Improved facial affect recognition in patients with first-episode psychosis

IntroductionWhite matter abnormalities play a prominent role in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) studies showed a widespread decrease in fractional anisotropy (FA) in psychotic disorders.AimsTo examine white and grey matter abnormalities in first episode psychosis (FEP).MethodsWe obtained T1-weighted and DTI magnetic resonance images (1.5 T) from 8 right-handed drug-naïve FEP patients and 8 healthy controls. The DTI data set was used to calculate FA maps; we carried-out optimized voxel-based morphometry (VBM) analysis of grey matter (GM) and FA maps using SPM2.Patients were assessed with a neuropsychological battery comprising the Trail Making Test, the Stroop Colour Word Test, the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test and a test of Facial Affect recognition.ResultsThe voxelwise analysis showed decreased FA in the superior longitudinal and inferior fronto-occipital fasciculi, bilaterally, and in the left uncinate fasciculus. We observed reduced GM volume in the left frontal cortex (Brodmann areas [BA] 47, 13, 11, 10, and 9) and in right frontal (BA6), temporal (BA34) and occipital (BA 18, 19, and 30) cortex.Neuropsychological assessment showed impaired executive function and deficit in facial affect recognition.ConclusionOur findings showed fronto-temporal disconnectivity in FEP and structural alterations in both cortical and subcortical regions.Neuroanatomical findings are consistent with patients’ neuropsychological performance.Further studies to establish a relationship between white and grey matter disarray on one hand and neuropsychological testing are needed.

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Victimization, violence and facial affect recognition in a community sample of first‐episode psychosis patients

Early Intervention in Psychiatry ◽

10.1111/eip.12853 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 14 (3) ◽

pp. 283-292

Author(s):

Henning Hachtel ◽

Rachael Fullam ◽

Aisling Malone ◽

Brendan P. Murphy ◽

Christian Huber ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Community Sample ◽

First Episode Psychosis ◽

Facial Affect ◽

First Episode ◽

Affect Recognition ◽

Facial Affect Recognition ◽

Episode Psychosis

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Facial affect recognition in individuals at clinical high risk for psychosis

The British Journal of Psychiatry ◽

10.1192/bjp.bp.107.039784 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 192 (1) ◽

pp. 67-68 ◽

Cited By ~ 121

Author(s):

Jean Addington ◽

David Penn ◽

Scott W. Woods ◽

Donald Addington ◽

Diana O. Perkins

Keyword(s):

High Risk ◽

Facial Affect ◽

First Episode ◽

Affect Recognition ◽

Facial Affect Recognition ◽

Clinical High Risk ◽

Identification Task ◽

Episode Psychosis ◽

Patient Groups ◽

Better Than

SummaryFacial affect discrimination and identification were assessed in 86 clinical high-risk individuals and compared with 50 individuals with first-episode psychosis, 53 with multiepisode schizophrenia and 55 non-psychiatric controls. On the identification task the non-psychiatric controls performed significantly better than all other groups, and on discrimination significantly better than both patient groups. Deficits in facial affect recognition appear to be present before the onset of psychosis and may be a vulnerability marker.

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Speed of facial affect intensity recognition as an endophenotype of first-episode psychosis and associated limbic-cortical grey matter systems

Psychological Medicine ◽

10.1017/s0033291712001341 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 43 (3) ◽

