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Barattieri di San Pietro C, de Girolamo G, Luzzatti C, Marelli M. Agency of Subjects and Eye Movements in Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders. JOURNAL OF PSYCHOLINGUISTIC RESEARCH 2022; 51:1371-1391. [PMID: 35841496 PMCID: PMC9646601 DOI: 10.1007/s10936-022-09903-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/01/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
People with schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSD) show anomalies in language processing with respect to "who is doing what" in an action. This linguistic behavior is suggestive of an atypical representation of the formal concepts of "Agent" in the lexical representation of a verb, i.e., its thematic grid. To test this hypothesis, we administered a silent-reading task with sentences including a semantic violation of the animacy trait of the grammatical subject to 30 people with SSD and 30 healthy control participants (HCs). When the anomalous grammatical subject was the Agent of the event, a significant increase of Gaze Duration was observed in HCs, but not in SSDs. Conversely, when the anomalous subject was a Theme, SSDs displayed an increased probability of go-back movements, unlike HCs. These results are suggestive of a higher tolerability for anomalous Agents in SSD compared to the normal population. The fact that SSD participants did not show a similar tolerability for anomalous Themes rules out the issue of an attention deficit. We suggest that general communication abilities in SSD might benefit from explicit training on deep linguistic structures.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Giovanni de Girolamo
- Psychiatric Epidemiology and Evaluation Unit, IRCCS Istituto Centro San Giovanni di Dio Fatebenefratelli, Brescia, Italy
| | - Claudio Luzzatti
- Department of Psychology, University of Milano-Bicocca, Piazza dell'Ateneo Nuovo 1, 20126, Milan, Italy
- Milan Center for Neuroscience, Milan, Italy
| | - Marco Marelli
- Department of Psychology, University of Milano-Bicocca, Piazza dell'Ateneo Nuovo 1, 20126, Milan, Italy
- Milan Center for Neuroscience, Milan, Italy
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Zhang J, Yang H, Li W, Li Y, Qin J, He L. Automatic Schizophrenia Detection Using Multimodality Media via a Text Reading Task. Front Neurosci 2022; 16:933049. [PMID: 35911987 PMCID: PMC9331283 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2022.933049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2022] [Accepted: 06/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Schizophrenia is a crippling chronic mental disease that affects people worldwide. In this work, an automatic schizophrenia detection algorithm is proposed based on the reading deficit of schizophrenic patients. From speech and video modalities, the automatic schizophrenia detection algorithm illustrates abnormal speech, head movement, and reading fluency during the reading task. In the speech modality, an acoustic model of speech emotional flatness in schizophrenia is established to reflect the emotional expression flatness of schizophrenic speech from the perspective of speech production and perception. In the video modality, the head-movement-related features are proposed to illustrate the spontaneous head movement caused by repeated reading and unconscious movement, and the reading-fluency-related features are proposed to convey the damaged degree of schizophrenic patients' reading fluency. The experimental data of this work are 160 segments of speech and video data recorded by 40 participants (20 schizophrenic patients and 20 normal controls). Combined with support vector machines and random forest, the accuracy of the proposed acoustic model, the head-movement-related features, and the reading-fluency-related features range from 94.38 to 96.50%, 73.38 to 83.38%, and 79.50 to 83.63%, respectively. The average accuracy of the proposed automatic schizophrenia detection algorithm reaches 97.50%. The experimental results indicate the effectiveness of the proposed automatic detection algorithm as an auxiliary diagnostic method for schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Zhang
- College of Biomedical Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Hui Yang
- College of Biomedical Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Wen Li
- College of Biomedical Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Yuanyuan Li
- Mental Health Center, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Jing Qin
- Centre for Smart Health, School of Nursing, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Ling He
- College of Biomedical Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
- *Correspondence: Ling He
