The nature of anhedonia and avolition in patients with first-episode schizophrenia

BackgroundPatients with schizophrenia have intact ability to experience emotion, but empirical evidence suggests that they fail to translate emotional salience into effortful behaviour. Previous research in patients with chronic schizophrenia suggests that working memory is important in integrating emotion and behaviour. This study aimed to examine avolition and anhedonia in patients with first-episode schizophrenia and clarify the role of working memory in emotion–behaviour coupling.MethodWe recruited 72 participants with first-episode schizophrenia and 61 healthy controls, and used a validated emotion-inducing behavioural paradigm to measure participants' affective experiences and how experienced emotion coupled with behaviour. Participants were given the opportunity to expend effort to increase or decrease their exposure to emotion-inducing photographs. Participants with schizophrenia having poor working memory were compared with those with intact working memory in their liking and emotion–behaviour coupling.ResultsPatients with first-episode schizophrenia experienced intact ‘in-the-moment’ emotion, but their emotion was less predictive of the effort expended, compared with controls. The emotion–behaviour coupling was significantly weaker in patients with schizophrenia with poor working memory than in those with intact working memory. However, compared with controls, patients with intact working also showed substantial emotion–behaviour decoupling.ConclusionsOur findings provide strong evidence for emotion–behaviour decoupling in first-episode schizophrenia. Although working memory deficits contribute to defective translation of liking into effortful behaviour, schizophrenia alone affects emotion–behaviour coupling.

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Cognitive heterogeneity in first-episode schizophrenia

The British Journal of Psychiatry ◽

10.1192/bjp.187.6.516 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 187 (6) ◽

pp. 516-522 ◽

Cited By ~ 79

Author(s):

Eileen M. Joyce ◽

Sam B. Hutton ◽

Stanley H. Mutsatsa ◽

Thomas R. E. Barnes

Keyword(s):

Working Memory ◽

Cognitive Decline ◽

Spatial Working Memory ◽

Age At Onset ◽

Chronic Schizophrenia ◽

First Episode ◽

Entire Group ◽

Illness Onset ◽

Cognitive Heterogeneity ◽

First Episode Schizophrenia

BackgroundStudies of chronic schizophrenia suggest that there are subgroups with different profiles of cognitive impairment.AimsTo determine whether such heterogeneity is present at illness onset and any relationship to clinical variables.MethodNinety-three community patients with first-episode schizophrenia and 50 healthy volunteers were assessed for premorbid (Revised National Adult Reading Test) and current IQ, memory and executive function.ResultsHalf of those with schizophrenia had preserved IQ in the normal range but there was evidence of a specific impairment in spatial working memory even in those with high/average IQ; 37 out of 93 (40%) had generalised cognitive decline. Those with low premorbid IQ were significantly younger at illness onset. For the entire group, age at onset correlated positively with premorbid but not current IQ.ConclusionsAt illness onset, cognitive heterogeneity is present in people with schizophrenia, with a high proportion having undergone general cognitive decline. However, working memory impairment may be a common feature. Lower premorbid IQ is a risk factor for an earlier onset.

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Lateralized evoked responses in parietal cortex demonstrate visual short-term memory deficits in first-episode schizophrenia

Journal of Psychiatric Research ◽

10.1016/j.jpsychires.2020.07.036 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 130 ◽

pp. 292-299 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Brian A. Coffman ◽

Tim K. Murphy ◽

Gretchen Haas ◽

Carl Olson ◽

Raymond Cho ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Parietal Cortex ◽

Short Term Memory ◽

Memory Deficits ◽

First Episode ◽

Evoked Responses ◽

Short Term ◽

Term Memory ◽

Visual Short Term Memory ◽

First Episode Schizophrenia

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Brain Hyperactivity in Drug-Naïve, First-Episode Schizophrenia Patients with Increasing Working Memory Load: Activation and Deactivation Anomalies

NeuroImage ◽

10.1016/s1053-8119(09)71654-4 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 47 ◽

pp. S158

Author(s):

A. Baladi Nejad ◽

B.H. Ebdrup ◽

B. Glenthøj ◽

W. Baaré

Keyword(s):

Working Memory ◽

Memory Load ◽

First Episode ◽

Working Memory Load ◽

Drug Naïve ◽

First Episode Schizophrenia

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An fMRI study of face encoding and recognition in first-episode schizophrenia

Acta Neuropsychiatrica ◽

10.1111/j.1601-5215.2008.00280.x ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 20 (3) ◽

pp. 129-138 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Anantha P. P. Anilkumar ◽

Veena Kumari ◽

Ravi Mehrotra ◽

Ingrid Aasen ◽

Martina T. Mitterschiffthaler ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Face Recognition ◽

Brain Activity ◽

Chronic Schizophrenia ◽

First Episode ◽

Functional Magnetic Resonance ◽

Resonance Imaging ◽

Social Situations ◽

Fmri Study ◽

On Line ◽

First Episode Schizophrenia

Background:Schizophrenia has been associated with limited abilities to interact effectively in social situations. Face perception and ability to recognise familiar faces are critical for social interaction. Patients with chronic schizophrenia are known to show impaired face recognition. Studying first-episode (FE) patients allows the exclusion of confounding effects of chronicity, medication and institutionalisation in this deficit.Objective:To determine brain (dys)functions during a face encoding and recognition paradigm in FE schizophrenia.Methods:Thirteen antipsychotic-naïve FE schizophrenia patients and 13 age- and sex-matched healthy controls underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging during a face encoding and recognition paradigm. Behavioural responses were recorded on line.Results:Patients recognised significantly fewer of previously presented faces than the controls (p = 0.008). At the neural level, both groups activated a network of regions including the fusiform area, occipital, temporal and frontal regions. In brain activity, the two groups did not differ in any region during encoding or recognition conditions (p > 0.05, corrected or uncorrected).Conclusions:Our findings show impaired face recognition without a significant alteration of related brain activity in FE schizophrenia patients. It is possible that neural changes become more strongly evident with progression of the illness, and manifest themselves as behavioural impairments during the early course.

