Relatives Of Schizophrenic Patients Research Articles

Eye movements in spectrum personality disorders: comparison of community subjects and relatives of schizophrenic patients

The purpose of the current study was to test the specificity of an association between eye tracking abnormality and schizophrenia spectrum personality symptoms in the family members of schizophrenic patients. The studies of biological markers for genetic vulnerability to schizophrenia, which test an association between a biological measure and schizophrenia spectrum personality symptoms, are constrained, since these personality symptoms may lack the specificity for a schizophrenic phenotype. An association between a behavioral measure and these personality symptoms in general can easily be false (i.e., not related to schizophrenic vulnerability). In contrast, a strong deviant finding in the relatives of schizophrenic patients with spectrum personality symptoms, in the presence of a relatively normal finding in spectrum subjects without a known history of schizophrenia, makes the biobehavioral measure an interesting candidate for such investigations. Seventy-five subjects recruited from the community who did not have a family history of psychosis completed the study (24 of the 75 had significant schizophrenia spectrum personality symptoms). Thirty-two first-degree relatives of schizophrenic patients (13 with spectrum symptoms) completed the study. Subjects were 18-45 years old and had no DSM-III-R axis I diagnosis. Qualitative smooth pursuit eye movement score was significantly worse in relatives with the spectrum symptoms than in spectrum subjects without a family history of schizophrenia and the nonspectrum relatives. Schizotypal and schizoid symptoms explained a significant amount of the variance in the eye tracking measure in the relatives (31% and 20%, respectively) but not in the community subjects (less than 2%). Relatives of schizophrenic patients with and without the spectrum symptoms had significantly longer antisaccade latency, in spite of comparable latency for visually guided saccades, than the community subjects. Smooth pursuit abnormality in subjects with schizophrenia spectrum personality disorders is specifically associated with a family history of schizophrenia.

Correlates of psychosis proneness in relatives of schizophrenic patients.

Correlates of psychosis proneness in relatives of schizophrenic patients.

Schizotypal features in relatives of schizophrenic patients with and without a family history of schizophrenia

Some recent autopsy studies indicate that γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) function is decreased in brain areas that involve some of the well-described structural changes observed in schizophrenia. The current study examined the relationship between CSF and plasma GABA levels and brain structural measures in schizophrenia. Sixty-two drug-free, physically healthy male patients with schizophrenia (DSM-IIIR) were evaluated for plasma and CSF GABA, as well as brain structural measures on CT scans. Plasma levels of GABA were associated with prefrontal sulcal widening and VBRs, but not global sulcal widening in the schizophrenic patients. CSF GABA measures were not associated with brain structural measures, but were associated with age and age of onset. The significant relationship between plasma GABA, but not CSF GABA, and specific brain morphology measures in schizophrenic patients suggests that if GABA transmission is impaired in schizophrenia, it is a local, but not global, phenomenon.

Clinical and socio-demographic correlates of coping strategies in relatives of schizophrenic patients

The study aimed to describe coping strategies in a sample of key-relatives of schizophrenic patients, and to explore their relationships with the following variables: patients' and key-relatives' socio-demographic characteristics; patients' and key-relatives' clinical status; and key-relatives' subjective burden. Significant correlations were found between the scores on coercion items and those on Present State Examination (PSE-9) factors "disorganized syndrome" and "psychomotor poverty syndrome". A long duration of illness was found to be associated with relatives' strategies characterized by positive communication and patient's social involvement. Coercion, avoidance and resignation coping strategies were significantly associated with the occurrence of anxiety and depressive symptoms in patients' key-relatives.

Correlates of psychosis proneness in relatives of schizophrenic patients.

The Magical Ideation Scale (MIS), Perceptual Aberration Scale (PABS), Social Anhedonia Scale (SAS), and Physical Anhedonia Scale (PAS) were administered to 98 relatives of schizophrenic patients along with a measure of personality disorders (the Personality Diagnostic Questionnaire--Revised). Hierarchical regression analysis indicated that the schizotypal and borderline personality disorder (PD) scales explained significant variance in both the MIS and PABS; the avoidant PD scale also explained significant variance in the PABS. The schizoid, paranoid, and avoidant PD scales explained significant variance in the SAS. Sibling intraclass correlations indicated a significant heritability of 0.62 for the PABS.

