scholarly journals Preserved intention understanding during moral judgments in schizophrenia

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (5) ◽  
pp. e0251180
Author(s):  
Lisa Kronbichler ◽  
Renate Stelzig-Schöler ◽  
Melanie Lenger ◽  
Stefanie Weber ◽  
Brandy-Gale Pearce ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Null Hypothesis ◽  
Prior Information ◽  
Convincing Evidence ◽  
Moral Judgments ◽  
Moral Cognition ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Moral Permissibility ◽  
Schizophrenia Spectrum ◽  
Neutral Outcome

Introduction Although there is convincing evidence for socio-cognitive impairments in schizophrenia spectrum disorder (SSD), little evidence is found for deficient moral cognition. We investigated whether patients with SSD showed altered moral judgments in a story task where the protagonist either had a neutral or malicious intention towards another person. This paradigm examined whether SSD relates to altered moral cognition in general or specifically to impaired integration of prior information (such as beliefs) in moral judgments. Methods 23 patients and 32 healthy controls read vignettes created in a 2 x 2 design. The protagonist in each story either had a neutral or negative intention towards another person which, as a result, either died (negative outcome) or did not die (neutral outcome). Participants rated the moral permissibility of the protagonist’s action. Standard null hypothesis significance testing and equivalent Bayes analyses are reported. Results Schizophrenia patients did not differ significantly in permissibility ratings from healthy controls. This finding was supported by the Bayes analyses which favoured the null hypothesis. Task performance was not related to symptom severity or medication. Conclusions The current findings do not support the notion that moral judgments are deficient in schizophrenia. Furthermore, the current study shows that patients do not have observable difficulties in integrating the protagonist’s belief in the rating of the moral permissibility of the action-outcome.

scholarly journals T73. COGNITIVE CLUSTERING IN SCHIZOPHRENIA SPECTRUM DISORDER AND THE ASSOCIATION WITH BRAIN VOLUME

2020 ◽  
Vol 46 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S259-S259
Author(s):  
Priscilla Oomen ◽  
Marieke Begemann ◽  
Hannah de Muinck Keizer ◽  
Iris Sommer
Keyword(s):  
Hierarchical Clustering ◽  
Brain Volume ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Cognitive Profiles ◽  
Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Whole Brain ◽  
Schizophrenia Spectrum ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Cluster 2

Abstract Background Cognitive impairment is a core feature of schizophrenia spectrum disorder (SSD), and appears in both mild and severe forms. As cognition is crucial for functioning in daily life, it is important to understand these impairments. Large heterogeneity exists within these cognitive impairments, and different cognitive profiles may be associated with dissimilar structural brain volumes. Such cognitive brain profiles may be relevant biomarkers for more homogeneous subclasses to be used for both prognosis and choice of optimal care. Methods The population consisted of 85 individuals with schizophrenia spectrum disorder (mean age 27 years, 64 males) and 40 healthy controls (mean age 24 years, 31 males). To identify cognitive clusters, hierarchical clustering analyses were conducted using performance on the Brief Assessment of Cognition in Schizophrenia (BACS) battery. The emerging cognitive clusters were compared in performance on the BACS, diagnosis and whole brain volume. Results Hierarchical clustering analyses revealed three cognitive profiles: cluster 1 “relatively intact” cluster 2 “mild-moderate impairment” and cluster 3 “severe impairment”. Cluster 1 comprised of 68% healthy controls vs 32% SSD patients, whereas clusters 3 comprised of 89% SSD patients vs 11% healthy controls. Cluster 2 was a rather mixed cluster with 25% healthy controls and 75% SSD patients. Whole brain volume shows a continuum towards smaller brain volume in the more impaired clusters with a significant difference shown in whole brain volume between cluster 1 and 3. Discussion These findings support the concept that cognitive heterogeneity among individuals with schizophrenia spectrum disorder can be reduced by using cognitive clustering methods. Furthermore, cognitive clusters are associated with brain volume sizes, indicating different underlying brain structure. Future research should focus on the predictive power of such clusters.

