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Pascucci D, Roinishvili M, Chkonia E, Brand A, Whitney D, Herzog MH, Manassi M. Intact Serial Dependence in Schizophrenia: Evidence from an Orientation Adjustment Task. Schizophr Bull 2024:sbae106. [PMID: 38936422 DOI: 10.1093/schbul/sbae106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/29/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND HYPOTHESIS For a long time, it was proposed that schizophrenia (SCZ) patients rely more on sensory input and less on prior information, potentially leading to reduced serial dependence-ie, a reduced influence of prior stimuli in perceptual tasks. However, existing evidence is constrained to a few paradigms, and whether reduced serial dependence reflects a general characteristic of the disease remains unclear. STUDY DESIGN We investigated serial dependence in 26 SCZ patients and 27 healthy controls (CNT) to evaluate the influence of prior stimuli in a classic visual orientation adjustment task, a paradigm not previously tested in this context. STUDY RESULTS As expected, the CNT group exhibited clear serial dependence, with systematic biases toward the orientation of stimuli shown in the preceding trials. Serial dependence in SCZ patients was largely comparable to that in the CNT group. CONCLUSIONS These findings challenge the prevailing notion of reduced serial dependence in SCZ, suggesting that observed differences between healthy CNT and patients may depend on aspects of perceptual or cognitive processing that are currently not understood.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Pascucci
- Laboratory of Psychophysics, Brain Mind Institute, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Maya Roinishvili
- Institute of Cognitive Neurosciences, Free University of Tbilisi, Tbilisi, Georgia
| | - Eka Chkonia
- Department of Psychiatry, Tbilisi State Medical University, Tbilisi, Georgia
| | - Andreas Brand
- Laboratory of Psychophysics, Brain Mind Institute, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - David Whitney
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
- Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
- Vision Science Group, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Michael H Herzog
- Laboratory of Psychophysics, Brain Mind Institute, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Mauro Manassi
- School of Psychology, University of Aberdeen, King's College, Aberdeen, UK
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2
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Fakheir Y, Khalil R. The effects of abnormal visual experience on neurodevelopmental disorders. Dev Psychobiol 2023; 65:e22408. [PMID: 37607893 DOI: 10.1002/dev.22408] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2023] [Revised: 05/14/2023] [Accepted: 06/13/2023] [Indexed: 08/24/2023]
Abstract
Normal visual development is supported by intrinsic neurobiological mechanisms and by appropriate stimulation from the environment, both of which facilitate the maturation of visual functions. However, an offset of this balance can give rise to visual disorders. Therefore, understanding the factors that support normal vision during development and in the mature brain is important, as vision guides movement, enables social interaction, and allows children to recognize and understand their environment. In this paper, we review fundamental mechanisms that support the maturation of visual functions and discuss and draw links between the perceptual and neurobiological impairments in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and schizophrenia. We aim to explore how this is evident in the case of ASD, and how perceptual and neurobiological deficits further degrade social ability. Furthermore, we describe the altered perceptual experience of those with schizophrenia and evaluate theories of the underlying neural deficits that alter perception.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yara Fakheir
- Department of Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences, American University of Sharjah, Sharjah, UAE
| | - Reem Khalil
- Department of Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences, American University of Sharjah, Sharjah, UAE
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3
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Ma X, Yang WFZ, Zheng W, Li Z, Tang J, Yuan L, Ouyang L, Wang Y, Li C, Jin K, Wang L, Bearden CE, He Y, Chen X. Neuronal dysfunction in individuals at early stage of schizophrenia, A resting-state fMRI study. Psychiatry Res 2023; 322:115123. [PMID: 36827856 DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2023.115123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2022] [Revised: 02/14/2023] [Accepted: 02/18/2023] [Indexed: 02/22/2023]
Abstract
Schizophrenia has been associated with abnormal intrinsic brain activity, involving various cognitive impairments. Qualitatively similar abnormalities are seen in individuals at ultra-high risk (UHR) for psychosis. In this study, resting-state fMRI (rs-fMRI) data were collected from 44 drug-naïve first-episode schizophrenia (Dn-FES) patients, 48 UHR individuals, and 40 healthy controls (HCs). The fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (fALFF), regional homogeneity (ReHo), and functional connectivity (FC), were performed to evaluate resting brain function. A support vector machine (SVM) was applied for classification analysis. Compared to HCs, both clinical groups showed increased fALFF in the central executive network (CEN), decreased ReHo in the ventral visual pathway (VVP) and decreased FC in temporal-sensorimotor regions. Excellent performance was achieved by using fALFF value in distinguishing both FES (sensitivity=83.21%, specificity=80.58%, accuracy=81.37%, p=0.009) and UHR (sensitivity=75.88%, specificity=85.72%, accuracy=80.72%, p<0.001) from HC group. Moreover, the study highlighted the importance of frontal and temporal alteration in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia. However, no fMRI features were observed that could well distinguish Dn-FES from UHR group. To conclude, fALFF in the CEN may provide potential power for identifying individuals at the early stage of schizophrenia and the alteration in the frontal and temporal lobe may be important to these individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoqian Ma
- Department of Psychiatry, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, No.139, Renmin Rd, Second Xiangya Hospital, Changsha, Hunan, China; Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, United States
| | - Winson Fu Zun Yang
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, United States
| | - Wenxiao Zheng
- Department of Psychiatry, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, No.139, Renmin Rd, Second Xiangya Hospital, Changsha, Hunan, China; Department of Clinical Medicine, Third Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Zongchang Li
- Department of Psychiatry, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, No.139, Renmin Rd, Second Xiangya Hospital, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Jinsong Tang
- Department of Psychiatry, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, No.139, Renmin Rd, Second Xiangya Hospital, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Liu Yuan
- Department of Psychiatry, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, No.139, Renmin Rd, Second Xiangya Hospital, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Lijun Ouyang
- Department of Psychiatry, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, No.139, Renmin Rd, Second Xiangya Hospital, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Yujue Wang
- Department of Psychiatry, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, No.139, Renmin Rd, Second Xiangya Hospital, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Chunwang Li
- Department of Radiology, Hunan Children's Hospital, Changsha, China
| | - Ke Jin
- Department of Radiology, Hunan Children's Hospital, Changsha, China
| | - Lingyan Wang
- Department of Deratology&Traditional Chinese Medicine, Changsha Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine (Changsha Eighth Hospital)
| | - Carrie E Bearden
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, United States
| | - Ying He
- Department of Psychiatry, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, No.139, Renmin Rd, Second Xiangya Hospital, Changsha, Hunan, China; Mental Health Institute of Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China; National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders, Changsha, Hunan, China; National Technology Institute of Mental Disorders, Changsha, Hunan, China; Hunan Key Laboratory of Psychiatry and Mental Health, Changsha, Hunan, China; Hunan Medical Center for Mental Health, Changsha, Hunan, China.
| | - Xiaogang Chen
- Department of Psychiatry, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, No.139, Renmin Rd, Second Xiangya Hospital, Changsha, Hunan, China; Mental Health Institute of Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China; National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders, Changsha, Hunan, China; National Technology Institute of Mental Disorders, Changsha, Hunan, China; Hunan Key Laboratory of Psychiatry and Mental Health, Changsha, Hunan, China; Hunan Medical Center for Mental Health, Changsha, Hunan, China.
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4
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Short-term Medication Effects on Brain Functional Activity and Network Architecture in First-Episode psychosis: a longitudinal fMRI study. Brain Imaging Behav 2023; 17:137-148. [PMID: 36646973 DOI: 10.1007/s11682-022-00704-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2022] [Revised: 06/17/2022] [Accepted: 07/04/2022] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
The effect of antipsychotic medications is critical for the long-term outcome of symptoms and functions during first-episode psychosis (FEP). However, how brain functions respond to the antipsychotic treatment in the early stage of psychosis and its underlying neural mechanisms remain unclear. In this study, we explored the cross-sectional and longitudinal changes of regional homogeneity (ReHo), whole-brain functional connectivity, and network topological properties via resting-state functional magnetic resonance images. Thirty-two drug-naïve FEP patients and 30 matched healthy volunteers (HV) were included, where 23 patients were re-visited with effective responses after two months of antipsychotic treatment. Compared to HV, drug-naive patients demonstrated significantly different patterns of functional connectivity involving the right thalamus. These functional alterations mainly involved decreased ReHo, increased nodal efficiency in the right thalamus, and increased thalamic-sensorimotor-frontoparietal connectivity. In the follow-up analysis, patients after treatment showed reduced ReHo and nodal clustering in visual networks, as well as disturbances of visual-somatomotor and hippocampus-superior frontal gyrus connectivity. The longitudinal changes of ReHo in the visual cortex were associated with an improvement in general psychotic symptoms. This study provides new evidence regarding alterations in brain function linked to schizophrenia onset and affected by antipsychotic medications. Moreover, our results demonstrated that the functional alterations at baseline were not fully modulated by antipsychotic medications, suggesting that antipsychotic medications may reduce psychotic symptoms but limit the effects in regions involved in disease pathophysiology.
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5
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Giersch A, Laprévote V. Perceptual Functioning. Curr Top Behav Neurosci 2023; 63:79-113. [PMID: 36306053 DOI: 10.1007/7854_2022_393] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Perceptual disorders are not part of the diagnosis criteria for schizophrenia. Yet, a considerable amount of work has been conducted, especially on visual perception abnormalities, and there is little doubt that visual perception is altered in patients. There are several reasons why such perturbations are of interest in this pathology. They are observed during the prodromal phase of psychosis, they are related to the pathophysiology (clinical disorganization, disorders of the sense of self), and they are associated with neuronal connectivity disorders. Perturbations occur at different levels of processing and likely affect how patients interact and adapt to their surroundings. The literature has become very large, and here we try to summarize different models that have guided the exploration of perception in patients. We also illustrate several lines of research by showing how perception has been investigated and by discussing the interpretation of the results. In addition to discussing domains such as contrast sensitivity, masking, and visual grouping, we develop more recent fields like processing at the level of the retina, and the timing of perception.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne Giersch
- University of Strasbourg, INSERM U1114, Centre Hospitalier Régional Universitaire de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France.
| | - Vincent Laprévote
- University of Strasbourg, INSERM U1114, Centre Hospitalier Régional Universitaire de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
- CLIP Centre de Liaison et d'Intervention Précoce, Centre Psychothérapique de Nancy, Laxou, France
- Faculté de Médecine, Université de Lorraine, Vandoeuvre-lès-Nancy, France
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6
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Visual masking deficits in schizophrenia: a view into the genetics of the disease through an endophenotype. Transl Psychiatry 2022; 12:529. [PMID: 36585402 PMCID: PMC9803632 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-022-02275-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2020] [Revised: 08/26/2022] [Accepted: 11/29/2022] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Schizophrenia is a severe psychiatric disorder determined by a complex mixture of genetic and environmental factors. To better understand the contributions of human genetic variations to schizophrenia, we performed a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of a highly sensitive endophenotype. In this visual masking endophenotype, two vertical bars, slightly shifted in the horizontal direction, are briefly presented (vernier offset). Participants are asked to indicate the offset direction of the bars (either left or right). The bars are followed by a grating mask, which makes the task both spatially and temporally challenging. The inter-stimulus interval (ISI) between the vernier and the mask was determined in 206 patients with schizophrenia, 109 first-order relatives, and 143 controls. Usually, in GWAS studies, patients are compared to controls (i.e., a binary task) without considering the large differences in performance between patients and controls, as it occurs in many paradigms. The masking task allows for a particularly powerful analysis because the differences in ISI within the patient population are large. We genotyped all participants and searched for associations between human polymorphisms and the masking endophenotype using a linear mixed model. We did not identify any genome-wide significant associations (p < 5 × 10-8), indicating that common variants with strong effects are unlikely to contribute to the large inter-group differences in visual masking. However, we found significant differences in polygenetic risk scores (PRS) between patients and controls, and relatives and controls.