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Barattieri di San Pietro C, Barbieri E, Marelli M, de Girolamo G, Luzzatti C. Processing Argument Structure and Syntactic Complexity in People with Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders. JOURNAL OF COMMUNICATION DISORDERS 2022; 96:106182. [PMID: 35065337 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcomdis.2022.106182] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2021] [Revised: 12/14/2021] [Accepted: 01/05/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Deficits in language comprehension and production have been repeatedly observed in Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders (SSD). However, the characterization of the language profile of this population is far from complete, and the relationship between language deficits, impaired thinking and cognitive functions is widely debated. OBJECTIVE The aims of the present study were to assess production and comprehension of verbs with different argument structures, as well as production and comprehension of sentences with canonical and non-canonical word order in people with SSD. In addition, the study investigated the relationship between language deficits and cognitive functions. METHODS Thirty-four participants with a diagnosis of SSD and a group of healthy control participants (HC) were recruited and evaluated using the Italian version of the Northwestern Assessment of Verbs and Sentences (NAVS, Cho-Reyes & Thompson, 2012; Barbieri et al., 2019). RESULTS Results showed that participants with SSD were impaired - compared to HC - on both verb and sentence production, as well as on comprehension of syntactically complex (but not simple) sentences. While verb production was equally affected by verb-argument structure complexity in both SSD and HC, sentence comprehension was disproportionately more affected by syntactic complexity in SSD than in HC. In addition, in the SSD group, verb production deficits were predicted by performance on a measure of visual attention, while sentence production and comprehension deficits were explained by performance on measures of executive functions and working memory, respectively. DISCUSSION Our findings support the hypothesis that language deficits in SSD may be one aspect of a more generalized, multi-domain, cognitive impairment, and are consistent with previous findings pointing to reduced inter- and intra-hemispheric connectivity as a possible substrate for such deficits. The study provides a systematic characterization of lexical and syntactic deficits in SSD and demonstrates that psycholinguistically-based assessment tools may be able to capture language deficits in this population.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Elena Barbieri
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
| | - Marco Marelli
- Department of Psychology, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy; Milan Center for Neuroscience, NeuroMI
| | - Giovanni de Girolamo
- Psychiatric Epidemiology and Evaluation Unit, IRCCS Istituto Centro San Giovanni di Dio Fatebenefratelli, Brescia, Italy
| | - Claudio Luzzatti
- Department of Psychology, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy; Milan Center for Neuroscience, NeuroMI
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Mutlu E, Abaoğlu H, Barışkın E, Gürel ŞC, Ertuğrul A, Yazıcı MK, Akı E, Yağcıoğlu AEA. The cognitive aspect of formal thought disorder and its relationship with global social functioning and the quality of life in schizophrenia. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 2021; 56:1399-1410. [PMID: 33458782 DOI: 10.1007/s00127-021-02024-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2020] [Accepted: 01/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE It was expected that using a comprehensive scale like the Thought and Language Disorder Scale (TALD) for measurement of FTD would enable assessing its heterogeneity and its associations with cognitive impairment and functionality. This study has aimed to analyze the relationship between formal thought disorder (FTD) and cognitive functions, functionality, and quality of life in schizophrenia. METHODS This cross-sectional exploratory study included 46 clinical participants meeting the DSM-5 diagnostic criteria for schizophrenia and 35 healthy individuals as the control groups. Data were acquired by means of the Turkish language version of the TALD, the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale, the Clinical Global Impression Scale, the Functioning Assessment Short Test, the Social Functioning Scale, the World Health Organization Quality of Life Instrument-Short Form, and a neuropsychological test battery on executive functions, working memory, verbal fluency, abstract thinking, and response inhibition. Correlation analyses were conducted to detect significant relationships. RESULTS The clinical group scored failures in all cognitive tests. The objective positive FTD was associated with deficits in executive functions and social functioning. The objective negative FTD was associated with poor performance in all cognitive domains, physical quality of life, and social and global functioning. The subjective negative FTD was negatively correlated with psychological quality of life. CONCLUSION This study demonstrated that objective FTD factors reflect different underlying cognitive deficits and correlate with different functioning domains. Significant correlation was determined between subjective negative FTD and psychological quality of life. Given the close relationship of FTD with functioning and quality of life, the FTD-related cognitive deficits should be the key treatment goal in schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emre Mutlu
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey. .,Psychiatry Clinic, Etimesgut Şehit Sait Ertürk State Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
| | - Hatice Abaoğlu
- Department of Occupational Therapy, Faculty of Health Sciences, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Elif Barışkın
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Ş Can Gürel