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Arginine vasopressin improves the memory deficits in Han Chinese patients with first-episode schizophrenia

Peptides ◽

10.1016/j.peptides.2017.09.002 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 97 ◽

pp. 8-15 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Cai-Hong Geng ◽

Chao Wang ◽

Jun Yang ◽

Hua Wang ◽

Rui-Qing Ma ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Arginine Vasopressin ◽

Memory Deficits ◽

Han Chinese ◽

Chinese Patients ◽

First Episode ◽

First Episode Schizophrenia

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The Role of Butyric Acid in Treatment Response in Drug-Naïve First Episode Schizophrenia

Frontiers in Psychiatry ◽

10.3389/fpsyt.2021.724664 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Xue Li ◽

Xiaoduo Fan ◽

Xiuxia Yuan ◽

Lijuan Pang ◽

Shaohua Hu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Treatment Response ◽

Butyric Acid ◽

Serum Levels ◽

First Episode ◽

Healthy Controls ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Drug Naïve ◽

First Episode Schizophrenia ◽

Risperidone Treatment

Background: Butyric acid, a major short-chain fatty acid (SCFA), has an important role in the microbiota–gut–brain axis and brain function. This study investigated the role of butyric acid in treatment response in drug-naïve first episode schizophrenia.Methods: The study recruited 56 Chinese Han schizophrenia inpatients with normal body weight and 35 healthy controls. Serum levels of butyric acid were measured using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometer (GC-MS) analysis at baseline (for all participants) and 24 weeks after risperidone treatment (for patients). Clinical symptoms were measured using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) for patients at both time points.Results: At baseline, there was no significant difference in serum levels of butyric acid between patients and healthy controls (p = 0.206). However, there was a significant increase in serum levels of butyric acid in schizophrenia patients after 24-week risperidone treatment (p = 0.030). The PANSS total and subscale scores were decreased significantly after 24-week risperidone treatment (p's < 0.001). There were positive associations between baseline serum levels of butyric acid and the reduction ratio of the PANSS total and subscale scores after controlling for age, sex, education, and duration of illness (p's < 0.05). Further, there was a positive association between the increase in serum levels of butyric acid and the reduction of the PANSS positive symptoms subscale scores (r = 0.38, p = 0.019) after controlling for potential confounding factors.Conclusions: Increased serum levels of butyric acid might be associated with a favorable treatment response in drug-naïve, first episode schizophrenia. The clinical implications of our findings were discussed.

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The role of NMDA/glutamate and 5-HT2A/serotonin systems in working memory deficits in schizophrenia

Schizophrenia Research ◽

10.1016/s0920-9964(00)91003-x ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 41 (1) ◽

pp. 278

Author(s):

L. Schmid ◽

R. Koller ◽

F.X. Vollenweider ◽

D. Umbricht

Keyword(s):

Working Memory ◽

Memory Deficits

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Elevated allostatic load index is associated with working memory deficits in first-episode psychosis

Schizophrenia Research ◽

10.1016/j.schres.2018.09.003 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 204 ◽

pp. 439-441 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Błażej Misiak ◽

Kamila Kotowicz ◽

Olga Loska ◽

Filip Stramecki ◽

Jan Aleksander Beszłej ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Working Memory ◽

Allostatic Load ◽

Memory Deficits ◽

First Episode Psychosis ◽

First Episode ◽

Episode Psychosis

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Morphology of the corpus callosum at different stages of schizophrenia: Cross-sectional study in first-episode and chronic illness

The British Journal of Psychiatry ◽

10.1192/bjp.bp.107.041251 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 192 (6) ◽

pp. 429-434 ◽

Cited By ~ 56

Author(s):

Mark Walterfang ◽

Amanda G. Wood ◽

David C. Reutens ◽

Stephen J. Wood ◽

Jian Chen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Corpus Callosum ◽

Chronic Schizophrenia ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

First Episode ◽

Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Size And Shape ◽

Schizophrenia Spectrum ◽

First Episode Schizophrenia ◽

Parietal Cortices

BackgroundThe shape of the corpus callosum may differ in schizophrenia, although no study has compared first-episode with established illness.AimsTo investigate the size and shape of the corpus callosum in a large sample of people with first-episode and established schizophrenia.MethodCallosal size and shape were determined using highresolution magnetic resonance imaging on 76 patients with first-episode schizophrenia-spectrum disorders, 86 patients with established schizophrenia and 55 healthy participants.ResultsThere were no significant differences in total area across groups. Reductions in callosal width were seen in the region of the anterior genu in first-episode disorder (P<0.005). Similar reductions were seen in the chronic schizophrenia group in the anterior genu, but also in the posterior genu and isthmus (P = 0.0005).ConclusionsReductions in anterior callosal regions connecting frontal cortex are present at the onset of schizophrenia, and in established illness are accompanied by changes in other regions of the callosum connecting cingulate, temporal and parietal cortices.

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