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7
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Kody E, Diwadkar VA. Magnocellular and parvocellular contributions to brain network dysfunction during learning and memory: Implications for schizophrenia. J Psychiatr Res 2022; 156:520-531. [PMID: 36351307 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2022.10.055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2022] [Revised: 10/24/2022] [Accepted: 10/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Memory deficits are core features of schizophrenia, and a central aim in biological psychiatry is to identify the etiology of these deficits. Scrutiny is naturally focused on the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and the hippocampal cortices, given these structures' roles in memory and learning. The fronto-hippocampal framework is valuable but restrictive. Network-based underpinnings of learning and memory are substantially diverse and include interactions between hetero-modal and early sensory networks. Thus, a loss of fidelity in sensory information may impact memorial and cognitive processing in higher-order brain sub-networks, becoming a sensory source for learning and memory deficits. In this overview, we suggest that impairments in magno- and parvo-cellular visual pathways result in degraded inputs to core learning and memory networks. The ascending cascade of aberrant neural events significantly contributes to learning and memory deficits in schizophrenia. We outline the network bases of these effects, and suggest that any network perspectives of dysfunction in schizophrenia must assess the impact of impaired perceptual contributions. Finally, we speculate on how this framework enriches the space of biomarkers and expands intervention strategies to ameliorate this prototypical disconnection syndrome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth Kody
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University School of Medicine, USA
| | - Vaibhav A Diwadkar
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University School of Medicine, USA.
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8
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Favrod O, Brand A, Berdzenishvili E, Chkonia E, Akselrod M, Wagemans J, Herzog MH, Roinishvili M. Embedded figures in schizophrenia: A main deficit but no specificity. Schizophr Res Cogn 2022; 28:100227. [PMID: 34976748 PMCID: PMC8683755 DOI: 10.1016/j.scog.2021.100227] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2021] [Revised: 11/21/2021] [Accepted: 11/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Visual deficits are core deficits of schizophrenia. Classically, deficits are determined with demanding psychophysical tasks requiring fine-grained spatial or temporal resolution. Less is known about holistic processing. Here, we employed the Leuven Embedded Figures Test (L-EFT) measuring classic aspects of Gestalt processing. A target shape is embedded in a context and observers have to detect as quickly as possible in which display the target is embedded. Targets vary in closure, symmetry, complexity, and good continuation. In all conditions, schizophrenia patients had longer RTs compared to controls and depressive patients and to a lesser extent compared to their siblings. There was no interaction suggesting that, once the main deficit of schizophrenia patients is discarded, there are no further deficits in Gestalt perception between the groups. This result is in line with a growing line of research showing that when schizophrenia patients are given sufficient time to accomplish the task, they perform as well as controls.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ophélie Favrod
- Laboratory of Psychophysics, Brain Mind Institute, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland
- Corresponding author.
| | - Andreas Brand
- Laboratory of Psychophysics, Brain Mind Institute, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland
| | - Eka Berdzenishvili
- Department of Psychiatry, Tbilisi State Medical University, Tbilisi, Georgia
| | - Eka Chkonia
- Department of Psychiatry, Tbilisi State Medical University, Tbilisi, Georgia
- Institute of Cognitive Neurosciences, Agricultural University of Georgia, Tbilisi, Georgia
| | - Michel Akselrod
- MySpace Laboratory, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University Hospital (CHUV), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Johan Wagemans
- Laboratory of Experimental Psychology, Department of Brain and Cognition, KU Leuven (University of Leuven), Belgium
| | - Michael H. Herzog
- Laboratory of Psychophysics, Brain Mind Institute, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland
| | - Maya Roinishvili
- Institute of Cognitive Neurosciences, Agricultural University of Georgia, Tbilisi, Georgia
- Laboratory of Vision Physiology, Beritashvili Centre of Experimental Biomedicine, Tbilisi, Georgia
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Francisco AA, Foxe JJ, Horsthuis DJ, Molholm S. Early visual processing and adaptation as markers of disease, not vulnerability: EEG evidence from 22q11.2 deletion syndrome, a population at high risk for schizophrenia. SCHIZOPHRENIA (HEIDELBERG, GERMANY) 2022; 8:28. [PMID: 35314711 PMCID: PMC8938446 DOI: 10.1038/s41537-022-00240-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2021] [Accepted: 02/21/2022] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
We investigated visual processing and adaptation in 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11.2DS), a condition characterized by an increased risk for schizophrenia. Visual processing differences have been described in schizophrenia but remain understudied early in the disease course. Electrophysiology was recorded during a visual adaptation task with different interstimulus intervals to investigate visual processing and adaptation in 22q11.2DS (with (22q+) and without (22q−) psychotic symptoms), compared to control and idiopathic schizophrenia groups. Analyses focused on early windows of visual processing. While increased amplitudes were observed in 22q11.2DS in an earlier time window (90–140 ms), decreased responses were seen later (165–205 ms) in schizophrenia and 22q+. 22q11.2DS, and particularly 22q−, presented increased adaptation effects. We argue that while amplitude and adaptation in the earlier time window may reflect specific neurogenetic aspects associated with a deletion in chromosome 22, amplitude in the later window may be a marker of the presence of psychosis and/or of its chronicity/severity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana A Francisco
- The Cognitive Neurophysiology Laboratory, Department of Pediatrics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA.
| | - John J Foxe
- The Cognitive Neurophysiology Laboratory, Department of Pediatrics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA.,Department of Neuroscience, Rose F. Kennedy Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA.,The Cognitive Neurophysiology Laboratory, Department of Neuroscience, The Ernest J. Del Monde Institute for Neuroscience, School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, USA
| | - Douwe J Horsthuis
- The Cognitive Neurophysiology Laboratory, Department of Pediatrics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
| | - Sophie Molholm
- The Cognitive Neurophysiology Laboratory, Department of Pediatrics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA. .,Department of Neuroscience, Rose F. Kennedy Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA. .,The Cognitive Neurophysiology Laboratory, Department of Neuroscience, The Ernest J. Del Monde Institute for Neuroscience, School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, USA.
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10
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Hettwer MD, Lancaster TM, Raspor E, Hahn PK, Mota NR, Singer W, Reif A, Linden DEJ, Bittner RA. Evidence From Imaging Resilience Genetics for a Protective Mechanism Against Schizophrenia in the Ventral Visual Pathway. Schizophr Bull 2022; 48:551-562. [PMID: 35137221 PMCID: PMC9077432 DOI: 10.1093/schbul/sbab151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Illuminating neurobiological mechanisms underlying the protective effect of recently discovered common genetic resilience variants for schizophrenia is crucial for more effective prevention efforts. Current models implicate adaptive neuroplastic changes in the visual system and their pro-cognitive effects as a schizophrenia resilience mechanism. We investigated whether common genetic resilience variants might affect brain structure in similar neural circuits. METHOD Using structural magnetic resonance imaging, we measured the impact of an established schizophrenia polygenic resilience score (PRSResilience) on cortical volume, thickness, and surface area in 101 healthy subjects and in a replication sample of 33 224 healthy subjects (UK Biobank). FINDING We observed a significant positive whole-brain correlation between PRSResilience and cortical volume in the right fusiform gyrus (FFG) (r = 0.35; P = .0004). Post-hoc analyses in this cluster revealed an impact of PRSResilience on cortical surface area. The replication sample showed a positive correlation between PRSResilience and global cortical volume and surface area in the left FFG. CONCLUSION Our findings represent the first evidence of a neurobiological correlate of a genetic resilience factor for schizophrenia. They support the view that schizophrenia resilience emerges from strengthening neural circuits in the ventral visual pathway and an increased capacity for the disambiguation of social and nonsocial visual information. This may aid psychosocial functioning, ameliorate the detrimental effects of subtle perceptual and cognitive disturbances in at-risk individuals, and facilitate coping with the cognitive and psychosocial consequences of stressors. Our results thus provide a novel link between visual cognition, the vulnerability-stress concept, and schizophrenia resilience models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meike D Hettwer
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychosomatic Medicine, and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany,Max Planck School of Cognition, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany,Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine, Brain & Behaviour (INM-7), Research Centre Jülich, Jülich, Germany,Institute of Systems Neuroscience, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Thomas M Lancaster
- School of Psychology, Bath University, Bath, UK,MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics, Division of Psychological Medicine and Clinical Neuroscience, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - Eva Raspor
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychosomatic Medicine, and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Peter K Hahn
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychosomatic Medicine, and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Nina Roth Mota
- Department of Human Genetics, Radboud University Medical Center, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Nijmegen, The Netherlands,Department of Psychiatry, Radboud University Medical Center, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Wolf Singer
- Ernst Strüngmann Institute for Neuroscience (ESI) in Cooperation with Max Planck Society, Frankfurt am Main, Germany,Max Planck Institute for Brain Research (MPI BR), Frankfurt am Main, Germany,Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies (FIAS), Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Andreas Reif
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychosomatic Medicine, and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - David E J Linden
- MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics, Division of Psychological Medicine and Clinical Neuroscience, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK,School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Robert A Bittner
- To whom correspondence should be addressed; Heinrich-Hoffmann-Str. 10, D-60528 Frankfurt am Main, Germany; tel: 69-6301-84713, fax: 69-6301-81775, e-mail:
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11
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Karpinkaia VY, Tumova MA, Yanushko MG, Sosin DN, Maksimova AA, Ivanov MV. [The relationship between visual dysfunction and cognitive deficit in schizophrenia]. Zh Nevrol Psikhiatr Im S S Korsakova 2021; 121:61-66. [PMID: 34481437 DOI: 10.17116/jnevro202112108161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To investigate whether visual processing abnormalities are the result of visual dysfunction involving cognitive impairment or independent abnormalities and to identify the relationship of visual impairments with cognitive functions and severity of psychopathological symptoms. MATERIAL AND METHODS We compared results of visual size perception and actions on objects (motor assessment) in patients with schizophrenia (n=37), including patients with non-resistant schizophrenia (n=19) and healthy individuals (n=20). Cognitive impairments were assessed with BACS. Severity of schizophrenia symptoms was assessed with PANSS. RESULTS The error in the visual size perception test was smaller in healthy controls compared with non-resistant patients (p<0.03). There are no significant differences between non-resistant patients and other groups. Also, there are no significant differences in motor assessment between healthy controls and patients with schizophrenia. In the visual size perception test, the amount of error correlates with cognitive impairments (r= -0.84, p<0.001), and the severity of psychotic symptoms on PANSS (r=0.55, p<0.05). CONCLUSION Changes in visual threshold in patients with schizophrenia are correlated with cognitive dysfunction and reflect dysfunction in the parvocellular system.