scholarly journals Spatial frequency discrimination in patients with schizophrenia spectrum and bipolar disorders: Evidence of early visual processing deficits and associations with intellectual abilities

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aili Roetterud Loechen ◽  
Knut Kolskaar ◽  
Ann-Marie Glasoe de Lange ◽  
Markus Sneve ◽  
Beathe Haatveit ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Bipolar Disorder ◽  
Visual Discrimination ◽  
Linear Models ◽  
Bipolar Disorders ◽  
Discrimination Threshold ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Schizophrenia Spectrum ◽  
Post Hoc

Objective: Low-level sensory disruption is hypothesized as a precursor to clinical and cognitive symptoms in severe mental disorders. We compared visual discrimination performance in patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorder or bipolar disorder with healthy controls, and investigated associations with clinical symptoms and IQ. Methods: Patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorder (n=32), bipolar disorder (n=55) and healthy controls (n=152) completed a computerized visual discrimination task. Participants responded whether the latter of two consecutive grids had higher or lower spatial frequency, and discrimination thresholds were estimated using an adaptive maximum likelihood procedure. Case-control differences in threshold were assessed using linear regression, F-test and post-hoc pair-wise comparisons. Linear models were used to test for associations between visual discrimination threshold and psychotic symptoms derived from the PANSS and IQ assessed using the Matrix Reasoning and Vocabulary subtests from the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence (WASI). Results: Robust regression revealed a significant main effect of diagnosis on discrimination threshold (robust F=6.76, p=.001). Post-hoc comparisons revealed that patients with a schizophrenia spectrum disorder (mean=14%, SD=0.08) had higher thresholds compared to healthy controls (mean=10.8%, SD = 0.07, β = 0.35, t=3.4, p=0.002), as did patients with bipolar disorder (12.23%, SD=0.07, β= 0.21, t=2.42, p=0.04). There was no significant difference between bipolar disorder and schizophrenia (β=-0.14, t=-1.2, p=0.45). Linear models revealed negative associations between IQ and threshold across all participants when controlling for diagnostic group (β = -0.3, t=-3.43, p=0.0007). This association was found within healthy controls (t=-3.72, p=.0003) and patients with bipolar disorder (t=-2.53, p=.015), and no significant group by IQ interaction on threshold (F=0.044, p=.97). There were no significant associations between PANSS domain scores and discrimination threshold. Conclusion: Patients with schizophrenia spectrum or bipolar disorders exhibited higher visual discrimination thresholds than healthy controls, supporting early visual deficits among patients with severe mental illness. Discrimination threshold was negatively associated with IQ among healthy controls and bipolar disorder patients. These findings elucidate perception-related disease mechanisms in severe mental illness, which warrants replication in independent samples.

scholarly journals Semantic Memory Impairment Across the Schizophrenia Continuum: A Meta-Analysis of Category Fluency Performance

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric Josiah Tan ◽  
Erica Neill ◽  
Kiandra Tomlinson ◽  
Susan Lee Rossell
Keyword(s):  
Semantic Memory ◽  
Cluster Size ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Chronic Patients ◽  
Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Illness Onset ◽  
First Degree Relatives ◽  
Schizophrenia Spectrum ◽  
Category Fluency