Spatial working memory deficit in the relatives of schizophrenic patients is associated with their smooth pursuit eye trucking performance

Spatial working memory deficit in the relatives of schizophrenic patients is associated with their smooth pursuit eye trucking performance

Frontal functioning and plasma HVA in the relatives of schizophrenic patients

Frontal functioning and plasma HVA in the relatives of schizophrenic patients

Refining phenotype characterization in genetic linkage studies of schizophrenia

A definitive replicable genetic linkage for a major locus underlying the susceptibility to schizophrenia has not been identified to date. Although there are several possible explanations for the failure to find linkage in schizophrenia, one major problem is that the range of phenotypic expressions of the genes for schizophrenia has not been clarified. A more refined understanding of the various phenotypic expressions of a gene related to schizophrenia would enhance the power of studies designed to detect a genetic linkage with a major chromosomal locus and would benefit other strategies for understanding the etiology of schizophrenia. The genes for schizophrenia may be frequently expressed in relatives of schizophrenic patients, although with less severe symptoms than those of chronic schizophrenia. Two series of findings support this notion. Nonschizophrenic relatives of schizophrenic patients demonstrate an increased incidence of nonpsychotic schizophrenia-like symptoms and traits, and they manifest deficit performances on several different laboratory tests of neurocognitive functioning. A more refined phenotypic expression of a schizophrenia-related gene may thus be indicated by personality traits and subclinical neurocognitive deficits. These personality traits and neurocognitive deficits are considered here as possible aids in the identification of affected cases in genetic linkage studies of schizophrenia. Terminology for different indicators of neurocognitive deficits is introduced, and the relative utility of personality traits and indicators of neurocognitive deficit for genetic linkage studies is discussed. As specific examples, schizophrenia-related personality traits that are unrelated to affective symptoms and performance deficits on tasks of eye tracking and continuous attention are considered for strategies for broadening phenotype characterization without reducing the specificity of affected case identification.

Genetic factors for the span of apprehension test: A study of normal twins

The Partial Report Span of Apprehension test has been found to detect cognitive deficits in some first degree relatives of schizophrenic patients. To assess the relative contribution of genetic vs. environmental factors on this measure, 19 monozygotic and 14 dizygotic female twin pairs, selected from a normal population, were tested on the Span of Apprehension test and an IQ test. Both Span of Apprehension test performance and IQ score had high heritabilities: 0.65 and 0.71, respectively. The mode of transmission for performance on the Span of Apprehension test appears to operate in a nonadditive manner. A multivariate behavioral-genetic model applied to the Span of Apprehension and IQ measures indicated that slightly less than half of the genetic effects important for the Span of Apprehension test are found in common with the genetic factors important for IQ. The phenotypic correlation between the Span of Apprehension and IQ measures can be attributed entirely to genetic factors. The influence of unique genetic components in the performance of the Span of Apprehension test in the general population heightens the promise of this measure as a genetic marker for schizophrenia.

Maintenance of grip-induced muscle tension: A behavioral marker of schizophrenia.

A grip-induced muscle tension maintenance task distinguished between schizophrenic patients, regardless of medication or hospitalization status, and both normals and controls with affective (unipolar and bipolar) disorders. Unaffected first-degree relatives of schizophrenic patients also showed a grip deficit. Coupling the grip task with a visual discrimination task that divided attention through instruction or reinforcement contingency, increased grip error times for all groups. No group differences appeared on the discrimination task, regardless of difficulty level, and the tone used to provide corrective feedback was not implicated in the grip deficit. The results suggest that the grip task is tapping, in a systematic and reliable manner, a motor-control abnormality that may be useful as a behavioral marker of schizophrenia.