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Aygün Ertuğrul
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey
| | - M Kazım Yazıcı
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Esra Akı
- Department of Occupational Therapy, Faculty of Health Sciences, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey
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Deyo C, Langdon R. Cognitive correlates of 'Formal Thought Disorder' in a non-clinical sample with elevated schizotypal traits. Psychiatry Res 2021; 302:113971. [PMID: 34182311 DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2021.113971] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2020] [Accepted: 04/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Different dimensions of formal thought disorder (FTD) are distinguished by different patterns of cognitive dysfunction in patients with schizophrenia; however, inconsistent findings may relate to patient-related confounds. To avoid these confounds, we examined relationships between FTD dimensions and cognitive domains in a non-clinical sample with attenuated schizophrenia-like traits, or schizotypal traits, on the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire (N = 91). To our knowledge, no study has done this. FTD dimension scores were derived following principal component analysis of the Scale for the Assessment of Thought, Language and Communication (TLC dimensions: Disorganisation, Verbosity, Emptiness) and the Thought and Language Index (TLI dimensions: Negative, Idiosyncratic). The sample completed a comprehensive neuropsychological battery. Findings indicate that higher-order reasoning, executive function (set shift and generative ability) and language/semantic functioning are the primary drivers of FTD in our non-clinical sample with elevated schizotypal traits, in line with schizophrenia research. FTD may have shared aetiology along the schizophrenia spectrum.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cliff Deyo
- Department of Psychology, Macquarie University, NSW, Australia.
| | - Robyn Langdon
- ARC Centre of Excellence in Cognition and Its Disorders and Department of Cognitive Science, Macquarie University, NSW, Australia
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Aunjitsakul W, McGuire N, McLeod HJ, Gumley A. Candidate Factors Maintaining Social Anxiety in the Context of Psychotic Experiences: A Systematic Review. Schizophr Bull 2021; 47:1218-1242. [PMID: 33778868 PMCID: PMC8379542 DOI: 10.1093/schbul/sbab026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Social anxiety is common in psychosis and associated with impaired functioning, poorer quality of life, and higher symptom severity. This study systematically reviewed factors maintaining social anxiety in people with attenuated, transient, or persistent psychotic experiences. Other correlates of social anxiety were also examined. MEDLINE, Embase, CENTRAL, and PsycINFO were searched for relevant literature up to October 19, 2020. Forty-eight articles were eligible for narrative synthesis: 38 cross-sectional studies, 8 prospective studies, 1 uncontrolled trial, and 1 qualitative study. From 12060 participants, the majority was general population (n = 8771), followed by psychosis samples (n = 2532) and those at high risk of psychosis (n = 757). The methodological quality and risk of bias were assessed using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool. Ninety percent of studies were rated as high to very-high quality. Poorer quality studies typically failed to adequately control for confounds and provided insufficient information on the measurement validity and reliability. Prominent psychological factors maintaining social anxiety included self-perceptions of stigma and shame. Common correlates of social anxiety included poorer functioning and lower quality of life. In conclusion, stigma and shame could be targeted as a causal mechanism in future interventional studies. The integration of findings from this review lead us to propose a new theoretical model to guide future intervention research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Warut Aunjitsakul
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Prince of Songkla University, Songkhla, Thailand,Institute of Health and Wellbeing, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK,To whom correspondence should be addressed; Glasgow Institute of Health and Wellbeing, Glasgow Mental Health Research Facility, University of Glasgow, Fleming Pavilion, West of Scotland Science Park (Todd Campus), Glasgow, G20 0XA, UK; tel: 0141-330-4852, e-mail:
| | - Nicola McGuire
- Institute of Health and Wellbeing, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - Hamish J McLeod
- Institute of Health and Wellbeing, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - Andrew Gumley
- Institute of Health and Wellbeing, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
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Tan EJ, Neill E, Tomlinson K, Rossell SL. Semantic Memory Impairment Across the Schizophrenia Continuum: A Meta-Analysis of Category Fluency Performance. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2020. [DOI: 10.1093/schizbullopen/sgaa054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Abstract