Abstract Semantic memory (SM) impairments are a core feature of schizophrenia and are present along the psychosis continuum. It is, however, unclear whether the degree of SM impairments vary along this continuum and if demographic and clinical factors affect impairment severity. This study performed meta-analyses of category fluency task performance (a task commonly used to assess SM) in 4 groups along the schizophrenia continuum: high schizotypes (HSZT), first-degree relatives (FDR), recent-onset patients (≤2 y; ROP) and chronic patients (CSZ). Electronic databases were searched for relevant studies published up to October 2019 resulting in the inclusion of 48 articles. The main analyses assessed fluency productivity scores in 2978 schizophrenia spectrum disorder patients, 340 first-degree relatives of schizophrenia spectrum disorder patients, and 3204 healthy controls. Further analyses assessed errors, mean cluster size, and switching data that were available in the CSZ group only. Results revealed significant impairments in fluency productivity were present in the FDR, ROP, and CSZ groups relative to healthy controls, but not in HSZT. In the CSZ group, significant differences relative to healthy controls were also observed in non-perseverative errors, mean cluster size, and number of switches. The findings collectively suggest that SM deficits are present at each stage of the continuum and are exacerbated post-illness onset. They also support the centrality of SM impairments in schizophrenia and most elevated risk groups. Future studies with more diverse measures of SM function are needed to replicate and extend this research.

Comparisons of Voxel-Based Morphometric Brain Volumes of Individuals with Methamphetamine-Induced Psychotic Disorder and Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorder and Healthy Controls

2019 ◽  
Vol 79 (2) ◽  
pp. 170-178 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vahid Farnia ◽  
Firoozeh Farshchian ◽  
Nazanin Farshchian ◽  
Mostafa Alikhani ◽  
Dena Sadeghi Bahmani ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Psychotic Disorder ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Brain Volumes ◽  
Schizophrenia Spectrum

scholarly journals Hippocampal subfields and visuospatial associative memory across stages of schizophrenia-spectrum disorder

2018 ◽  
Vol 49 (14) ◽  
pp. 2452-2462 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cassandra M. J. Wannan ◽  
Vanessa L. Cropley ◽  
M. Mallar Chakravarty ◽  
Tamsyn E. Van Rheenen ◽  
Sam Mancuso ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dentate Gyrus ◽  
Associative Memory ◽  
Memory Performance ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Grey Matter Volume ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Recent Onset ◽  
Hippocampal Subfields ◽  
Schizophrenia Spectrum

AbstractBackgroundWhile previous studies have identified relationships between hippocampal volumes and memory performance in schizophrenia, these relationships are not apparent in healthy individuals. Further, few studies have examined the role of hippocampal subfields in illness-related memory deficits, and no study has examined potential differences across varying illness stages. The current study aimed to investigate whether individuals with early and established psychosis exhibited differential relationships between visuospatial associative memory and hippocampal subfield volumes.MethodsMeasurements of visuospatial associative memory performance and grey matter volume were obtained from 52 individuals with a chronic schizophrenia-spectrum disorder, 28 youth with recent-onset psychosis, 52 older healthy controls, and 28 younger healthy controls.ResultsBoth chronic and recent-onset patients had impaired visuospatial associative memory performance, however, only chronic patients showed hippocampal subfield volume loss. Both chronic and recent-onset patients demonstrated relationships between visuospatial associative memory performance and hippocampal subfield volumes in the CA4/dentate gyrus and the stratum that were not observed in older healthy controls. There were no group by volume interactions when chronic and recent-onset patients were compared.ConclusionsThe current study extends the findings of previous studies by identifying particular hippocampal subfields, including the hippocampal stratum layers and the dentate gyrus, that appear to be related to visuospatial associative memory ability in individuals with both chronic and first-episode psychosis.

Sleep and cognition in schizophrenia spectrum disorders: A systematic review protocol.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sean Carruthers ◽  
Gemma Brunetti ◽  
Susan Rossell
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Mental Illnesses ◽  
Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders ◽  
Systematic Review Protocol ◽  
Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Schizophrenia Spectrum ◽  
Review Protocol ◽  
Spectrum Disorders ◽  
Sleep And Cognition ◽  
The Relationship

Schizophrenia spectrum disorders are chronic and debilitating mental illnesses characterised by both cognitive impairments and sleep deficits. In this systematic review protocol, we outline an approach to examine the available literature investigating the relationship between sleep and cognition in individuals with schizophrenia spectrum disorder.

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