Changes in the Electrodermal Activity of Schizophrenic Patients Associated with Change in the Expressed Emotion Status of Their Relatives

Thirty-nine relatives of schizophrenic patients, who had been rated as high on Expressed Emotion (EE) during the patients' admission for an acute episode, were re-rated on EE 9 months after discharge from the index admission. Electrodermal activity was recorded from the patient during a 15-min period when the relative was absent and a similar period while the relative was present. Recording took place during the index admission and at a 9-month follow-up. A comparison was made between those patients whose relatives remained high EE at follow-up (Stables) and those whose relatives change to low EE (Decreasers). No differences were apparent between these two groups, however, differences were found within groups. At admission both groups showed an increase in electrodermal measures from the relative-absent period to the relative-present period. At 9-month follow-up, the Stables still exhibited this direction of change, whereas the Decreasers showed a decrease in electrodermal activity between these periods.

Families coping with schizophrenia: coping styles, their origins and correlates

An analysis of the coping styles adopted by relatives of schizophrenic patients has been identified by many reviewers as essential to an understanding of the complex interactions between patient and caregiver and to the origins of relatives' expressed emotion (EE). This study reports a taxonomy of coping behaviour derived from interviews with relatives of schizophrenic patients. It was found that relatives adopted broad styles of coping across all areas of patients' behaviour change. Relationships were uncovered between the styles and (a) relatives perceived control, burden and stress, (b) patients' social functioning, severity of behavioural disturbance and progress of the illness. It is suggested that advising relatives of changes in their coping styles in the course of family intervention must be tempered by an understanding of their origins in patients' behaviour. Further research is recommended to identify the coping styles associated with the high EE/low EE research classification.

Stettegrupper for skizofrene patienters forældre

Contact between psychiatrists and the patient's family have become of current importance after Julian P. Leff and others of his contemporaries have proved that psychosocial interventions in the environment of the patient can have a positive influence on the course of schizophrenia. This article recounts what we have learned from inviting the relatives of schizophrenic patients to attend group meetings, the purposes of which were 1) to create better contact with the ward and 2) to get relatives to talk about mutual problems. Until then the parents' experience with the psychiatric services had been most unsatisfactory. The dominant theme in the current meetings was the feeling of relief at finding fellow sufferers. Information about schizophrenia and discussions about expedient patterns of behaviour when in the company of schizophrenic patients were two equally important subjects. The parents showed their approval by very regular attendance of the meetings but stated at the final evaluation that they would ...

Limited eye movement patterns in chronic schizophrenic patients

Eye movements of 29 chronic schizophrenic patients and 23 normal control subjects were measured by an eye mark recorder during viewing of stationary geometric figures. The results suggested that the eye movements of schizophrenic patients were more limited than those of normal control subjects and that the abnormal eye movement inspection patterns in schizophrenic patients may reflect a lack of visual investigation of novel stimuli in the environment. Our findings, together with Moriya's (1979) observation of similar eye movement pattern abnormalities in the relatives of schizophrenic patients, support the hypothesis that the limited eye movement patterns may be a biological marker for schizophrenia.

The Assessment of Psychophysiological Reactivity to the Expressed Emotion of the Relatives of Schizophrenic Patients

The measure of expressed emotion (EE) of the relative has been found to be an important predictor of schizophrenic relapse. Electrodermal measures were recorded when the schizophrenic patient was talking to an experimenter, and when the patient was talking to a relative. Although there were no differences during the relative-absent period, patients with a high-EE relative present exhibited significantly higher frequencies of non-specific skin-conductance responses (NS-SCRs) than patients with a low-EE relative present. Patients show a significant decrease in NS-SCRs on the entry of low-EE, but not high-EE relatives. Patients with high-EE relatives show overall higher levels of skin-conductance levels (SCLs) than patients with low-EE relatives. Although patients with high-EE relatives rate themselves significantly more tense and anxious on self-rating scales, there are no significant correlations between self-ratings and electrodermal measures. The use of electrodermal reactivity as an assessment measure of relapse risk is discussed.