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Affiliation(s)
- V Yu Karpinkaia
- N. Bekhtereva Institute of the Human Brain Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - M A Tumova
- Bekhterev National Research Medical Centre for Psychiatry and Neurology, St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - M G Yanushko
- Bekhterev National Research Medical Centre for Psychiatry and Neurology, St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - D N Sosin
- Russian Medical Academy of Continuing Professional Education, Moscow, Russia
| | - A A Maksimova
- Pavlov St.-Petersburg State Medical University, St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - M V Ivanov
- Bekhterev National Research Medical Centre for Psychiatry and Neurology, St. Petersburg, Russia
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12
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Garobbio S, Roinishvili M, Favrod O, da Cruz JR, Chkonia E, Brand A, Herzog MH. Electrophysiological correlates of visual backward masking in patients with bipolar disorder. Psychiatry Res Neuroimaging 2021; 307:111206. [PMID: 33092939 DOI: 10.1016/j.pscychresns.2020.111206] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2020] [Revised: 09/25/2020] [Accepted: 10/02/2020] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
In visual backward masking (VBM), a target is followed by a mask that decreases target discriminability. Schizophrenia patients (SZ) show strong and reproducible masking impairments, which are associated with reduced EEG amplitudes. Patients with bipolar disorder (BP) show masking deficits, too. Here, we investigated the neural EEG correlates of VBM in BP. 122 SZ, 94 unaffected controls, and 38 BP joined a standard VBM experiment. 123 SZ, 94 unaffected controls and 16 BP joined a corresponding EEG experiment, analyzed in terms of global field power. As in previous studies, SZ and BP show strong masking deficits. Importantly and similarly to SZ, BP show decreased global field power amplitudes at approximately 200 ms after the target onset, compared to controls. These results suggest that VBM deficits are not specific for schizophrenia but for a broader range of functional psychoses. Potentially, both SZ and BP show deficient target enhancement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simona Garobbio
- Laboratory of Psychophysics, Brain Mind Institute, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland.
| | - Maya Roinishvili
- Laboratory of Vision Physiology, Beritashvili Centre of Experimental Biomedicine, Tbilisi, Georgia; Institute of Cognitive Neurosciences, Free University of Tbilisi, Tbilisi, Georgia
| | - Ophélie Favrod
- Laboratory of Psychophysics, Brain Mind Institute, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland
| | - Janir Ramos da Cruz
- Laboratory of Psychophysics, Brain Mind Institute, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland
| | - Eka Chkonia
- Institute of Cognitive Neurosciences, Free University of Tbilisi, Tbilisi, Georgia; Department of Psychiatry, Tbilisi State Medical University, Tbilisi, Georgia
| | - Andreas Brand
- Laboratory of Psychophysics, Brain Mind Institute, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland
| | - Michael H Herzog
- Laboratory of Psychophysics, Brain Mind Institute, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland
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13
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Avery SN, McHugo M, Armstrong K, Blackford JU, Woodward ND, Heckers S. Stable habituation deficits in the early stage of psychosis: a 2-year follow-up study. Transl Psychiatry 2021; 11:20. [PMID: 33414431 PMCID: PMC7791099 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-020-01167-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2020] [Revised: 12/01/2020] [Accepted: 12/09/2020] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Neural habituation, the decrease in brain response to repeated stimuli, is a fundamental, highly conserved mechanism that acts as an essential filter for our complex sensory environment. Convergent evidence indicates neural habituation is disrupted in both early and chronic stages of schizophrenia, with deficits co-occurring in brain regions that show inhibitory dysfunction. As inhibitory deficits have been proposed to contribute to the onset and progression of illness, habituation may be an important treatment target. However, a crucial first step is clarifying whether habituation deficits progress with illness. In the present study, we measured neural habituation in 138 participants (70 early psychosis patients (<2 years of illness), 68 healthy controls), with 108 participants assessed longitudinally at both baseline and 2-year follow-up. At follow-up, all early psychosis patients met criteria for a schizophrenia spectrum disorder (i.e., schizophreniform disorder, schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder). Habituation slopes (i.e., rate of fMRI signal change) to repeated images were computed for the anterior hippocampus, occipital cortex, and the fusiform face area. Habituation slopes were entered into a linear mixed model to test for effects of group and time by region. We found that early psychosis patients showed habituation deficits relative to healthy control participants across brain regions, and that these deficits were maintained, but did not worsen, over two years. These results suggest a stable period of habituation deficits in the early stage of schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suzanne N. Avery
- grid.412807.80000 0004 1936 9916Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN USA
| | - Maureen McHugo
- grid.412807.80000 0004 1936 9916Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN USA
| | - Kristan Armstrong
- grid.412807.80000 0004 1936 9916Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN USA
| | - Jennifer Urbano Blackford
- grid.412807.80000 0004 1936 9916Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN USA ,grid.413806.8Research Health Scientist, Research and Development, Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Nashville, TN USA
| | - Neil D. Woodward
- grid.412807.80000 0004 1936 9916Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN USA
| | - Stephan Heckers
- grid.412807.80000 0004 1936 9916Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN USA
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14
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Zhuo C, Tian H, Fang T, Li R, Li Y, Kong L, Cai Z, Zheng L, Lin X, Chen C. Neural mechanisms underlying visual and auditory processing impairments in schizophrenia: insight into the etiology and implications for tailoring preventive and therapeutic interventions. Am J Transl Res 2020; 12:7657-7669. [PMID: 33437351 PMCID: PMC7791494] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2020] [Accepted: 10/28/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Schizophrenia is a complex and devastating neuropsychiatric disorder with an unknown etiology. Patients with schizophrenia have a high prevalence of visual disturbances, commonly accompanied by auditory impairments. In recent review articles, the perceptual deficits of visual and auditory sensory processing have been downplayed. However, visual and auditory impairments are associated with hallucinations, which is characteristic of schizophrenia across all cultures. Despite decades of research, the common neural mechanisms underlying hallucinations remain largely unknown. In recent years, neuroimaging technologies have empowered researchers to investigate the underlying neural mechanisms. In this review article, we performed a literature search of studies that assessed visual and auditory processing impairments, along with their relationship to visual disturbances and auditory hallucinations, in schizophrenia. We proposed that the pulvinar may play a critical role. In addition, disrupted visual and auditory projections from the pulvinar to the visual and auditory cortices could be shared pathways in relation to visual disturbances and auditory hallucinations in schizophrenia. Our findings suggest that early visual and auditory processing deficits may occur before the onset of the initial psychotic episode, including hallucinations, and the full manifestation of schizophrenia. Furthermore, we discussed the directions for future studies. Our findings from this review offer unique insights into the distinct underlying neural mechanisms of schizophrenia, which may help develop tailored preventive and therapeutic interventions in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chuanjun Zhuo
- Key Laboratory of Real Time Brain Circuits Tracing (RTBNP_Lab), Tianjin Fourth Center Hospital, Tianjin Fourth Hospital Affiliated to Nankai UniversityTianjin 300222, China
- Department of Psychiatry, Tianjin Medical UniversityTianjin 300072, China
- Psychiatric-Neuroimaging-Genetics and Comorbidity Laboratory (PNGC_Lab), Tianjin Anding Hospital, Mental Health Teaching Hospital of Tianjin Medical UniversityTianjin 300300, China
- Department of Psychiatry, Wenzhou Seventh Peoples HospitalWenzhou 325000, China
| | - Hongjun Tian
- Key Laboratory of Real Time Brain Circuits Tracing (RTBNP_Lab), Tianjin Fourth Center Hospital, Tianjin Fourth Hospital Affiliated to Nankai UniversityTianjin 300222, China
| | - Tao Fang
- Key Laboratory of Real Time Brain Circuits Tracing (RTBNP_Lab), Tianjin Fourth Center Hospital, Tianjin Fourth Hospital Affiliated to Nankai UniversityTianjin 300222, China
| | - Ranli Li
- Psychiatric-Neuroimaging-Genetics and Comorbidity Laboratory (PNGC_Lab), Tianjin Anding Hospital, Mental Health Teaching Hospital of Tianjin Medical UniversityTianjin 300300, China
| | - Yachen Li
- Psychiatric-Neuroimaging-Genetics and Comorbidity Laboratory (PNGC_Lab), Tianjin Anding Hospital, Mental Health Teaching Hospital of Tianjin Medical UniversityTianjin 300300, China
| | - Lingguang Kong
- Department of Psychiatry, Wenzhou Seventh Peoples HospitalWenzhou 325000, China
| | - Ziyao Cai
- Department of Psychiatry, Wenzhou Seventh Peoples HospitalWenzhou 325000, China
| | - Lidan Zheng
- Department of Psychiatry, Wenzhou Seventh Peoples HospitalWenzhou 325000, China
| | - Xiaodong Lin
- Department of Psychiatry, Wenzhou Seventh Peoples HospitalWenzhou 325000, China
| | - Ce Chen
- Department of Psychiatry, Wenzhou Seventh Peoples HospitalWenzhou 325000, China
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15
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Aberrant Cortical Connectivity During Ambiguous Object Recognition Is Associated With Schizophrenia. BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY: COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE AND NEUROIMAGING 2020; 6:1193-1201. [PMID: 33359154 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsc.2020.09.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2020] [Revised: 09/25/2020] [Accepted: 09/28/2020] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Dysfunctional connectivity within the perceptual hierarchy is proposed to be an integral component of psychosis. The fragmented ambiguous object task was implemented to investigate neural connectivity during object recognition in patients with schizophrenia (SCZ) and bipolar disorder and first-degree relatives of patients with SCZ (SREL). METHODS We analyzed 3T functional magnetic resonance imaging data collected from 27 patients with SCZ, 23 patients with bipolar disorder, 24 control subjects, and 19 SREL during the administration of the fragmented ambiguous object task. Fragmented ambiguous object task stimuli were line-segmented versions of objects and matched across a number of low-level features. Images were categorized as meaningful or meaningless based on ratings assigned by the participants. RESULTS An a priori region of interest was defined in the primary visual cortex (V1). In addition, the lateral occipital complex/ventral visual areas, intraparietal sulcus (IPS), and middle frontal gyrus (MFG) were identified functionally via the contrast of cortical responses to stimuli judged as meaningful or meaningless. SCZ was associated with altered neural activations at V1, IPS, and MFG. Psychophysiological interaction analyses revealed negative connectivity between V1 and MFG in patient groups and altered modulation of connectivity between conditions from right IPS to left IPS and right IPS to left MFG in patients with SCZ and SREL. CONCLUSIONS Results provide evidence that SCZ is associated with inefficient processing of ambiguous visual objects at V1, which is likely attributable to altered feedback from higher-level visual areas. We also observed distinct patterns of aberrant connectivity among low-level, mid-level, and high-level visual areas in patients with SCZ, patients with bipolar disorder, and SREL.