Semantic memory (SM) impairments are a core feature of schizophrenia and are present along the psychosis continuum. It is, however, unclear whether the degree of SM impairments vary along this continuum and if demographic and clinical factors affect impairment severity. This study performed meta-analyses of category fluency task performance (a task commonly used to assess SM) in 4 groups along the schizophrenia continuum: high schizotypes (HSZT), first-degree relatives (FDR), recent-onset patients (≤2 y; ROP) and chronic patients (CSZ). Electronic databases were searched for relevant studies published up to October 2019 resulting in the inclusion of 48 articles. The main analyses assessed fluency productivity scores in 2978 schizophrenia spectrum disorder patients, 340 first-degree relatives of schizophrenia spectrum disorder patients, and 3204 healthy controls. Further analyses assessed errors, mean cluster size, and switching data that were available in the CSZ group only. Results revealed significant impairments in fluency productivity were present in the FDR, ROP, and CSZ groups relative to healthy controls, but not in HSZT. In the CSZ group, significant differences relative to healthy controls were also observed in non-perseverative errors, mean cluster size, and number of switches. The findings collectively suggest that SM deficits are present at each stage of the continuum and are exacerbated post-illness onset. They also support the centrality of SM impairments in schizophrenia and most elevated risk groups. Future studies with more diverse measures of SM function are needed to replicate and extend this research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric Josiah Tan
- Centre for Mental Health, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Australia
- Department of Psychiatry, St Vincent’s Hospital, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Erica Neill
- Centre for Mental Health, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Australia
- Department of Psychiatry, St Vincent’s Hospital, Melbourne, Australia
- Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Kiandra Tomlinson
- Centre for Mental Health, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Susan Lee Rossell
- Centre for Mental Health, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Australia
- Department of Psychiatry, St Vincent’s Hospital, Melbourne, Australia
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Formal Thought Disorder and Executive Functioning in Children and Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Old Leads and New Avenues. J Autism Dev Disord 2017; 47:1756-1768. [PMID: 28342165 PMCID: PMC5432602 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-017-3104-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Formal thought disorder (FTD) is a disruption in the flow of thought and a common feature in psychotic disorders and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Executive dysfunction has often been associated with FTD, yet for ASD convincing evidence is lacking. This study investigated FTD and three core executive functions in 50 young children and adolescents with high-functioning ASD and 56 matched controls. Higher overall levels of FTD marked ASD compared to controls. Furthermore, in ASD decreased performance on verbal working memory was correlated with increased FTD ratings and explained a significant amount of variance of objective and subjective FTD. Verbal working memory is currently the most promising target executive function for understanding the development of idiosyncratic thought disorders in ASD.
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9
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Smirnova D, Clark M, Jablensky A, Badcock JC. Action (verb) fluency deficits in schizophrenia spectrum disorders: linking language, cognition and interpersonal functioning. Psychiatry Res 2017; 257:203-211. [PMID: 28772137 DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2017.07.044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2017] [Revised: 05/22/2017] [Accepted: 07/24/2017] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Deficits in action (verb) fluency have previously been reported in schizophrenia spectrum disorders. The degree to which this reflects difficulties generating verbs in different semantic categories is unknown. Here, action fluency responses of 46 patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders and 76 healthy controls were classified as action or mental state verbs, using well-established taxonomies. The word length, frequency, age of acquisition, valence and concreteness of the verbs produced were also examined. Participants also completed measures of cognitive function, and clinical symptoms. Independent inter-rater agreement of semantic categorization was high. The percentage of action verbs produced was significantly lower in patients than controls, whilst the percentage of mental state verbs produced did not differ. Patients' action verbs were: significantly less concrete; positively correlated with memory and intelligence; and negatively correlated with interpersonal symptoms. Impaired action verb, but intact mental state verb generation is consistent with the neural separability of these processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daria Smirnova
- Centre for Clinical Research in Neuropsychiatry (CCRN), School of Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, University of Western Australia, Perth WA 6000, Australia; Department of Psychiatry, Narcology, Psychotherapy and Clinical Psychology, Samara State Medical University, Samara, Russia.