Affective Illness in the Families of Schizophrenic Patients: What Does It Mean Diagnostically?-Reply

In Reply.— I agree with Dr Hayward's main conclusion; our study 1 suggests that the presence of affective illness in a family member should not generally cause a careful diagnosis of schizophrenia to be questioned. However, current information suggests that we can be considerably more confident in this statement for unipolar than for bipolar illness. Our recent study clearly shows that, using DSM-III criteria, being related to a schizophrenic patient neither protects from nor predisposes to major depression. 1 This finding is consistent with our previous results from the Copenhagen sample of the Danish adoption study 2 and the results of a controlled family study recently reported by Baron et al. 3 However, in the same study 1 we found that bipolar illness was more common in relatives of schizophrenic patients than in relatives of controls. Whether this finding, which was of borderline statistical significance, results from the difficulty

Associative intrusions in the verbal behavior of the first-degree relatives of adult schizophrenics. A preliminary study.

The first-degree blood relatives of schizophrenics were compared to a matched control group on a psychometrically matched test of responsiveness to associative intrusions. The groups differed on the subtest containing an associative alternative but not on the equally difficult subtest free of associative distractors. Results were consistent with the hypothesis that an overresponsiveness to associative distractors, well documented in schizophrenics, may also be a characteristic of their nondisturbed first degree blood relatives. The possible existence of cognitive markers in the relatives of schizophrenic patients that might indicate familial psychopathology was supported. Limitations of the present preliminary findings, as well as the case for additional investigation of the cognitive behavior of the first-degree relatives of schizophrenics, are discussed.

Reaction time crossover as a marker of schizophrenia and of higher functioning.

A factor analysis of reaction time crossover data of 53 schizophrenic patients, 45 first-degree relatives, and 38 controls, previously reported by De Amicis and Cromwell, was performed in order to shed light upon the relationship of crossover to aging, mean reaction time, and general socioeconomic functioning. The aging factor shared variance with getting married and having children, but not with reaction time crossover. Crossover was also found to be independent of reaction time speed among first-degree relatives and control subjects; however, it was correlated with reaction time speed among actively symptomatic schizophrenic patients. Additionally, the relationship of crossover to socioeconomic functioning was found to be negative among the patients, positive among the relatives, and nonexistent among control subjects. Results are discussed in terms of previous reports of higher than normal functioning found in relatives of schizophrenic patients.

Genetic and Immunological Factors in Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia

Publisher Summary Schizophrenia is considered as a group of disorders and is classified into paranoid, catatonic, simple and hebephrenic subtypes, which are still considered in some actual diagnostic criteria as research diagnostic criteria (RDC) and DSM III. The chapter presents two syndromes of schizophrenia: the type I syndrome characterized by positive symptoms, probably associated with a change in dopaminergic transmission and the type II syndrome characterized by negative symptoms and perhaps associated with structural changes in the brain. Many models have been suggested for the transmission of schizophrenia. Psychiatric disorders that do not satisfy criteria for schizophrenia can be found in relatives of schizophrenic patients. It has considered these “spectrum” conditions (pseudoneurotic schizophrenia, borderline, ambulatory schizophrenia, questionable simple schizophrenia, “psychotic character,” severe schizoid individual) as milder forms of schizophrenia. Different studies have shown associations between depression and morbidity risks of illnesses where immunological impairment is reported. For example, immunological abnormalities associated with herpes simplex virus infection are found in depressed patients.

The relationship of paranoid states to schizophrenia.

The author interviewed relatives of 32 paranoid patients, 32 matched depressed patients, and 15 schizophrenic patients regarding family history. Two (1.3%) of the relatives of paranoid patients and one (0.6%) of the relatives of depressed patients had possible paranoid states. Significantly more relatives of schizophrenic patients than relatives of paranoid or depressed patients had schizophrenia, but the rates were similar among relatives of paranoid and depressed patients. The author concludes that there is little evidence of familial occurrence of paranoid states and no evidence that paranoid states are familially related to schizophrenia.