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16
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da Cruz JR, Shaqiri A, Roinishvili M, Favrod O, Chkonia E, Brand A, Figueiredo P, Herzog MH. Neural Compensation Mechanisms of Siblings of Schizophrenia Patients as Revealed by High-Density EEG. Schizophr Bull 2020; 46:1009-1018. [PMID: 31961928 PMCID: PMC7345810 DOI: 10.1093/schbul/sbz133] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Visual backward masking (VBM) deficits are candidate endophenotypes of schizophrenia indexing genetic liability of the disorder. In VBM, a target is followed by a mask that deteriorates target perception. Schizophrenia patients and, to a lesser extent, their unaffected relatives show strong and reproducible VBM deficits. In patients, VBM deficits are associated with strongly decreased amplitudes in the evoked-related potentials (ERPs). Here, to unveil the neural mechanisms of VBM in schizophrenia, circumventing illness-specific confounds, we investigated the electroencephalogram correlates of VBM in unaffected siblings of schizophrenia patients. We tested 110 schizophrenia patients, 60 siblings, and 83 healthy controls. As in previous studies, patients showed strong behavioral deficits and decreased ERP amplitudes compared to controls. Surprisingly, the ERP amplitudes of siblings were even higher than the ones of controls, while their performances were similar. ERP amplitudes in siblings were found to correlate with performance. These results suggest that VBM is deteriorated in patients and siblings. However, siblings, unlike patients, can partially compensate for the deficits by over-activating a network of brain regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janir R da Cruz
- Laboratory of Psychophysics, Brain Mind Institute, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland,Institute for Systems and Robotics – Lisbon (LARSyS) and Department of Bioengineering, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal,To whom correspondence should be addressed; CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland; tel: +41 21 693 17 42, fax: +41 21 693 1749, e-mail:
| | - Albulena Shaqiri
- Laboratory of Psychophysics, Brain Mind Institute, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Maya Roinishvili
- Laboratory of Vision Physiology, Beritashvili Centre of Experimental Biomedicine, Tbilisi, Georgia,Institute of Cognitive Neurosciences, Free University of Tbilisi, Tbilisi, Georgia
| | - Ophélie Favrod
- Laboratory of Psychophysics, Brain Mind Institute, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Eka Chkonia
- Institute of Cognitive Neurosciences, Free University of Tbilisi, Tbilisi, Georgia,Department of Psychiatry, Tbilisi State Medical University, Tbilisi, Georgia
| | - Andreas Brand
- Laboratory of Psychophysics, Brain Mind Institute, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Patrícia Figueiredo
- Institute for Systems and Robotics – Lisbon (LARSyS) and Department of Bioengineering, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Michael H Herzog
- Laboratory of Psychophysics, Brain Mind Institute, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
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17
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Favrod O, da Cruz JR, Roinishvili M, Berdzenishvili E, Brand A, Figueiredo P, Herzog MH, Chkonia E. Electrophysiological correlates of visual backward masking in patients with major depressive disorder. Psychiatry Res Neuroimaging 2019; 294:111004. [PMID: 31704371 DOI: 10.1016/j.pscychresns.2019.111004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2019] [Revised: 10/23/2019] [Accepted: 10/25/2019] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Depression and schizophrenia are two psychiatric diseases with high co-morbidity. For this reason, it is important to find sensitive endophenotypes, which may disentangle the two disorders. The Shine-Through paradigm, a visual backward masking task, is a potential endophenotype for schizophrenia. Masking is strongly deteriorated in schizophrenia patients, which is reflected in reduced EEG amplitudes. Here, we tested whether masking deficits and associated EEG changes are also found in patients with major depressive disorder. First, we replicated previous findings showing that depressive patients exhibit, at most, only weak masking deficits. Second, we found that the EEG amplitudes of depressive patients were reduced compared to controls and slightly increased compared to schizophrenia patients. As a secondary analysis, we compared the performance in the masking paradigm with three cognitive tasks, namely: the Wisconsin card sorting test, a verbal fluency test and a degraded continuous performance test. Performance in all but the verbal fluency test could discriminate schizophrenia from depression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ophélie Favrod
- Laboratory of Psychophysics, Brain Mind Institute, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland.
| | - Janir R da Cruz
- Laboratory of Psychophysics, Brain Mind Institute, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland; Institute for Systems and Robotics - Lisboa, Department of Bioengineering, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Maya Roinishvili
- Laboratory of Vision Physiology, Beritashvili Centre of Experimental Biomedicine, Tbilisi, Georgia; Institute of Cognitive Neurosciences, Agricultural University of Georgia, Tbilisi, Georgia
| | | | - Andreas Brand
- Laboratory of Psychophysics, Brain Mind Institute, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland
| | - Patrícia Figueiredo
- Institute for Systems and Robotics - Lisboa, Department of Bioengineering, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Michael H Herzog
- Laboratory of Psychophysics, Brain Mind Institute, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland
| | - Eka Chkonia
- Institute of Cognitive Neurosciences, Agricultural University of Georgia, Tbilisi, Georgia; Department of Psychiatry, Tbilisi State Medical University, Tbilisi, Georgia
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18
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Almeida NL, Fernandes TP, Lima EH, Sales HF, Santos NA. Combined influence of illness duration and medication type on visual sensitivity in schizophrenia. BRAZILIAN JOURNAL OF PSYCHIATRY 2019; 42:27-32. [PMID: 31269094 PMCID: PMC6986493 DOI: 10.1590/1516-4446-2018-0331] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2018] [Accepted: 03/16/2019] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
Objective: Patients with schizophrenia have visual processing impairments. The main findings from the literature indicate that these deficits may be related to differences in paradigms, medications, and illness duration. This study is part of a large-scale study investigating visual sensitivity in schizophrenia. Here we aimed to investigate the combined effects of illness duration and antipsychotic use on contrast sensitivity function. Methods: Data were collected from 50 healthy controls and 50 outpatients with schizophrenia (classified according to illness duration and medication type) aged 20-45 years old. The contrast sensitivity function was measured for spatial frequencies ranging from 0.2 to 20 cycles per degree using linear sine-wave gratings. Results: Patients with an illness duration > 5 years had more pronounced deficits. Differences in the combined effects of illness duration and antipsychotic use were marked in patients on typical antipsychotics who had been ill > 10 years. No significant differences were found between typical and atypical antipsychotics in patients with an illness duration < 5 years. Conclusion: Visual impairment was related to both long illness duration and medication type. These results should be tested in further studies to investigate pharmacological mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalia L Almeida
- Laboratório de Percepção, Neurociências e Comportamento (LPNeC), Universidade Federal da Paraíba (UFPB), João Pessoa, PB, Brazil
| | - Thiago P Fernandes
- Laboratório de Percepção, Neurociências e Comportamento (LPNeC), Universidade Federal da Paraíba (UFPB), João Pessoa, PB, Brazil
| | - Eveline H Lima
- Laboratório de Percepção, Neurociências e Comportamento (LPNeC), Universidade Federal da Paraíba (UFPB), João Pessoa, PB, Brazil
| | - Hemerson F Sales
- Laboratório de Percepção, Neurociências e Comportamento (LPNeC), Universidade Federal da Paraíba (UFPB), João Pessoa, PB, Brazil
| | - Natanael A Santos
- Laboratório de Percepção, Neurociências e Comportamento (LPNeC), Universidade Federal da Paraíba (UFPB), João Pessoa, PB, Brazil
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19
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Fernandes TP, Shaqiri A, Brand A, Nogueira RL, Herzog MH, Roinishvili M, Santos NA, Chkonia E. Schizophrenia patients using atypical medication perform better in visual tasks than patients using typical medication. Psychiatry Res 2019; 275:31-38. [PMID: 30878854 DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2019.03.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2018] [Revised: 03/05/2019] [Accepted: 03/05/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Schizophrenia (SCZ) patients show deficits in many domains, including cognition and perception. However, results are often mixed. One reason for mixed results may be differences in medication. Very little is known about the role of medication in visual processing. Here, we investigated the effects of typical vs. atypical medication on contrast sensitivity (spatial frequencies ranging from 0.2 to 20 cycles per degree), vernier acuity, and visual backward masking. From a large pool of patients, we selected 50 patients (Study 1, conducted in Brazil) and 97 patients (Study 2, conducted in Georgia) taking either only typical or atypical medication. Patients with atypical medication performed significantly better than patients with typical medication for contrast sensitivity, vernier duration, and backward masking. As a secondary result, we found similar, but not significant, trends for the cognitive tasks (Stroop, Flanker, Trail-Making Test-B, Wisconsin Card Sorting Test and Continuous Performance Test) in the same patients. No correlations were found between demographics, psychopathology, chlorpromazine equivalents and visual processing. A conclusion of our study is that one needs to be careful comparing studies when medication is not comparable.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thiago P Fernandes
- Perception, Neuroscience and Behaviour Laboratory, Federal University of Paraiba, Joao Pessoa, Brazil
| | - Albulena Shaqiri
- Laboratory of Psychophysics, Brain Mind Institute, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Station 19, CH-1015, Lausanne, Switzerland.
| | - Andreas Brand
- Institute for Psychology and Cognition Research, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany
| | | | - Michael H Herzog
- Laboratory of Psychophysics, Brain Mind Institute, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Station 19, CH-1015, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Maya Roinishvili
- Department of Psychiatry, Tbilisi State Medical University, Tbilisi, Georgia; Department of Behaviour and Cognitive Functions, I. Beritashvili Institute of Physiology, Tbilisi, Georgia
| | - Natanael A Santos
- Perception, Neuroscience and Behaviour Laboratory, Federal University of Paraiba, Joao Pessoa, Brazil
| | - Eka Chkonia
- Department of Psychiatry, Tbilisi State Medical University, Tbilisi, Georgia
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20
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Increased white matter metabolic rates in autism spectrum disorder and schizophrenia. Brain Imaging Behav 2019; 12:1290-1305. [PMID: 29168086 DOI: 10.1007/s11682-017-9785-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Both autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and schizophrenia are often characterized as disorders of white matter integrity. Multimodal investigations have reported elevated metabolic rates, cerebral perfusion and basal activity in various white matter regions in schizophrenia, but none of these functions has previously been studied in ASD. We used 18fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography to compare white matter metabolic rates in subjects with ASD (n = 25) to those with schizophrenia (n = 41) and healthy controls (n = 55) across a wide range of stereotaxically placed regions-of-interest. Both subjects with ASD and schizophrenia showed increased metabolic rates across the white matter regions assessed, including internal capsule, corpus callosum, and white matter in the frontal and temporal lobes. These increases were more pronounced, more widespread and more asymmetrical in subjects with ASD than in those with schizophrenia. The highest metabolic increases in both disorders were seen in the prefrontal white matter and anterior limb of the internal capsule. Compared to normal controls, differences in gray matter metabolism were less prominent and differences in adjacent white matter metabolism were more prominent in subjects with ASD than in those with schizophrenia. Autism spectrum disorder and schizophrenia are associated with heightened metabolic activity throughout the white matter. Unlike in the gray matter, the vector of white matter metabolic abnormalities appears to be similar in ASD and schizophrenia, may reflect inefficient functional connectivity with compensatory hypermetabolism, and may be a common feature of neurodevelopmental disorders.
