Hye Yoon Park1, Je-Yeon Yun1, Na Young Shin2, So-Yeon Kim3, Wi Hoon Jung2, Ye Seul Shin3, Kang Ik K Cho3, Youngwoo Bryan Yoon3, Kyung-Ok Lim1, Sung Nyun Kim1, Jun Soo Kwon4. 1. Department of Psychiatry, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul 03080, Republic of Korea. 2. Institute of Human Behavioral Medicine, SNU-MRC, Seoul 03080, Republic of Korea. 3. Department of Brain & Cognitive Sciences, College of Natural Science, Seoul National University, Seoul 03080, Republic of Korea. 4. Department of Psychiatry, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul 03080, Republic of Korea; Institute of Human Behavioral Medicine, SNU-MRC, Seoul 03080, Republic of Korea; Department of Brain & Cognitive Sciences, College of Natural Science, Seoul National University, Seoul 03080, Republic of Korea. Electronic address: kwonjs@snu.ac.kr.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Patients with schizophrenia show impairment in facial emotion processing which is essential for successful social cognition. Using a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), this study aimed to investigate the implicit facial emotion recognition processing in participants with high genetic load for schizophrenia (GHR) as a possible trait marker of developing schizophrenia. METHODS: Block design fMRI of implicit facial emotion processing was used in 20 participants with GHR aged 16-35, and 17 age, sex, and education year-matched healthy controls (HC). During the facial emotional processing for fearful, happy, and neutral face stimuli, participants were asked to explicitly determine the gender per stimuli. RESULTS: Occipito-temporo-limbic area in fearful face condition and involvement of broader region including prefrontal cortex in neutral face condition revealed significant attenuation of BOLD signal activation in GHR compared to HC. The GHR demonstrated less activity in right amygdala during fearful and neutral face condition. CONCLUSION: The study presented that GHR displayed abnormal brain activity in occipito-temporo-limbic-frontal network implicated in facial emotion processing. It indicates that abnormal facial emotion processing may be influenced by a genetic factor and could be a trait marker in schizophrenia.
BACKGROUND:Patients with schizophrenia show impairment in facial emotion processing which is essential for successful social cognition. Using a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), this study aimed to investigate the implicit facial emotion recognition processing in participants with high genetic load for schizophrenia (GHR) as a possible trait marker of developing schizophrenia. METHODS: Block design fMRI of implicit facial emotion processing was used in 20 participants with GHR aged 16-35, and 17 age, sex, and education year-matched healthy controls (HC). During the facial emotional processing for fearful, happy, and neutral face stimuli, participants were asked to explicitly determine the gender per stimuli. RESULTS: Occipito-temporo-limbic area in fearful face condition and involvement of broader region including prefrontal cortex in neutral face condition revealed significant attenuation of BOLD signal activation in GHR compared to HC. The GHR demonstrated less activity in right amygdala during fearful and neutral face condition. CONCLUSION: The study presented that GHR displayed abnormal brain activity in occipito-temporo-limbic-frontal network implicated in facial emotion processing. It indicates that abnormal facial emotion processing may be influenced by a genetic factor and could be a trait marker in schizophrenia.
Authors: Alexandre A Guerin; Yvonne Bonomo; Andrew John Lawrence; Bernhard Theodor Baune; Eric J Nestler; Susan L Rossell; Jee Hyun Kim Journal: Front Psychiatry Date: 2019-12-17 Impact factor: 4.157