained from the epidemiological cohort TRAILS (N = 2059). At preadolescence, a facial emotion identification test and three questionnaires to assess family functioning, perceived parenting styles and parenting stress, were administered. At adolescence, a questionnaire on psychotic experiences was administered. Facial emotion identification at preadolescence was not associated with psychotic experiences at adolescence, and the mediational role of family functioning was not further explored. However, increased overprotective parenting at preadolescence was associated with a higher frequency of psychotic experiences and delusions at adolescence. Future research may examine the mechanism behind the role of overprotective parenting on psychotic experiences during adolescence.

Estudio de una nueva técnica psicoterapéutica grupal en esquizofrenia basada en el cine de ficción: efectos sobre síntomas positivos y negativos

IntroductionSchizophrenia is one of the mental disorders that generate the greatest human disability in the world. The treatment of negative symptoms in schizophrenia is still far from being resolved satisfactorily. The unique ability of cinema to activate attention, imagination and memory, as well as to activate complex mental processes in viewers leads one to think that it can be an effective therapeutic tool for the treatment of certain mental disorders. ObjectiveTo evaluate the efficacy of a new psychotherapeutic technique (designed ad hoc) based on the analysis of film sequences and double viewed using fiction films in patients diagnosed with spectrum disorders of schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders. MethodsA multicentre, randomised and parallel group clinical trial was conducted on 48 patients with a diagnosis of psychotic disorders of the schizophrenia spectrum. The effects of the application of a psychotherapeutic group therapy technique, based on the use of fiction films, were compared to a control group that also worked with fiction films, but using a non-specific technique. Three film analysis techniques with potential therapeutic properties were selected for the development of the new group psychotherapy technique: 1) the segmentation of the cinematic material into sequences, 2) the analysis by sequences of the contents of the film, 3) the double viewing of the cinematographic material. The intervention consisted of 26 sessions, which involved the double viewing of the 13 episodes of the first season of the television series Los Soprano. The primary outcome measures were the changes obtained in the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) subscales, according to Wallwork's five-factor model, between the baseline and final situation after treatment. Cognitive outcome measurements included changes in the cognition scales included in the Measurement and Treatment Research to Improve Cognition in Schizophrenia (MATRICS) Consensus Cognitive Battery (MCCB) and in social cognition scales, like MSCEIT, FEIT, and FBS (Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test, Facial Emotion Identification Test, and Frankfurt self-assessment scale for persons with schizophrenia, respectively), before and after treatment. ResultsThe results showed a statistically significant improvement in the experimental group versus the control group in the positive [P=.01; d=0.82 (95% CI; 0.2-1.43)], negative [P=.005; d=0.89 (95% CI; 0.26-1.51)] and disorganised symptoms [P=.013; d=0.49 (95% CI; 0.11-1.09)]. In the “post-hoc” analysis of the negative factor, statistically significant improvements were found in the following variables: blunted effect (P=.041, d=0.64 (95% CI; 0.03-1.24)], emotional withdrawal (P=.012, d=0.80 (95% CI; 0.18-1.41)], poor contact (P=.000, d=1.18 (95% CI; 0.52-1.82)], and motor retardation (P=.003, d=0.96 (95% CI; 0.33-1.58).] In the “post-hoc” analysis of the positive factor there was a significant improvement in the delusions subdomain [P=.01; d=0.82 (95% CI; 0.2-1.4).] No significant differences were found between groups in affective symptoms or in any of the cognitive domains. ConclusionsThe proposed new psychotherapy technique is applicable and well accepted by patients with schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders. The use of this new psychotherapy technique inspired in film analysis is effective in leading to improvements in the positive, negative, and disorganised symptoms in patients with schizophrenia.

Can Social Anxiety Impact Facial Emotion Recognition in Schizophrenia?

Social anxiety is highly prevalent in individuals with schizophrenia, with studies suggesting rates of 30%. This study aimed at determining if social anxiety is linked to specific emotion recognition deficits and to specific social functioning deficits. A total of 47 participants with a diagnosis of schizophrenia and receiving outpatient services answered measures of facial recognition (Ekman; Facial Emotion Identification Test), facial discrimination (Facial Emotion Discrimination Test), role-play, social anxiety (Social Interaction Anxiety Scale and Brief Social Phobia Scale), psychiatric symptoms (Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale), self-esteem (Self-Esteem Rating Scale-Short Form), and social functioning (Social Functioning Scale). A total of 22 (47%) participants were rated as socially anxious. Those with social anxiety had worse social functioning in the domains of interpersonal communication (t[45] = 2.28, p = 0.025) and engagement (in conversations) (t[45] = 2.89, p = 0.000) and had lower self-esteem (t[45] = 4.05, p = 0.001). Participants with social anxiety also had more difficulties in recognizing neutral emotional faces (t[31] = 2.19, p = 0.036). More studies are warranted to better understand the link between neutral expression recognition and social anxiety in schizophrenia.

Research on the facial emotion identification-discrimination and communication skills in synthetic cannabinoid users

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the effect of synthetic cannabinoid (SC) use on facial emotion identification-discrimination and communication skills. Methods: The study included 62 male patients treated for SC use and 62 male without any substance use. In the study; Sociodemographic Information Form, Addiction Profile Index (API), Facial Emotion Identification Test (FEI), Facial Emotion Discrimination Test (FED) and Communication Skills Scale (CSS) were used. Conclusions: SC users had higher FET Test scores than healthy controls. There was no significant relationship between SC use with FED and CSS scores. Discussion: The study shows that the use of SC does not adversely affect FET, FED and communication skills. In these results, addiction profiles of patients should be taken into consideration.