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21
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Deng Y, Liu K, Cheng D, Zhang J, Chen H, Chen B, Li Y, Wang W, Kong Y, Wen G. Ventral and dorsal visual pathways exhibit abnormalities of static and dynamic connectivities, respectively, in patients with schizophrenia. Schizophr Res 2019; 206:103-110. [PMID: 30545760 DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2018.12.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2018] [Revised: 08/26/2018] [Accepted: 12/04/2018] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
Previous studies suggest that schizophrenia-related visual perceptual abnormalities are primarily attributed to deficits of the dorsal rather than ventral visual pathway. In this study, we comparatively explored changes in dorsal and ventral networks in schizophrenia patients in both static and dynamic functional connectivity (FC). Resting-state MR scans were acquired for forty schizophrenia patients and twenty-four healthy controls matched for age and gender. The dorsal and ventral visual networks were defined based on the resultant coordinates from activation likelihood estimation analyses. Static and dynamic network properties were calculated based on the full-range and segmented blood oxygen level dependent time series, respectively. The results indicated that the ventral and dorsal visual networks exhibited abnormalities in static FC and dynamic FC, respectively, in the schizophrenia group. Static FC assessments in the ventral visual network showed a significantly decreased clustering coefficient and shortened characteristic path length in patients with schizophrenia. Dynamic FC assessments in the dorsal visual network showed significantly higher mean temporal variability (p = 0.026) and higher regional FC variability of the right fusiform gyrus (p < 0.001) in patients with schizophrenia, and the latter was correlated with the total and negative scores of the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale. In summary, this study reveals differential patterns of connectivity abnormalities of the ventral and dorsal visual networks in patients with schizophrenia. These preliminary evidences may help us better interpret the mechanisms underlying visual perceptual impairments in patients with schizophrenia and their relationship with psychosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanjia Deng
- Medical Imaging Department, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Kai Liu
- Medical Imaging Department, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Dongliang Cheng
- Medical Imaging Department, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China; Department of Radiology, the First People's Hospital of Foshan, Foshan, China
| | - Jingyu Zhang
- Medical Imaging Department, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Hui Chen
- Medical Imaging Department, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Bingguang Chen
- Mental Behavior Department, Guangdong 999 Brain Hospital, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yingjia Li
- Department of Ultrasonography, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Wensheng Wang
- Department of Medical Image Center, Guangdong 999 Brain Hospital, Guangzhou, China
| | - Youyong Kong
- Lab of Image Science and Technology, School of Computer Science and Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, China.
| | - Ge Wen
- Medical Imaging Department, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
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22
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Coll SY, Vuichoud N, Grandjean D, James CE. Electrical Neuroimaging of Music Processing in Pianists With and Without True Absolute Pitch. Front Neurosci 2019; 13:142. [PMID: 30967751 PMCID: PMC6424903 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2019.00142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2018] [Accepted: 02/07/2019] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
True absolute pitch (AP), labeling of pitches with semitone precision without a reference, is classically studied using isolated tones. However, AP is acquired and has its function within complex dynamic musical contexts. Here we examined event-related brain responses and underlying cerebral sources to endings of short expressive string quartets, investigating a homogeneous population of young highly trained pianists with half of them possessing true-AP. The pieces ended regularly or contained harmonic transgressions at closure that participants appraised. Given the millisecond precision of ERP analyses, this experimental plan allowed examining whether AP alters music processing at an early perceptual, or later cognitive level, or both, and which cerebral sources underlie differences with non-AP musicians. We also investigated the impact of AP on general auditory cognition. Remarkably, harmonic transgression sensitivity did not differ between AP and non-AP participants, and differences for auditory cognition were only marginal. The key finding of this study is the involvement of a microstate peaking around 60 ms after musical closure, characterizing AP participants. Concurring sources were estimated in secondary auditory areas, comprising the planum temporale, all transgression conditions collapsed. These results suggest that AP is not a panacea to become a proficient musician, but a rare perceptual feature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sélim Yahia Coll
- Neuroscience of Emotion and Affective Dynamics Laboratory Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences and Swiss Centre for Affective Sciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Noémi Vuichoud
- Neuroscience of Emotion and Affective Dynamics Laboratory Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences and Swiss Centre for Affective Sciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Didier Grandjean
- Neuroscience of Emotion and Affective Dynamics Laboratory Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences and Swiss Centre for Affective Sciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Clara Eline James
- Neuroscience of Emotion and Affective Dynamics Laboratory Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences and Swiss Centre for Affective Sciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.,School of Health Sciences Geneva HES-SO University of Applied Sciences and Arts Western Switzerland, Geneva, Switzerland.,Geneva Neuroscience Center University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
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23
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Favrod O, Roinishvili M, da Cruz JR, Brand A, Okruashvili M, Gamkrelidze T, Figueiredo P, Herzog MH, Chkonia E, Shaqiri A. Electrophysiological correlates of visual backward masking in patients with first episode psychosis. Psychiatry Res Neuroimaging 2018; 282:64-72. [PMID: 30415176 DOI: 10.1016/j.pscychresns.2018.10.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2018] [Revised: 09/19/2018] [Accepted: 10/29/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Visual backward masking is strongly impaired in patients with schizophrenia. Masking deficits have been proposed as potential endophenotypes of schizophrenia. Masking performance deficits manifest as strongly reduced amplitudes in the electroencephalogram (EEG). In order to fulfill the criteria of an endophenotype, masking deficits should not vary substantially across time and should be present at the first psychotic event. To verify whether these conditions are met for visual backward masking, we tested patients with first episode psychosis (n = 21) in a longitudinal study. Patients were tested with visual backward masking and EEG three times every six months over a period of one year. We found that the EEG amplitudes of patients with first episode psychosis were higher as compared to those of patients with schizophrenia but lower as compared to those of unaffected controls. More interestingly, we found that the EEG amplitudes of patients with first episode psychosis remained stable over the course of one year. Since chronic schizophrenia patients have strongly reduced amplitudes, we speculate that the neural correlates of masking deficits (EEG amplitudes) continue to decrease as the disease progresses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ophélie Favrod
- Laboratory of Psychophysics, Brain Mind Institute, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland.
| | - Maya Roinishvili
- Laboratory of Vision Physiology, Beritashvili Centre of Experimental Biomedicine, Tbilisi, Georgia; Institute of Cognitive Neurosciences, Agricultural University of Georgia, Tbilisi, Georgia
| | - Janir R da Cruz
- Laboratory of Psychophysics, Brain Mind Institute, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland; Institute for Systems and Robotics - Lisboa, Department of Bioengineering, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Andreas Brand
- Laboratory of Psychophysics, Brain Mind Institute, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland
| | | | | | - Patrícia Figueiredo
- Institute for Systems and Robotics - Lisboa, Department of Bioengineering, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Michael H Herzog
- Laboratory of Psychophysics, Brain Mind Institute, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland
| | - Eka Chkonia
- Institute of Cognitive Neurosciences, Agricultural University of Georgia, Tbilisi, Georgia; Department of Psychiatry, Tbilisi State Medical University, Tbilisi, Georgia
| | - Albulena Shaqiri
- Laboratory of Psychophysics, Brain Mind Institute, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland
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Keane BP, Paterno D, Kastner S, Krekelberg B, Silverstein SM. Intact illusory contour formation but equivalently impaired visual shape completion in first- and later-episode schizophrenia. JOURNAL OF ABNORMAL PSYCHOLOGY 2018; 128:57-68. [PMID: 30346202 DOI: 10.1037/abn0000384] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Visual shape completion is a fundamental process that constructs contours and shapes on the basis of the geometric relations between spatially separated edge elements. People with schizophrenia are impaired at distinguishing visually completed shapes, but when does the impairment emerge and how does it evolve with illness duration? The question bears on the debate as to whether cognition declines after illness onset. To address the issue, we tested healthy controls (n = 48), first-episode psychosis patients (n = 23), and chronic schizophrenia patients (n = 49) on a classic psychophysical task in which subjects discriminated the relative orientations of four sectored circles that either formed or did not form visually completed shapes (illusory and fragmented conditions, respectively). Visual shape completion was quantified as the extent to which performance in the illusory condition exceeded that of the fragmented. Half of the trials incorporated wire edge elements, which augment contour salience and improve shape completion. Each patient group exhibited large visual shape completion deficits that could not be explained by differences in age, motivation, or orientation tuning. Patients responded normally to changes in illusory contour salience, indicating that they were forming but not adequately employing such contours for discriminating shapes. Shape completion deficits were most apparent for patients with cognitive disorganization, poor premorbid early adolescent functioning, and normal orientation discrimination. Visual shape completion deficits emerge maximally by the first psychotic episode and arise from higher-level disturbances that are related to premorbid functioning and disorganization. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian P Keane
- Department of Psychiatry, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, University Behavioral Health Care, Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences, Rutgers University
| | | | | | - Bart Krekelberg
- Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience, Rutgers University
| | - Steven M Silverstein
- Department of Psychiatry, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Rutgers University
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25
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Clissold M, Crowe SF. Comparing the effect of the subcategories of atypical antipsychotic medications on cognition in schizophrenia using a meta-analytic approach. J Clin Exp Neuropsychol 2018; 41:26-42. [PMID: 30025491 DOI: 10.1080/13803395.2018.1488952] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to compare the two most commonly prescribed classes of atypical antipsychotic medications (i.e., -pines and -dones) with regard to their effects on cognition in patients with schizophrenia. DATA SOURCES Ovid Technologies web-based software was used to search the Medline and PsycINFO computerized databases to identify articles that met the inclusion criteria. REVIEW METHODS The search was limited to papers published after 1990, written in English, employing human subjects, using atypical antipsychotics, using a within-subjects design or control group of patients with schizophrenia for comparisons, using participants aged from 18-65, and employing standardized neuropsychological measures. RESULTS A total of 996 eligible studies were identified, and of these 19 were finally analyzed. Nine domains of cognitive functioning were assessed. The two groups of agents produced equivalent overall effects (-dones = .254 versus -pines = .202). The -pines were found to improve the domains of attention/working memory, executive functioning, fluency, nonverbal memory, processing speed, and verbal memory, each with a significant, small effect size. The -dones were found to improve attention/working memory, executive functioning, motor function, nonverbal memory, processing speed, and verbal memory, each with a significant, small effect size. Failsafe N was robust for all of the domains for the -pines, but only for the verbal memory domain for the -dones, suggesting that the significant findings for the other domains with the -dones are more tenuous. CONCLUSION The results indicate that the agents were largely equivalent and that there was no clear evidence that the pattern of cognitive effects differed as a result of the agent applied. The effects themselves, while statistically significant, were small, indicating that some or all of the differences may be attributable to practice effects on the instruments employed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maverick Clissold
- a School of Psychology and Public Health , La Trobe University , Bundoora , VIC , Australia
| | - Simon F Crowe
- a School of Psychology and Public Health , La Trobe University , Bundoora , VIC , Australia
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26
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da Cruz JR, Chicherov V, Herzog MH, Figueiredo P. An automatic pre-processing pipeline for EEG analysis (APP) based on robust statistics. Clin Neurophysiol 2018; 129:1427-1437. [DOI: 10.1016/j.clinph.2018.04.600] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2017] [Revised: 03/02/2018] [Accepted: 04/01/2018] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
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27
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Berkovitch L, Del Cul A, Maheu M, Dehaene S. Impaired conscious access and abnormal attentional amplification in schizophrenia. NEUROIMAGE-CLINICAL 2018; 18:835-848. [PMID: 29876269 PMCID: PMC5988039 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2018.03.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2017] [Revised: 03/09/2018] [Accepted: 03/13/2018] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Previous research suggests that the conscious perception of a masked stimulus is impaired in schizophrenia, while unconscious bottom-up processing of the same stimulus, as assessed by subliminal priming, can be preserved. Here, we test this postulated dissociation between intact bottom-up and impaired top-down processing and evaluate its brain mechanisms using high-density recordings of event-related potentials. Sixteen patients with schizophrenia and sixteen controls were exposed to peripheral digits with various degrees of visibility, under conditions of either focused attention or distraction by another task. In the distraction condition, the brain activity evoked by masked digits was drastically reduced in both groups, but early bottom-up visual activation could still be detected and did not differ between patients and controls. By contrast, under focused top-down attention, a major impairment was observed: in patients, contrary to controls, the late non-linear ignition associated with the P3 component was reduced. Interestingly, the patients showed an essentially normal attentional amplification of the P1 and N2 components. These results suggest that some but not all top-down attentional amplification processes are impaired in schizophrenia, while bottom-up processing seems to be preserved. An elevated consciousness threshold is observed in schizophrenia. Under unattended conditions, brain activity was similarly reduced in schizophrenic patients and controls. Under attended conditions, the late ignition associated with the P3 component is impaired in patients. In schizophrenia, top-down attentional amplification is abnormal while bottom-up processing is essentially spared.