pp. 591-602 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

A. M. Dean ◽

E. Goodby ◽

C. Ooi ◽

P. J. Nathan ◽

B. R. Lennox ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Grey Matter ◽

Anatomical Variation ◽

Temporal Cortex ◽

First Episode Psychosis ◽

Facial Affect ◽

First Episode ◽

Control Group ◽

Affect Intensity ◽

Episode Psychosis ◽

Affect Processing

BackgroundPsychotic disorders are highly heritable such that the unaffected relatives of patients may manifest characteristics, or endophenotypes, that are more closely related to risk genes than the overt clinical condition. Facial affect processing is dependent on a distributed cortico-limbic network that is disrupted in psychosis. This study assessed facial affect processing and related brain structure as a candidate endophenotype of first-episode psychosis (FEP).MethodThree samples comprising 30 FEP patients, 30 of their first-degree relatives and 31 unrelated healthy controls underwent assessment of facial affect processing and structural magnetic resonance imaging (sMRI) data. Multivariate analysis (partial least squares, PLS) was used to identify a grey matter (GM) system in which anatomical variation was associated with variation in facial affect processing speed.ResultsThe groups did not differ in their accuracy of facial affect intensity rating but differed significantly in speed of response, with controls responding faster than relatives, who responded faster than patients. Within the control group, variation in speed of affect processing was significantly associated with variation of GM density in amygdala, lateral temporal cortex, frontal cortex and cerebellum. However, this association between cortico-limbic GM density and speed of facial affect processing was absent in patients and their relatives.ConclusionsSpeed of facial affect processing presents as a candidate endophenotype of FEP. The normal association between speed of facial affect processing and cortico-limbic GM variation was disrupted in FEP patients and their relatives.

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Jumping to social conclusions?: The implications of early and uninformed social judgements in first episode psychosis.

Journal of Abnormal Psychology ◽

10.1037/abn0000490 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 129 (1) ◽

pp. 131-141

Author(s):

Michael J. Grossman ◽

Christopher R. Bowie

Keyword(s):

First Episode Psychosis ◽

First Episode ◽

Episode Psychosis

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Gender differences in response to metacognitive training in people with first-episode psychosis.

Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology ◽

10.1037/ccp0000468 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 88 (6) ◽

pp. 516-525 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Miriam Salas-Sender ◽

Raquel López-Carrilero ◽

Ana Barajas ◽

Esther Lorente-Rovira ◽

Esther Pousa ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gender Differences ◽

First Episode Psychosis ◽

First Episode ◽

Metacognitive Training ◽

Episode Psychosis

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Cognitive clusters in first-episode psychosis: Overlap with healthy controls and relationship to concurrent and prospective symptoms and functioning.

Neuropsychology ◽

10.1037/neu0000367 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 31 (7) ◽

pp. 787-797 ◽

Cited By ~ 18

Author(s):

Jacqueline Uren ◽

Susan M. Cotton ◽

Eoin Killackey ◽

Michael M. Saling ◽

Kelly Allott

Keyword(s):

First Episode Psychosis ◽

First Episode ◽

Healthy Controls ◽

Episode Psychosis

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Improving outcomes: Factors influencing help-seeking behaviors in immigrants and ethnic minorities with first-episode psychosis

Die Psychiatrie ◽

10.1055/s-0038-1672286 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 13 (03) ◽

pp. 152-157

Author(s):

A. O. Berg ◽

K. Leopold ◽

S. Zarafonitis-Müller ◽

M. Nerhus ◽

L. H. Stouten ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Help Seeking ◽

Service Use ◽

First Episode Psychosis ◽

Pathways To Care ◽

First Episode ◽

Factors Influencing ◽

Increased Risk ◽

Episode Psychosis ◽

The Hague

Summary Background: Immigrants have increased risk of a poor recovery from first episode psychosis (FEP). Early treatment can improve prognosis, but having an immigrant background may influence pathways to care. Method: We present research of service use and factors influencing treatment outcome in immigrants with FEP. Service use was assessed in in-patients at an early intervention center in Berlin, Germany. Duration of untreated psychosis and beliefs about illness was assessed in a FEP study in Oslo, Norway and cognitive functioning in patients with FEP schizophrenia from the regular mental health services in The Hague, the Netherlands. The proportion of immigrants in Berlin and Oslo was at level with the local populations, while the proportion in The Hague appeared to be higher. Result: There were clear indications that mental health literacy, probably based in different cultural expectations, were lower in first generation immigrants (FGI). Findings regarding clinical insight were ambiguous. There were also indications that FGI had more cognitive problems, based in higher stress levels or in cognitive styles. Early psychosis services must take issues of immigration and ethnicity into consideration.

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