| | - Melanie Clark
- Centre for Clinical Research in Neuropsychiatry (CCRN), School of Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, University of Western Australia, Perth WA 6000, Australia
| | - Assen Jablensky
- Centre for Clinical Research in Neuropsychiatry (CCRN), School of Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, University of Western Australia, Perth WA 6000, Australia
| | - Johanna C Badcock
- Centre for Clinical Research in Neuropsychiatry (CCRN), School of Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, University of Western Australia, Perth WA 6000, Australia
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10
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Fonctions cognitives sous-jacentes aux déficits de fluence verbale dans la schizophrénie : revue de la littérature. ANNALES MEDICO-PSYCHOLOGIQUES 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.amp.2016.06.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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Beber BC, Chaves MLF. Does previous presentation of verbal fluency tasks affect verb fluency performance? Dement Neuropsychol 2016; 10:31-36. [PMID: 29213428 PMCID: PMC5674911 DOI: 10.1590/s1980-57642016dn10100006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Performance on the verb fluency (VF) task may be influenced by administration procedures and demographic factors of each population. Objective The aim of this study was to verify whether the previous administration of semantic and phonemic verbal fluency tasks can influence performance on VF; and to analyze the correlation of VF performance with education, age and type of errors in Brazilian healthy elderly. Methods Sixty-two participants were subdivided into experimental (semantic and the phonemic fluency tasks were administered before the VF) and control groups (VF only). The total score and the types of errors on the VF task were determined. Additional information was computed for the correlational analysis. Results VF performance did not differ statistically between experimental and control groups, but correlated positively with education and negatively with intrusions. Conclusion The lack of influence of other verbal fluency tasks on performance of the VF task in elderly individuals allows the use of this order of administration. A strong influence of educational level on VF task performance reinforces the need for further studies in different populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bárbara Costa Beber
- Dementia Clinic, Neurology Service, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre (HCPA), Porto Alegre RS, Brazil
| | - Márcia L F Chaves
- Dementia Clinic, Neurology Service, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre (HCPA), Porto Alegre RS, Brazil.,Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre RS, Brazil
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Lang FU, Müller-Stierlin AS, Walther S, Schulze TG, Becker T, Jäger M. Psychopathological Symptoms Assessed by a System-Specific Approach Are Related to Global Functioning in Schizophrenic Disorders. Psychopathology 2016; 49:77-82. [PMID: 27002327 DOI: 10.1159/000444505] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2015] [Accepted: 02/03/2016] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND By mostly using a positive-negative approach, several studies have identified factors that influence day-to-day functioning. We applied a different, system-specific approach to expand the knowledge of this issue. SAMPLING AND METHODS We recruited a sample of 100 inpatients with a DSM-IV diagnosis of schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder. Psychopathological characteristics were assessed with the Bern Psychopathology Scale (BPS) and functional characteristics with the Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) scale. Linear regression analyses were performed with the GAF score as the dependent variable and the global values of the BPS subscores as independent variables. The model was controlled for confounding variables. Spearman rank correlation analyses were used to identify associations between the relevant BPS subdomains and global functioning. RESULTS Higher absolute global values of the BPS domains language (px2009; = x2009;0.038) and motor behavior (px2009; = x2009;0.049) were significantly associated with lower GAF scores. These findings remained stable after adjusting for potential confounding variables. A statistically significant negative correlation was found between both qualitative symptoms (rx2009; = x2009;-0.273, px2009; = x2009;0.006) and indirect signs (rx2009; = x2009;-0.269, px2009; = x2009;0.007) of the language domain and GAF scores. Also, quantitative (rx2009; = x2009;-0.211, px2009; = x2009;0.035) and qualitative symptoms (rx2009; = x2009;-0.214, px2009; = x2009;0.033) in the motor behavior domain were associated with poorer functioning. CONCLUSIONS A system-specific approach can describe subgroups of patients with poor functioning. Identifying such subgroups could help to utilize targeted treatment opinions in a timely manner. Another goal of future research is to clarify the underlying neurobiological deficits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabian U Lang
