BACKGROUND: Higher levels of facial processing, such as recognition of the individuality and emotional expression of faces, are abnormal in schizophrenia. It is unknown, however, whether the visual detection of a face as face is impaired as well. METHODS: We examined the performance of schizophrenia patients (n=29) and normal controls (n=28) in locating a line-drawn face on the left or the right side of a larger line drawing. To prevent the normal formation of general facial impressions, stimulus presentations were brief (13-104 ms). The face stimuli were either displayed upright or inverted in order to study the face inversion effect, ie, the specific effect of stimulus inversion on face processing. RESULTS: Schizophrenia patients showed a significantly reduced face inversion effect, resulting primarily from significantly lower accuracy in detecting upright faces than normal controls. In tree detection, a comparison task that was also administered, the stimulus inversion effect was similarly small in both groups. CONCLUSION: Given the primitive nature and brief duration of the stimuli, and the simplicity of the task, these results indicate that at the initial visual detection stage, facial processing is inefficient in schizophrenia. By isolating face detection from other aspects of face recognition, this study identifies a face-specific visual deficit in schizophrenia, which may ultimately contribute to impaired face-related cognitive and emotional processing and social interaction.
BACKGROUND: Higher levels of facial processing, such as recognition of the individuality and emotional expression of faces, are abnormal in schizophrenia. It is unknown, however, whether the visual detection of a face as face is impaired as well. METHODS: We examined the performance of schizophreniapatients (n=29) and normal controls (n=28) in locating a line-drawn face on the left or the right side of a larger line drawing. To prevent the normal formation of general facial impressions, stimulus presentations were brief (13-104 ms). The face stimuli were either displayed upright or inverted in order to study the face inversion effect, ie, the specific effect of stimulus inversion on face processing. RESULTS:Schizophreniapatients showed a significantly reduced face inversion effect, resulting primarily from significantly lower accuracy in detecting upright faces than normal controls. In tree detection, a comparison task that was also administered, the stimulus inversion effect was similarly small in both groups. CONCLUSION: Given the primitive nature and brief duration of the stimuli, and the simplicity of the task, these results indicate that at the initial visual detection stage, facial processing is inefficient in schizophrenia. By isolating face detection from other aspects of face recognition, this study identifies a face-specific visual deficit in schizophrenia, which may ultimately contribute to impaired face-related cognitive and emotional processing and social interaction.
Authors: Raquel E Gur; Claire McGrath; Robin M Chan; Lee Schroeder; Travis Turner; Bruce I Turetsky; Christian Kohler; David Alsop; Joseph Maldjian; J Daniel Ragland; Ruben C Gur Journal: Am J Psychiatry Date: 2002-12 Impact factor: 18.112
Authors: Yue Chen; Deborah L Levy; Summer Sheremata; Ken Nakayama; Steven Matthysse; Philip S Holzman Journal: Am J Psychiatry Date: 2003-10 Impact factor: 18.112
Authors: Toshiaki Onitsuka; Martha E Shenton; Kiyoto Kasai; Paul G Nestor; Sarah K Toner; Ron Kikinis; Ferenc A Jolesz; Robert W McCarley Journal: Arch Gen Psychiatry Date: 2003-04
Authors: Chang Uk Lee; Martha E Shenton; Dean F Salisbury; Kiyoto Kasai; Toshiaki Onitsuka; Chandlee C Dickey; Deborah Yurgelun-Todd; Ron Kikinis; Ferenc A Jolesz; Robert W McCarley Journal: Arch Gen Psychiatry Date: 2002-09
Authors: Steven M Silverstein; Corinna M Elliott; Jamie D Feusner; Brian P Keane; Deepthi Mikkilineni; Natasha Hansen; Andrea Hartmann; Sabine Wilhelm Journal: Psychiatry Res Date: 2015-06-27 Impact factor: 3.222
Authors: Suzanne N Avery; Maureen McHugo; Kristan Armstrong; Jennifer U Blackford; Neil D Woodward; Stephan Heckers Journal: Biol Psychiatry Cogn Neurosci Neuroimaging Date: 2019-06-27