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Affiliation(s)
- L Berkovitch
- Cognitive Neuroimaging Unit, CEA DSV/I2BM, INSERM, Université Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, NeuroSpin Center, 91191 Gif-sur-Yvette, France; Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ Paris 06, IFD, 4 place Jussieu, 75252 Paris Cedex 05, France.
| | - A Del Cul
- AP-HP, Groupe Hospitalier Pitié-Salpêtrière, Service de Psychiatrie d'Adultes, 75013 Paris, France; Inserm, CNRS, APHP, Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle (ICM), Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ Paris 06, 75013 Paris, France
| | - M Maheu
- Cognitive Neuroimaging Unit, CEA DSV/I2BM, INSERM, Université Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, NeuroSpin Center, 91191 Gif-sur-Yvette, France; Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, 75006 Paris, France
| | - S Dehaene
- Cognitive Neuroimaging Unit, CEA DSV/I2BM, INSERM, Université Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, NeuroSpin Center, 91191 Gif-sur-Yvette, France; Collège de France, 11 Place Marcelin Berthelot, 75005 Paris, France
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28
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Fernandes TMP, de Andrade MJO, Santana JB, Nogueira RMTBL, dos Santos NA. Tobacco Use Decreases Visual Sensitivity in Schizophrenia. Front Psychol 2018; 9:288. [PMID: 29559947 PMCID: PMC5845747 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00288] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2017] [Accepted: 02/20/2018] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Smoking prevalence in patients who are diagnosed with schizophrenia (SCZ) is higher than in the general population. Chronic tobacco use in SCZ patients may reduce the side effects of antipsychotic drugs, thus serving as a self-medication for such side effects. Understanding the ways in which chronic tobacco use influences visual sensitivity has clinical implications, which may serve as a tool for non-invasively diagnosing early-stage visual processing deficits. The present study evaluated the effects of chronic tobacco use on visual sensitivity in SCZ patients. Our purpose was to provide new directions for future research, mainly psychophysical and electrophysiological studies. In the present study, 40 smoker controls (SC), 20 SCZ tobacco users, and 20 SCZ tobacco nonusers were recruited from the Psychosocial Care Center. Visual sensitivity was compared between both SCZ groups and the SC group. Patients with SCZ who were chronic tobacco users presented lower visual sensitivity for chromatic (p < 0.001) and achromatic (p < 0.001) stimuli compared with the other groups. Our findings highlight the need to evaluate possible addictive behavior in patients with SCZ, which may contribute to public policies that seek to improve the quality of life of SCZ patients and their families.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thiago M. P. Fernandes
- Department of Psychology, Federal University of Paraiba, João Pessoa, Brazil
- Perception, Neuroscience and Behavior Laboratory, Federal University of Paraiba, João Pessoa, Brazil
| | - Michael J. Oliveira de Andrade
- Department of Psychology, Federal University of Paraiba, João Pessoa, Brazil
- Perception, Neuroscience and Behavior Laboratory, Federal University of Paraiba, João Pessoa, Brazil
| | - Jessica B. Santana
- Department of Psychology, Federal University of Paraiba, João Pessoa, Brazil
- Perception, Neuroscience and Behavior Laboratory, Federal University of Paraiba, João Pessoa, Brazil
| | | | - Natanael A. dos Santos
- Department of Psychology, Federal University of Paraiba, João Pessoa, Brazil
- Perception, Neuroscience and Behavior Laboratory, Federal University of Paraiba, João Pessoa, Brazil
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29
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Biria M, Tomescu MI, Custo A, Cantonas LM, Song KW, Schneider M, Murray MM, Eliez S, Michel CM, Rihs TA. Visual processing deficits in 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome. NEUROIMAGE-CLINICAL 2017. [PMID: 29527499 PMCID: PMC5842759 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2017.12.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Carriers of the rare 22q11.2 microdeletion present with a high percentage of positive and negative symptoms and a high genetic risk for schizophrenia. Visual processing impairments have been characterized in schizophrenia, but less so in 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome (DS). Here, we focus on visual processing using high-density EEG and source imaging in 22q11.2DS participants (N = 25) and healthy controls (N = 26) with an illusory contour discrimination task. Significant differences between groups emerged at early and late stages of visual processing. In 22q11.2DS, we first observed reduced amplitudes over occipital channels and reduced source activations within dorsal and ventral visual stream areas during the P1 (100–125 ms) and within ventral visual cortex during the N1 (150–170 ms) visual evoked components. During a later window implicated in visual completion (240–285 ms), we observed an increase in global amplitudes in 22q11.2DS. The increased surface amplitudes for illusory contours at this window were inversely correlated with positive subscales of prodromal symptoms in 22q11.2DS. The reduced activity of ventral and dorsal visual areas during early stages points to an impairment in visual processing seen both in schizophrenia and 22q11.2DS. During intervals related to perceptual closure, the inverse correlation of high amplitudes with positive symptoms suggests that participants with 22q11.2DS who show an increased brain response to illusory contours during the relevant window for contour processing have less psychotic symptoms and might thus be at a reduced prodromal risk for schizophrenia. In schizophrenia, early visual processing is altered. 22q11.2DS carriers have an increased risk for schizophrenia. Hd-EEG to investigate visual processing in an illusory contour task in 22q11.2DS. Occipital cortex activity is reduced in 22q11.2DS early in time. Both in 22q11.2DS and schizophrenia, early visual processing is impaired at P1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marjan Biria
- Functional Brain Mapping Laboratory, Department of Fundamental Neuroscience, University Medical School, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Miralena I Tomescu
- Functional Brain Mapping Laboratory, Department of Fundamental Neuroscience, University Medical School, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Anna Custo
- Functional Brain Mapping Laboratory, Department of Fundamental Neuroscience, University Medical School, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland; EEG Brain Mapping Core, Center for Biomedical Imaging (CIBM) of Lausanne and Geneva, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Lucia M Cantonas
- Functional Brain Mapping Laboratory, Department of Fundamental Neuroscience, University Medical School, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Kun-Wei Song
- Functional Brain Mapping Laboratory, Department of Fundamental Neuroscience, University Medical School, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Maude Schneider
- Developmental Imaging and Psychopathology Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Micah M Murray
- The Laboratory for Investigative Neurophysiology (The LINE), Neuropsychology and Neurorehabilitation Service and Department of Radiology, University Hospital Center and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland; EEG Brain Mapping Core, Center for Biomedical Imaging (CIBM) of Lausanne and Geneva, Lausanne, Switzerland; Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA; Department of Ophthalmology, University of Lausanne, Fondation Asile des Aveugles, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Stephan Eliez
- Developmental Imaging and Psychopathology Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Christoph M Michel
- Functional Brain Mapping Laboratory, Department of Fundamental Neuroscience, University Medical School, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland; EEG Brain Mapping Core, Center for Biomedical Imaging (CIBM) of Lausanne and Geneva, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Tonia A Rihs
- Functional Brain Mapping Laboratory, Department of Fundamental Neuroscience, University Medical School, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.
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30
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James CE, Oechslin MS, Michel CM, De Pretto M. Electrical Neuroimaging of Music Processing Reveals Mid-Latency Changes with Level of Musical Expertise. Front Neurosci 2017; 11:613. [PMID: 29163017 PMCID: PMC5682036 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2017.00613] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2017] [Accepted: 10/20/2017] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
This original research focused on the effect of musical training intensity on cerebral and behavioral processing of complex music using high-density event-related potential (ERP) approaches. Recently we have been able to show progressive changes with training in gray and white matter, and higher order brain functioning using (f)MRI [(functional) Magnetic Resonance Imaging], as well as changes in musical and general cognitive functioning. The current study investigated the same population of non-musicians, amateur pianists and expert pianists using spatio-temporal ERP analysis, by means of microstate analysis, and ERP source imaging. The stimuli consisted of complex musical compositions containing three levels of transgression of musical syntax at closure that participants appraised. ERP waveforms, microstates and underlying brain sources revealed gradual differences according to musical expertise in a 300–500 ms window after the onset of the terminal chords of the pieces. Within this time-window, processing seemed to concern context-based memory updating, indicated by a P3b-like component or microstate for which underlying sources were localized in the right middle temporal gyrus, anterior cingulate and right parahippocampal areas. Given that the 3 expertise groups were carefully matched for demographic factors, these results provide evidence of the progressive impact of training on brain and behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clara E James
- School of Health Sciences, University of Applied Sciences and Arts Western Switzerland, Geneva, Switzerland.,Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.,Neuroscience Center, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Mathias S Oechslin
- Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.,Department of Education and Culture of the Canton of Thurgau, Frauenfeld, Switzerland
| | - Christoph M Michel
- Functional Brain Mapping Lab, Department of Fundamental Neurosciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.,Center for Biomedical Imaging (CIBM), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Michael De Pretto
- Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.,Neurology Unit, Medicine Department, Faculty of Sciences, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland
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31
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Berkovitch L, Dehaene S, Gaillard R. Disruption of Conscious Access in Schizophrenia. Trends Cogn Sci 2017; 21:878-892. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2017.08.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2017] [Revised: 07/25/2017] [Accepted: 08/21/2017] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
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32
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Electrophysiological correlates of visual backward masking in high schizotypic personality traits participants. Psychiatry Res 2017; 254:251-257. [PMID: 28477548 DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2017.04.051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2016] [Revised: 03/17/2017] [Accepted: 04/23/2017] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Visual backward masking is strongly deteriorated in patients with schizophrenia. Masking deficits are associated with strongly reduced amplitudes of the global field power in the EEG. Healthy participants who scored high in cognitive disorganization (a schizotypic trait) were impaired in backward masking compared to participants who scored low. Here, we show that the global field power is also reduced in healthy participants scoring high (n=25) as compared to low (n=20) in cognitive disorganization, though quantitatively less pronounced than in patients (n=10). These results point to similar mechanisms underlying visual backward masking deficits along the schizophrenia spectrum.