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy II, Ulm University, Gx00FC;nzburg, Germany
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Beber BC, Cruz AND, Chaves ML. A behavioral study of the nature of verb production deficits in Alzheimer's disease. BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2015; 149:128-134. [PMID: 26291288 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2015.07.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2014] [Revised: 07/17/2015] [Accepted: 07/20/2015] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) may experience greater difficulty with verb production than with noun production. In this study, we sought to assess the nature of verb production deficits in AD by using verb fluency and verb naming tasks. We designed two hypotheses for this verb deficit: (1) executive impairment drives the deficit; (2) semantic impairment drives the deficit. Thirty-five patients with AD and 35 matched healthy controls participated in the study. Both groups performed a verb naming task composed of 45 pictures (low-, medium-, and high-frequency subsets) and a verb fluency task (scored for total correct words and for mean word frequency). Patients with AD were equally impaired in verb naming and verb fluency, with an effect of disease severity on verb naming. Word frequency influenced verb naming, but not verb fluency, performance. Our results indicate that verb production deficits in AD seem to be driven more by semantic than by executive impairment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bárbara Costa Beber
- Dementia Clinic, Neurology Service, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre (HCPA), Brazil.
| | - Aline Nunes da Cruz
- Dementia Clinic, Neurology Service, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre (HCPA), Brazil
| | - Márcia L Chaves
- Dementia Clinic, Neurology Service, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre (HCPA), Brazil; Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Brazil
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Smirnova D, Walters J, Fine J, Muchnik-Rozanov Y, Paz M, Lerner V, Belmaker RH, Bersudsky Y. Second language as a compensatory resource for maintaining verbal fluency in bilingual immigrants with schizophrenia. Neuropsychologia 2015; 75:597-606. [PMID: 26162616 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2015.06.037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2015] [Revised: 06/08/2015] [Accepted: 06/28/2015] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Due to the large migrations over the past three decades, large numbers of individuals with schizophrenia are learning a second language and being seen in clinics in that second language. We conducted within-subject comparisons to clarify the contribution of clinical, linguistic and bilingual features in the first and second languages of bilinguals with schizophrenia. METHODS Ten bilingual Russian(L1) and Hebrew(L2) proficient patients, who developed clinical schizophrenia after achieving proficiency in both languages, were selected from 60 candidates referred for the study; they were resident in Israel 7-32 years with 3-10 years from immigration to diagnosis. Clinical, linguistic and fluency markers were coded in transcripts of clinical interviews. RESULTS There was a trend toward more verbal productivity in the first language (L1) than the second language (L2). Clinical speech markers associated with thought disorder and cognitive impairment (blocking and topic shift) were similar in both languages. Among linguistic markers of schizophrenia, Incomplete syntax and Speech role reference were significantly more frequent in L2 than L1; Lexical repetition and Unclear reference demonstrated a trend in the same direction. For fluency phenomena, Discourse markers were more prevalent in L1 than L2, and Codeswitching was similar across languages, showing that the patients were attuned to the socio-pragmatics of language use. CONCLUSIONS More frequent linguistic markers of schizophrenia in L2 show more impairment in the syntactic/semantic components of language, reflecting greater thought and cognitive dysfunction. Patients are well able to acquire a second language. Nevertheless, schizophrenia finds expression in that language. Finally, more frequent fluency markers in L1 suggests motivation to maintain fluency, evidenced in particular by codeswitched L2 lexical items, a compensatory resource.
