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Facial Affect Recognition Deficit as a Marker of Genetic Vulnerability to Schizophrenia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 January 2013

Margarita V. Alfimova ,
Lilia I. Abramova ,
Aleksandra I. Barhatova ,
Polina E. Yumatova ,
Galina L. Lyachenko  and
Vera E. Golimbet
Margarita V. Alfimova*
Affiliation:
The Mental Health Research Centre of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences (Russia)
Lilia I. Abramova
Affiliation:
The Mental Health Research Centre of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences (Russia)
Aleksandra I. Barhatova
Affiliation:
The Mental Health Research Centre of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences (Russia)
Polina E. Yumatova
Affiliation:
The Mental Health Research Centre of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences (Russia)
Galina L. Lyachenko
Affiliation:
The Mental Health Research Centre of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences (Russia)
Vera E. Golimbet
Affiliation:
The Mental Health Research Centre of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences (Russia)
*
Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to: Margarita V. Alfimova, Department of Clinical Genetics, Mental Health Research Centre RAMS. Mailing address: MHRC RAMS, Zagorodnoe sh.2, k.2, 117152 Moscow, Russia Phone +7499 1320062, Fax +7 495 9528940, e-mail: m.alfimova@gmail.com
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Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the possibility that affect recognition impairments are associated with genetic liability to schizophrenia. In a group of 55 unaffected relatives of schizophrenia patients (parents and siblings) we examined the capacity to detect facially expressed emotions and its relationship to schizotypal personality, neurocognitive functioning, and the subject's actual emotional state. The relatives were compared with 103 schizophrenia patients and 99 healthy subjects without any family history of psychoses. Emotional stimuli were nine black-and-white photos of actors, who portrayed six basic emotions as well as interest, contempt, and shame. The results evidenced the affect recognition deficit in relatives, though milder than that in patients themselves. No correlation between the deficit and schizotypal personality measured with SPQ was detected in the group of relatives. Neither cognitive functioning, including attention, verbal memory and linguistic ability, nor actual emotional states accounted for their affect recognition impairments. The results suggest that the facial affect recognition deficit in schizophrenia may be related to genetic predisposition to the disorder and may serve as an endophenotype in molecular-genetic studies.

El objetivo de este estudio era investigar la posibilidad de que el déficit para reconocer el afecto se asocie a la vulnerabilidad genética a la esquizofrenia. En un grupo de 55 familiares (padres y hermanos/as) no afectados de pacientes de esquizofrenia examinamos la capacidad para detectar emociones expresadas y su relación con la personalidad esquizotípica, el funcionamiento neurocognitivo y el estado emocional actual del sujeto. Se compararon los familiares con 103 pacientes esquizofrénicos y con 99 sujetos sanos sin ninguna historia familiar de psicosis. Los estímulos emocionales eran 9 fotos en blanco y negro de actores, quienes representaron las 6 emociones básicas, además de interés, desprecio y vergüenza. Los resultados revelaron déficit en reconocimiento afectivo en los familiares, aunque más leve que en los propios pacientes. No se detectó ninguna correlación entre el déficit y la personalidad esquizotípica medida con SPQ en el grupo de familiares. Ni el funcionamiento cognitivo, incluyendo la atención, la memoria verbal y la habilidad lingüística, ni tampoco los estados emocionales actuales explicaron el déficit en el reconocimiento del afecto. Los resultados sugieren que el déficit en reconocimiento de afecto facial en la esquizofrenia puede relacionarse con una predisposición genética al trastorno y puede servir de endofenotipo en los estudios moleculares genéticos.

Keywords

affect recognitiongeneticscognitionschizophreniaschizotypal personalityreconocimiento de afectocogniciónesquizofreniapersonalidad esquizotípica
Type
Research Article
Information
The Spanish Journal of Psychology , Volume 12 , Issue 1 , May 2009 , pp. 46 - 55
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2009

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