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33
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Lauffs MM, Shaqiri A, Brand A, Roinishvili M, Chkonia E, Öğmen H, Herzog MH. Local versus global and retinotopic versus non-retinotopic motion processing in schizophrenia patients. Psychiatry Res 2016; 246:461-465. [PMID: 27792975 DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2016.09.049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2016] [Revised: 08/19/2016] [Accepted: 09/26/2016] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Schizophrenia impairs cognitive functions as much as perception. For example, patients perceive global motion in random dot kinematograms less strongly, because, as it is argued, the integration of the dots into a single Gestalt is complex and therefore deteriorated. Similarly, the perception of apparent motion is impaired, because filling-in of the illusory trajectory requires complex processing. Here, we investigated very complex motion processing using the Ternus-Pikler display. First, we tested whether the perception of global apparent motion is impaired in schizophrenia patients compared to healthy controls. The task requires both the grouping of multiple elements into a coherent Gestalt and the filling-in of its illusory motion trajectory. Second, we tested the perception of rotation in the same stimulus, which in addition requires the computation of non-retinotopic motion. Contrary to earlier studies, patients were not impaired in either task and even tended to perform better than controls. The results suggest that complex visual processing itself is not impaired in schizophrenia patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marc M Lauffs
- Laboratory of Psychophysics, Brain Mind Institute, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland.
| | - Albulena Shaqiri
- Laboratory of Psychophysics, Brain Mind Institute, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland
| | - Andreas Brand
- Institute for Psychology and Cognition Research, University Bremen, Bremen, Germany
| | - Maya Roinishvili
- Institute of Cognitive Neurosciences, Agricultural University of Georgia, Tbilisi, Georgia; Vision Research Laboratory, Beritashvili Centre of Experimental Biomedicine, Tbilisi, Georgia
| | - Eka Chkonia
- Institute of Cognitive Neurosciences, Agricultural University of Georgia, Tbilisi, Georgia; Department of Psychiatry, Tbilisi State Medical University, Tbilisi, Georgia
| | - Haluk Öğmen
- Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, University of Denver, Denver, CO, USA
| | - Michael H Herzog
- Laboratory of Psychophysics, Brain Mind Institute, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland
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34
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Tohid H, Faizan M, Faizan U. Alterations of the occipital lobe in schizophrenia. NEUROSCIENCES (RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA) 2015; 20:213-24. [PMID: 26166588 PMCID: PMC4710336 DOI: 10.17712/nsj.2015.3.20140757] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
The relationship of the occipital lobe of the brain with schizophrenia is not commonly studied; however, this topic is considered an essential subject matter among clinicians and scientists. We conducted this systematic review to elaborate the relationship in depth. We found that most schizophrenic patients show normal occipital anatomy and physiology, a minority showed dwindled values, and some demonstrated augmented function and structure. The findings are laborious to incorporate within single disease models that present the involvement of the occipital lobe in schizophrenia. Schizophrenia progresses clinically in the mid-twenties and thirties and its prognosis is inadequate. Changes in the volume, the gray matter, and the white matter in the occipital lobe are quite evident; however, the mechanism behind this involvement is not yet fully understood. Therefore, we recommend further research to explore the occipital lobe functions and volumes across the different stages of schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hassaan Tohid
- Center for Mind and Brain, UC Davis, CA, United States of America. E-mail:
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35
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Javitt DC. Meeting overview: Sensory perception and schizophrenia, Lausanne, Switzerland June 31-July 1, 2014. SCHIZOPHRENIA RESEARCH-COGNITION 2015; 2:42-45. [PMID: 29114453 PMCID: PMC5609646 DOI: 10.1016/j.scog.2015.04.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2014] [Accepted: 04/20/2015] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Schizophrenia is increasingly being viewed as a “whole brain” disorder with deficits affecting widespread cortical and subcortical networks. Within this context, studies of visual cortical function may be particularly important both because visual processing deficits directly affect social and occupational function and because these systems are well characterized at the basic science level, permitting informative translational research. This article summarizes a conference on visual processing dysfunction in schizophrenia held in Lausanne, Switzerland from June 30 to July 1, 2014 and introduces this special issue. Speakers focused on multiple aspects of visual dysfunction in schizophrenia using behavioral, neurophysiological and fMRI-based approaches. Four main themes emerged. First was a focus on response disturbances within the early visual system, using paradigms such as sensory EEG and MEG-based responses. Second, behavioral deficits were noted in processing related to local interaction within visual regions, using paradigms such as Vernier acuity or contour integration. These deficits provided potential model systems to understand impaired connectivity within the brain in schizophrenia more generally. Third, several visual measures were found to correlate highly with symptoms and/or neurocognitive processing. Deficits in contour integration, for example, correlated highly with conceptual disorganization, whereas perceptual instability correlated with delusion formation. These findings highlight links between perceptual-level disturbance and clinical manifestation. Finally, the potential involvement of specific neurotransmitter receptors, including N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA)-type glutamate receptors and alpha7 nicotinic receptors were discussed as potential etiological mechanisms. Overall, the meeting highlighted the contributions of visual pathway dysfunction to the etiopathogenesis of neurocognitive dysfunction in schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel C Javitt
- Division of Experimental Therapeutics Columbia University Medical Center, Schizophrenia Research Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, 1051 Riverside Drive, Unit 21, New York, NY 10032 USA
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36
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Herzog MH, Brand A. Visual masking & schizophrenia. SCHIZOPHRENIA RESEARCH-COGNITION 2015; 2:64-71. [PMID: 29114454 PMCID: PMC5609636 DOI: 10.1016/j.scog.2015.04.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2014] [Revised: 03/30/2015] [Accepted: 04/07/2015] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Visual masking is a frequently used tool in schizophrenia research. Visual masking has a very high sensitivity and specificity and masking paradigms have been proven to be endophenotypes. Whereas masking is a powerful technique to study schizophrenia, the underlying mechanisms are discussed controversially. For example, for more than 25 years, masking deficits of schizophrenia patients were mainly attributed to a deficient magno-cellular system (M-system). Here, we show that there is very little evidence that masking deficits are magno-cellular deficits. We will discuss the magno-cellular and other approaches in detail and highlight their pros and cons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael H Herzog
- Laboratory of Psychophysics, Brain Mind Institute, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland
| | - Andreas Brand
- Klinikum Bremen-Ost, Bremen, Germany.,Institute of Psychology and Cognition Research, University of Bremen, Germany
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37
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Keane BP, Erlikhman G, Kastner S, Paterno D, Silverstein SM. Multiple forms of contour grouping deficits in schizophrenia: what is the role of spatial frequency? Neuropsychologia 2014; 65:221-33. [PMID: 25446968 PMCID: PMC4269227 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2014.10.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2014] [Revised: 09/11/2014] [Accepted: 10/24/2014] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
Schizophrenia patients poorly perceive Kanizsa figures and integrate co-aligned contour elements (Gabors). They also poorly process low spatial frequencies (SFs), which presumably reflects dysfunction along the dorsal pathway. Can contour grouping deficits be explained in terms of the spatial frequency content of the display elements? To address the question, we tested patients and matched controls on three contour grouping paradigms in which the SF composition was modulated. In the Kanizsa task, subjects discriminated quartets of sectored circles ("pac-men") that either formed or did not form Kanizsa shapes (illusory and fragmented conditions, respectively). In contour integration, subjects identified the screen quadrant thought to contain a closed chain of co-circular Gabors. In collinear facilitation, subjects attempted to detect a central low-contrast element flanked by collinear or orthogonal high-contrast elements, and facilitation corresponded to the amount by which collinear flankers reduced contrast thresholds. We varied SF by modifying the element features in the Kanizsa task and by scaling the entire stimulus display in the remaining tasks (SFs ranging from 4 to 12 cycles/deg). Irrespective of SF, patients were worse at discriminating illusory, but not fragmented shapes. Contrary to our hypothesis, collinear facilitation and contour integration were abnormal in the clinical group only for the higher SF (>=10 c/deg). Grouping performance correlated with clinical variables, such as conceptual disorganization, general symptoms, and levels of functioning. In schizophrenia, three forms of contour grouping impairments prominently arise and cannot be attributed to poor low SF processing. Neurobiological and clinical implications are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian P Keane
- University Behavioral Health Care, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA; Center for Cognitive Science, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA.
| | - Gennady Erlikhman
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Sabine Kastner
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08540, USA; Department of Psychology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08540, USA
| | - Danielle Paterno
- University Behavioral Health Care, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
| | - Steven M Silverstein
- University Behavioral Health Care, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA; Rutgers-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
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James CE, Cereghetti DM, Roullet Tribes E, Oechslin MS. Electrophysiological evidence for a specific neural correlate of musical violation expectation in primary-school children. Neuroimage 2014; 104:386-97. [PMID: 25278251 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2014.09.047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2014] [Revised: 09/13/2014] [Accepted: 09/20/2014] [Indexed: 10/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The majority of studies on music processing in children used simple musical stimuli. Here, primary schoolchildren judged the appropriateness of musical closure in expressive polyphone music, while high-density electroencephalography was recorded. Stimuli ended either regularly or contained refined in-key harmonic transgressions at closure. The children discriminated the transgressions well above chance. Regular and transgressed endings evoked opposite scalp voltage configurations peaking around 400ms after stimulus onset with bilateral frontal negativity for regular and centro-posterior negativity (CPN) for transgressed endings. A positive correlation could be established between strength of the CPN response and rater sensitivity (d-prime). We also investigated whether the capacity to discriminate the transgressions was supported by auditory domain specific or general cognitive mechanisms, and found that working memory capacity predicted transgression discrimination. Latency and distribution of the CPN are reminiscent of the N400, typically observed in response to semantic incongruities in language. Therefore our observation is intriguing, as the CPN occurred here within an intra-musical context, without any symbols referring to the external world. Moreover, the harmonic in-key transgressions that we implemented may be considered syntactical as they transgress structural rules. Such structural incongruities in music are typically followed by an early right anterior negativity (ERAN) and an N5, but not so here. Putative contributive sources of the CPN were localized in left pre-motor, mid-posterior cingulate and superior parietal regions of the brain that can be linked to integration processing. These results suggest that, at least in children, processing of syntax and meaning may coincide in complex intra-musical contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clara E James
- HES-SO University of Applied Sciences and Arts Western Switzerland, School of Health Sciences, Geneva, Switzerland; Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland; Geneva Neuroscience Center, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.
| | - Donato M Cereghetti
- Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland; Swiss Center for Affective Sciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Elodie Roullet Tribes
- Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Mathias S Oechslin
- Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland; International Normal Aging and Plasticity Imaging Center (INAPIC), University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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Source-reconstruction of event-related fields reveals hyperfunction and hypofunction of cortical circuits in antipsychotic-naive, first-episode schizophrenia patients during Mooney face processing. J Neurosci 2014; 34:5909-17. [PMID: 24760850 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.3752-13.2014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Schizophrenia is characterized by dysfunctions in neural circuits that can be investigated with electrophysiological methods, such as EEG and MEG. In the present human study, we examined event-related fields (ERFs), in a sample of medication-naive, first-episode schizophrenia (FE-ScZ) patients (n = 14) and healthy control participants (n = 17) during perception of Mooney faces to investigate the integrity of neuromagnetic responses and their experience-dependent modification. ERF responses were analyzed for M100, M170, and M250 components at the sensor and source levels. In addition, we analyzed peak latency and adaptation effects due to stimulus repetition. FE-ScZ patients were characterized by significantly impaired sensory processing, as indicated by a reduced discrimination index (A'). At the sensor level, M100 and M170 responses in FE-ScZ were within the normal range, whereas the M250 response was impaired. However, source localization revealed widespread elevated activity for M100 and M170 in FE-ScZ and delayed peak latencies for the M100 and M250 responses. In addition, M170 source activity in FE-ScZ was not modulated by stimulus repetitions. The present findings suggest that neural circuits in FE-ScZ may be characterized by a disturbed balance between excitation and inhibition that could lead to a failure to gate information flow and abnormal spreading of activity, which is compatible with dysfunctional glutamatergic neurotransmission.