Social vs. non-social measures of learning potential for predicting community functioning across phase of illness in schizophrenia

Studies demonstrate that dynamic assessment (i.e., learning potential) improves the prediction of response to rehabilitation over static measures in individuals with schizophrenia. Learning potential is most commonly assessed using neuropsychological tests under a test-train-test paradigm to examine change in performance. Novel learning potential approaches using social cognitive tasks may have added value, particularly for the prediction of social functioning, but this area is unexplored. The present study is the first to investigate whether patients with schizophrenia demonstrate social cognitive learning potential across phase of illness. This study included 43 participants at clinical high risk (CHR), 63 first-episode, and 36 chronic schizophrenia patients. Assessment of learning potential involved test-train-test versions of the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (non-social cognitive learning potential) and the Facial Emotion Identification Test (social cognitive learning potential). Non-social and social cognition pre-training scores (static scores) uniquely predicted concurrent community functioning in patients with schizophrenia, but not in CHR participants. Learning potential showed no incremental explanation of variance beyond static scores. First-episode patients showed larger non-social cognitive learning potential than CHR participants and were similar to chronic patients; chronic patients and CHR participants were similar. Group differences across phase of illness were not observed for social cognitive learning potential. Subsequent research could explore whether non-social and social cognitive learning potential relate differentially to non-social versus social types of training and rehabilitation.

Assessing Social Cognition of Persons with Schizophrenia in a Chinese Population: A Pilot Study.

Social cognition is a core limiting factor of functional recovery among persons with schizophrenia. However, there is a lack of standardized and culturally relevant assessment tools for evaluating social cognitive performance in Chinese persons with schizophrenia. The purposes of this study were to (1) develop and validate two social cognitive instruments, the Chinese Facial Emotion Identification Test (C-FEIT) and the Chinese Social Cognition and Screening Questionnaire (C-SCSQ), that assess three key domains of social cognition and (2) to evaluate preliminary psychometric properties of the two assessments. The results demonstrated that the C-FEIT and the social cognitive subscales of C-SCSQ possess satisfactory content-related validity and test–retest reliability (ICC ranging from 0.76 to 0.85). Subscales of the C-FEIT and the C-SCSQ showed low to medium correlation with two concurrent neurocognitive measures (absolute values of r ranging from 0.22 to 0.45) and concurrent measures of functional performance (absolute values of r ranging from 0.22 to 0.46). Our findings generally support the use of the C-FEIT and the C-SCSQ as reliable and valid tools for assessing emotion perception, theory of mind (intention-inferencing), and hostile attributional style, which are the key outcome indicators of social cognitive interventions for persons with schizophrenia.

Emotion recognition and theory of mind in chronic schizophrenia: association with negative symptoms

Aim of the studyAssessing a relationship between the negative symptoms and deficits in emotion recognition and theory of mind (ToM) as well as social functioning, in chronic schizophrenia patients.Subject or material and methodsTwenty patients with schizophrenia (10 male, 10 female), aged 36+11 years, with mean duration of the illness of 13+9 years, were studied during improvement period, stabilized on medications for at least 3 months. For the assessment of symptoms, the Positive and Negative Symptoms Scale (PANSS) and the Brief Negative Symptoms Scale (BNSS) were used. Emotion recognition was measured by the Facial Emotion Identification Test (FEIT) and ToM - by the Reading Mind in the Eyes (R-MET) test. Patients' social functioning was evaluated by the Personal and Social Performance Scale (PSP).ResultsSignificant correlations were obtained between the negative symptoms of PANSS and BNSS, and the results of FEIT and R-MET. Association between BNSS and FEIT was observed for anhedonia, distress, asociality, avolition, blunted affect, alogia, and with R-MET, for distress, emotional blunting and alogia. Both PANSS and BNSS negative symptoms significantly correlated with the results of PSP.DiscussionThe results correspond to those of recent studies showing a priority of negative over positive symptoms in determining deficits in social cognition and functioning in chronic schizophrenia.ConclusionsAll domains of negative symptoms assessed by the BNSS correlated with deficits in emotion recognition and of social functioning and some domains correlated with the measure of the ToM.

Alexithymia, recognition of facial emotion and inference in patients with Eating Disorders (ED) or Substance Abuse Disorders (SAD)

Alexythimia is a psychological construct characterized by difficulty describing emotions and distinguishing them from somatic components of the emotional activation. Patients with eating disorders (ED) or substance use disorders (SAD) commonly present also impairment of recognition of facial expressions and deficits in social inference. Patients with ED and SAD may present impulsiveness, difficulty in emotion-focused coping skills, and search for a concrete relief from psychological suffering. The purpose of study is to compare the ED, SAD and healthy controls (HC), in several variables, including Alexythimia, empathy, and ability to recognize emotions, social inference. Thirty-two patients with ED, 27 patients with SAD and 31 HC were recruited between September 2016 and April 2016 at the psychiatric ward of Novara Hospital, nursing home of Nebbiuno and the nursing home of Viverone. We administrated to patients the same battery of tests, composed by Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20 (TAS-20), Facial Emotion Identification Test (FEIT), the awareness of Social Inference Test (TASIT), temperament and Character Inventory (TCI), Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI), Symptoms Checklist-90 (SCL-90). The two clinical groups showed differences in TAS, FEIT and TASIT, highlighting Alexythimic tracts, difficulty in recognizing emotions and deficit of social inference, compared to HCs. The TCI and SCL-90 have also highlighted the common psychopathological characteristics and temperamental in patients with ED and SAD. Alexythimia is particularly represented in patients with ED and SAD, and could represent a maintenance factor, together with deficits in emotions recognition and social inference. The similarities between ED and TD seem to suggest the possibility of shared core features.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.