 |
| Research article summary (published 13 Aug 2002): |
Schizophrenia and affective disorder show different visual scanning behavior for faces: a trait versus state-based distinction?
Full Abstract
BACKGROUND:
Abnormal visual scanpaths to faces and facial expressions in schizophrenia may underlie schizophrenic subjects' disturbed interpersonal communication. This study is the first to examine the specificity of these impairments to schizophrenia, by including an affective disorder psychiatric control group.
METHODS:
The visual scanpath performance of 65 schizophrenia, 52 affective disordered, and 61 control subjects were compared in two experiments. In the "face recognition" experiment, subjects viewed four identifiable (non-degraded) neutral faces versus four matched non-identifiable (degraded) control faces. In the "facial affect recognition" experiment, subjects viewed positive (happy), negative (sad), and neutral (control) facial emotion stimuli. Concurrent behavioral tasks were face matching (face recognition) and expression matching (facial affect recognition), each under two multiple-choice conditions (7 or 3 options).
RESULTS:
Scanpath disturbances were most apparent in schizophrenia subjects, who maintained a comparatively "restricted" scanpath style to all face stimuli. Schizophrenics subjects also showed the greatest recognition difficulties, particularly for neutral and happy faces. Scanpath parameters for affective disorder subjects differed only from the schizophrenia (but not the control) group, except for attention to facial features where they generally avoided facial features in all expressions and showed the greatest attentional problems of all groups for degraded faces.
CONCLUSIONS:
Our results suggest that a global restriction of visual scanpaths is specific to schizophrenic psychosis and might be a trait marker for this disorder, whereas scanpath abnormalities in affective disorder might instead reflect severe state-based (or discrete) attentional disturbances.
Learn Faster Today Improve your study skills
Author information
Author/s: Loughland, Carmel M (CM); Williams, Leanne M (LM); Gordon, Evian (E);
Affiliation: Brain Dynamics Centre, Westmead Hospital, and Department of Psychology, University of Sydney, Australia.
Journal and publication information
Publication Type: Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Journal: Biological psychiatry (Biol Psychiatry), published in United States. (Language: eng)
Reference: 2002-Aug; vol 52 (issue 4) : pp 338-48
Dates: Created 2002/09/04; Completed 2002/11/22; Revised 2006/11/15;
PMID: 12208641, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 11/6/2008)
Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.
External Links for this article (including full text providers, if available):
Click Electronic Full-text Provider Links to see options for finding the electronic full text links to this article. Note there may be a subscription or fee required for access to the full text. See our FAQ for information on finding FREE full text articles.
This article may also be located in paper journal collections available in many libraries. Use the Journal and Publication Information above to find the full article.
MeSH headings (categories)
This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.
|
Related articles
This article has not been indexed for related articles as yet, however you can still use the live related article search links below.
See a large map of 100+ related articles.