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Affiliation(s)
- D Smirnova
- Samara State Medical University, Department of Psychiatry, Samara, Russia
| | - J Walters
- Bar-Ilan University, Department of English Literature and Linguistics, Ramat Gan, Israel
| | - J Fine
- Bar-Ilan University, Department of English Literature and Linguistics, Ramat Gan, Israel
| | - Y Muchnik-Rozanov
- Bar-Ilan University, Department of English Literature and Linguistics, Ramat Gan, Israel
| | - M Paz
- Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Ministry of Health Mental Health Center, Beer-Sheba, Israel
| | - V Lerner
- Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Ministry of Health Mental Health Center, Beer-Sheba, Israel
| | | | - Y Bersudsky
- Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Ministry of Health Mental Health Center, Beer-Sheba, Israel.
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15
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Abstract
The Action Fluency (AF) and Action Naming (AN) are different tasks involving verb generation. Evidence indicates that verb tasks yield different information from that obtained with nouns. Objective This study aimed to analyze the information available in the scientific literature on the mechanism and clinical application of these tasks. Methods We carried out a systematic review of the literature and the findings were presented according to clinical studies and neuroimaging studies, and to the task in question. Results The literature contained a variety of relevant studies with different objectives, methodologies and populations. After the analysis (exclusion criteria) of the studies obtained by the search terms, only 40 studies were included in this review. Conclusion It was possible to conclude that AF and AN involve different brain processes, and although recruiting frontal areas and circuits, other areas are also critical. These tasks may be useful for differentiating Primary Progressive Aphasias; AF might represent a new measure of executive function; finally, both these tests can be used to provide a better understanding of cognitive processes and certain diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bárbara Costa Beber
- Dementia Clinic, Neurology Service, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre (HCPA), RS, Brazil.,Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Médicas da Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), RS, Brazil.,PhD Schoolarship, CAPES
| | - Márcia L F Chaves
- Dementia Clinic, Neurology Service, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre (HCPA), RS, Brazil.,Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Médicas da Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), RS, Brazil.,Departamento de Medicina Interna da Faculdade de Medicina, UFRGS, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
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16
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Stone WS, Iguchi L. Do Apparent Overlaps between Schizophrenia and Autistic Spectrum Disorders Reflect Superficial Similarities or Etiological Commonalities? NORTH AMERICAN JOURNAL OF MEDICINE & SCIENCE 2011; 4:124-133. [PMID: 22563520 PMCID: PMC3342590 DOI: 10.7156/v4i3p124] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
STUDY BACKGROUND: Schizophrenia and autism are both neurodevelopmental disorders that were once considered to be the same disorder expressed in different developmental periods. Although they were separated diagnostically about 40 years ago, they share several clinical and possibly, etiological features. This paper reviews overlaps in four domains of function to consider the issue of whether these similarities are sporadic and likely to represent superficial similarities, or whether the disorders are more likely to share some features in common. METHODS: Representative areas of function were reviewed and compared for aspects of cognition (nonverbal reasoning, memory and language), social function (orienting/joint attention, eye contact and theory of mind), brain function (structural differences) and genetics. To facilitate comparisons with schizophrenia, a focus on high functioning autism/Asperger's disorder was utilized, particularly in the sections on cognition and social function. RESULTS: Significant similarities (and differences) characterized comparisons in each domain. CONCLUSIONS: Disturbed function in similar clinical (in cognition and social function), neurobiological (brain volumes) and genetic (e.g., involvement of the same genes or chromosomal locations) domains in autism and schizophrenia supports the hypothesis that while they are distinct disorders, they are not entirely unique. Additional studies of similarities and differences between them may thus shed light on common etiological mechanisms and hopefully, facilitate the development of novel treatment targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- William S. Stone
- Department of Psychiatry, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Lisa Iguchi
- Department of Psychiatry, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
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