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Tan HRM, Lana L, Uhlhaas PJ. High-frequency neural oscillations and visual processing deficits in schizophrenia. Front Psychol 2013; 4:621. [PMID: 24130535 PMCID: PMC3793130 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00621] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2013] [Accepted: 08/23/2013] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Visual information is fundamental to how we understand our environment, make predictions, and interact with others. Recent research has underscored the importance of visuo-perceptual dysfunctions for cognitive deficits and pathophysiological processes in schizophrenia. In the current paper, we review evidence for the relevance of high frequency (beta/gamma) oscillations towards visuo-perceptual dysfunctions in schizophrenia. In the first part of the paper, we examine the relationship between beta/gamma band oscillations and visual processing during normal brain functioning. We then summarize EEG/MEG-studies which demonstrate reduced amplitude and synchrony of high-frequency activity during visual stimulation in schizophrenia. In the final part of the paper, we identify neurobiological correlates as well as offer perspectives for future research to stimulate further inquiry into the role of high-frequency oscillations in visual processing impairments in the disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heng-Ru May Tan
- Institute of Neuroscience and Psychology, College of Science and Engineering and College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow Glasgow, UK
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Silverstein SM, Keane BP, Wang Y, Mikkilineni D, Paterno D, Papathomas TV, Feigenson K. Effects of short-term inpatient treatment on sensitivity to a size contrast illusion in first-episode psychosis and multiple-episode schizophrenia. Front Psychol 2013; 4:466. [PMID: 23898311 PMCID: PMC3721030 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00466] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2013] [Accepted: 07/03/2013] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION In the Ebbinghaus illusion, a shape appears larger than its actual size when surrounded by small shapes and smaller than its actual size when surrounded by large shapes. Resistance to this visual illusion has been previously reported in schizophrenia, and linked to disorganized symptoms and poorer prognosis in cross-sectional studies. It is unclear, however, when in the course of illness this resistance first emerges or how it varies longitudinally with illness phase. METHOD We addressed these issues by having first-episode psychosis patients, multiple-episode schizophrenia patients and healthy controls complete a psychophysical task at two different time points, corresponding to hospital admission and discharge for patients. The task required judging the relative size of two circular targets centered on either side of the screen. Targets were presented without context (baseline), or were surrounded by shapes that made the size judgment harder or easier (misleading and helpful contexts, respectively). Context sensitivity was operationalized as the amount of improvement relative to baseline in the helpful condition minus the amount of decrement relative to baseline in the misleading condition. RESULTS At hospital admission, context sensitivity was lower in the multiple-episode group than in the other groups, and was marginally less in the first episode than in the control group. In addition, schizophrenia patients were significantly more and less accurate than the other groups in the misleading and helpful conditions, respectively. At discharge, all groups exhibited similar context sensitivity. In general, poorer context sensitivity was related to higher levels of disorganized symptoms, and lower level of depression, excitement, and positive symptoms. DISCUSSION Resistance to the Ebbinghaus illusion, as a characteristic of the acute phase of illness in schizophrenia, increases in magnitude after the first episode of psychosis. This suggests that visual context processing is a state-marker in schizophrenia and a biomarker of relapse and recovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steven M. Silverstein
- Rutgers University Behavioral Health Care, and Department of Psychiatry, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Rutgers Biomedical and Health SciencesPiscataway, NJ, USA
| | - Brian P. Keane
- Rutgers University Behavioral Health Care, and Department of Psychiatry, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Rutgers Biomedical and Health SciencesPiscataway, NJ, USA
- Center for Cognitive Science, Rutgers UniversityNew Brunswick, NJ, USA
| | - Yushi Wang
- Rutgers University Behavioral Health Care, and Department of Psychiatry, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Rutgers Biomedical and Health SciencesPiscataway, NJ, USA
| | - Deepthi Mikkilineni
- Rutgers University Behavioral Health Care, and Department of Psychiatry, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Rutgers Biomedical and Health SciencesPiscataway, NJ, USA
| | - Danielle Paterno
- Rutgers University Behavioral Health Care, and Department of Psychiatry, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Rutgers Biomedical and Health SciencesPiscataway, NJ, USA
| | | | - Keith Feigenson
- Rutgers University Behavioral Health Care, and Department of Psychiatry, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Rutgers Biomedical and Health SciencesPiscataway, NJ, USA
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Herzog MH, Roinishvili M, Chkonia E, Brand A. Schizophrenia and visual backward masking: a general deficit of target enhancement. Front Psychol 2013; 4:254. [PMID: 23717290 PMCID: PMC3653113 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00254] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2013] [Accepted: 04/16/2013] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
The obvious symptoms of schizophrenia are of cognitive and psychopathological nature. However, schizophrenia affects also visual processing which becomes particularly evident when stimuli are presented for short durations and are followed by a masking stimulus. Visual deficits are of great interest because they might be related to the genetic variations underlying the disease (endophenotype concept). Visual masking deficits are usually attributed to specific dysfunctions of the visual system such as a hypo- or hyper-active magnocellular system. Here, we propose that visual deficits are a manifestation of a general deficit related to the enhancement of weak neural signals as occurring in all other sorts of information processing. We summarize previous findings with the shine-through masking paradigm where a shortly presented vernier target is followed by a masking grating. The mask deteriorates visual processing of schizophrenic patients by almost an order of magnitude compared to healthy controls. We propose that these deficits are caused by dysfunctions of attention and the cholinergic system leading to weak neural activity corresponding to the vernier. High density electrophysiological recordings (EEG) show that indeed neural activity is strongly reduced in schizophrenic patients which we attribute to the lack of vernier enhancement. When only the masking grating is presented, EEG responses are roughly comparable between patients and control. Our hypothesis is supported by findings relating visual masking to genetic deviants of the nicotinic α7 receptor (CHRNA7).
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael H Herzog
- Laboratory of Psychophysics, Brain Mind Institute, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne Lausanne, Switzerland
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Laprevote V, Oliva A, Ternois AS, Schwan R, Thomas P, Boucart M. Low Spatial Frequency Bias in Schizophrenia is Not Face Specific: When the Integration of Coarse and Fine Information Fails. Front Psychol 2013; 4:248. [PMID: 23653616 PMCID: PMC3644708 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00248] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2013] [Accepted: 04/15/2013] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Studies have shown that patients with schizophrenia exhibit visual processing impairments, particularly regarding the processing of spatial frequencies. In a previous work, we found that, compared to healthy volunteers, patients were biased toward low spatial frequencies (LSF) to identify facial expression at a glance. Given the ubiquity of faces in visual perception, it remains an open question whether the LSF bias is face specific or also occurs with other visual objects. Here, 15 patients with schizophrenia and 11 healthy control adults performed a categorization task with hybrid stimuli. These stimuli were single images consisting of two different objects, a fruit and an animal, each in a specific spatial frequency range, either low (LSF) or high (HSF). Observers were asked to report if they saw an animal or a fruit. The reported category demonstrated which spatial scale was preferentially perceived in each trial. In a control experiment, participants performed the same task but with images of only a single object, either a LSF or HSF filtered animal or fruit, to verify that participants could perceive both HSF or LSF when presented in isolation. The results on the categorization task showed that patients chose more frequently LSF with hybrid stimuli compared to healthy controls. However, both populations performed equally well with HSF and LSF filtered pictures in the control experiment, demonstrating that the LSF preference found with hybrid stimuli in patients was not due to an inability to perceive HSF. The LSF preference found in schizophrenia confirms our previous study conducted with faces, and shows that this LSF bias generalizes to other categories of objects. When a broad range of spatial frequencies are present in the image, as in normal conditions of viewing, patients preferentially rely on coarse visual information contained in LSF. This result may be interpreted as a dysfunction of the guidance of HSF processing by LSF processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vincent Laprevote
- Centre d'Investigation Clinique-INSERM 9501, CHU Nancy Nancy, France ; Centre de Soins, d'Accompagnement et de Prévention en Addictologie, CHU Nancy Nancy, France
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Grimsen C, Brand A, Fahle M. No evidence for prolonged visible persistence in patients with schizophrenia. PLoS One 2013; 8:e58940. [PMID: 23536838 PMCID: PMC3594201 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0058940] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2012] [Accepted: 02/11/2013] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Temporal visual processing is strongly deteriorated in patients with schizophrenia. For example, the interval required between a visual stimulus and a subsequent mask has to be much longer in schizophrenic patients than in healthy controls. We investigated whether this deficit in temporal resolution is accompanied by prolonged visual persistence and/or deficient temporal precision (temporal asynchrony perception). METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS We investigated visual persistence in three experiments. In the first, measuring temporal processing by so-called backward masking, prolonged visible persistence is supposed to decrease performance. In the second experiment, requiring temporal integration, prolonged persistence is supposed to improve performance. In the third experiment, we investigated asynchrony detection, as another measure of temporal resolution. Eighteen patients with schizophrenia and 15 healthy controls participated. Asynchrony detection was intact in the patients. However, patients' performance was inferior compared to healthy controls in the first two experiments. Hence, temporal processing in schizophrenic patients is indeed significantly impaired but this impairment is not caused by prolonged temporal integration. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE Our results argue against a generally prolonged visual persistence in patients with schizophrenia. Together with the preserved ability of patients, to detect temporal asynchronies in permanently presented stimuli, the results indicate a more specific deficit in temporal processing of schizophrenic patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cathleen Grimsen
- Department of Human Neurobiology, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany.
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Silverstein SM, Wang Y, Keane BP. Cognitive and neuroplasticity mechanisms by which congenital or early blindness may confer a protective effect against schizophrenia. Front Psychol 2013; 3:624. [PMID: 23349646 PMCID: PMC3552473 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2012.00624] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2012] [Accepted: 12/31/2012] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Several authors have noted that there are no reported cases of people with schizophrenia who were born blind or who developed blindness shortly after birth, suggesting that congenital or early (C/E) blindness may serve as a protective factor against schizophrenia. By what mechanisms might this effect operate? Here, we hypothesize that C/E blindness offers protection by strengthening cognitive functions whose impairment characterizes schizophrenia, and by constraining cognitive processes that exhibit excessive flexibility in schizophrenia. After briefly summarizing evidence that schizophrenia is fundamentally a cognitive disorder, we review areas of perceptual and cognitive function that are both impaired in the illness and augmented in C/E blindness, as compared to healthy sighted individuals. We next discuss: (1) the role of neuroplasticity in driving these cognitive changes in C/E blindness; (2) evidence that C/E blindness does not confer protective effects against other mental disorders; and (3) evidence that other forms of C/E sensory loss (e.g., deafness) do not reduce the risk of schizophrenia. We conclude by discussing implications of these data for designing cognitive training interventions to reduce schizophrenia-related cognitive impairment, and perhaps to reduce the likelihood of the development of the disorder itself.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steven M. Silverstein
- University Behavioral HealthCare, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New JerseyPiscataway, NJ, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Robert Wood Johnson Medical SchoolPiscataway, NJ, USA
| | - Yushi Wang
- University Behavioral HealthCare, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New JerseyPiscataway, NJ, USA
| | - Brian P. Keane
- University Behavioral HealthCare, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New JerseyPiscataway, NJ, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Robert Wood Johnson Medical SchoolPiscataway, NJ, USA
- Rutgers University Center for Cognitive SciencePiscataway, NJ, USA
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