Reexamination of the characteristics of the deficit schizophrenia patients

The aim of this study was to reexamine and compare the characteristics of the deficit and nondeficit schizophrenic patients. This cross-sectional study consisted of 62 in- and out-patients, 18–65 years of age, diagnosed with schizophrenia according to DSM-IV. The sociodemographic variables, premorbid adjustment, clinical course and general functioning level in the past five years were evaluated by utilizing the appropriate sections of Comprehensive Assessment of Symptoms and History (CASH). In addition, GAF, the Schedule for the Deficit Syndrome (SDS), Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), Montgomery Äsberg Depression Scale (MADRS), the Neurological Evaluation Scale (NES) and the Simpson Angus Extrapyramidal Side Effects (EPS) Rating Scale, Trail A and B, Verbal Fluency, Stroop, Block Design and Finger Tapper tests were administered. Using the SDS, 19 patients (30.6 %) were categorized as deficit; 43 (69.4 %) were categorized as nondeficit. The deficit patients were worse on the Functioning During Past Five Years score of CASH. The PANSS and MADRS mean scores were not significantly different between the two groups, except a higher level of negative symptoms observed in the deficit group. NES scores were also significantly higher in the deficit group. However, sociodemographic and other clinical variables, neurocognitive measures and EPS symptoms did not show any significant difference between the two groups. Our findings suggest that the deficit schizophrenia is a distinct subgroup comprised of patients who have more negative symptoms, neurological impairment and poor functioning which may have a common underlying pathology.     

The incidence of negative symptoms in early schizophrenia, mania and other psychoses

Despite increasing interest in negative symptoms in schizophrenia there has been little work on their incidence in early schizophrenia or in other psychoses. This study examined 79 nondepressive psychotics within 2 years of onset of illness, diagnosed by Research Diagnostic Criteria and assessed for negative symptoms using the Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms. Marked negative symptoms were observed in nearly half of patients diagnosed as suffering definite schizophrenia and were rarely found in other psychoses. Negative symptoms were not significantly correlated with positive symptoms, depression or exposure to neuroleptics, but were correlated with developing extrapyramidal side effects.     

Negative symptoms in schizophrenia: comments from a clinical psychology perspective

The NIMH-MATRICS Consensus Statement on Negative Symptoms is covered from the perspective of Clinical Psychology. The neurobiological model implicit in the Statement can be criticized on the basis that it is scientifically restrictive and narrow and poorly serves clinical practice and service development. Aspects of the Statement relating to psychological treatments are discussed.     

A case for motor network contributions to schizophrenia symptoms: Evidence from resting‐state connectivity

Though schizophrenia (SCZ) is classically defined based on positive symptoms and the negative symptoms of the disease prove to be debilitating for many patients, motor deficits are often present as well. A growing literature highlights the importance of motor systems and networks in the disease, and it may be the case that dysfunction in motor networks relates to the pathophysiology and etiology of SCZ. To test this and build upon recent work in SCZ and in at‐risk populations, we investigated cortical and cerebellar motor functional networks at rest in SCZ and controls using publically available data. We analyzed data from 82 patients and 88 controls. We found key group differences in resting‐state connectivity patterns that highlight dysfunction in motor circuits and also implicate the thalamus. Furthermore, we demonstrated that in SCZ, these resting‐state networks are related to both positive and negative symptom severity. Though the ventral prefrontal cortex and corticostriatal pathways more broadly have been implicated in negative symptom severity, here we extend these findings to include motor–striatal connections, as increased connectivity between the primary motor cortex and basal ganglia was associated with more severe negative symptoms. Together, these findings implicate motor networks in the symptomatology of psychosis, and we speculate that these networks may be contributing to the etiology of the disease. Overt motor deficits in SCZ may signal underlying network dysfunction that contributes to the overall disease state. Hum Brain Mapp 38:4535–4545, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Non-verbal behaviour deficits in schizophrenia: an ethological study of drug-free patients

The aims of this study were (i) to define the dimensions of non-verbal behaviour which distinguish between schizophrenic patients and control subjects and (ii) to examine the relationship between patients' non-verbal behaviour and clinical symptoms. The non-verbal behaviour of 28 drug-free patients with schizophrenia according to Research Diagnostic Criteria (RDC) and 25 control subjects was videotaped during interviews and scored according to an ethological scoring system. Patients' symptoms were rated on the Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms, the Scale for the Assessment of Positive Symptoms and the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale. As a group, schizophrenic patients showed a global restriction of non-verbal expressiveness, as indicated by their lower scores on prosocial behaviour, gesture and conflict. However, some patients had normal ethological profiles. Non-verbal behaviour was largely independent of negative and positive symptoms. Deficits in non-verbal behaviour may play a role in determining or aggravating dysfunctional patterns of relating in schizophrenia. Ethological analysis provides further support for the model that conceptualizes positive symptoms, negative symptoms and disorders of social relationships as three separate dimensions of the schizophrenic syndrome.     

Social cognition and metacognition in schizophrenia: evidence of their independence and linkage with outcomes

Lysaker PH, Gumley A, Luedtke B, Buck KD, Ringer JM, Olesek K, Kukla M, Leonhardt BL, Popolo R, Dimaggio G. Social cognition and metacognition in schizophrenia: evidence of their independence and linkage with outcomes. Objective: Research suggests that many with schizophrenia experience deficits in the ability to make discrete judgments about the thoughts and feelings of others as well as to form larger integrated representations of themselves and others. Little is known about whether these difficulties may be distinguished from one another and whether they are linked with different outcomes. Method: We administered three assessments of social cognition which tapped the ability to identify emotions and intentions and two metacognitive tasks which called for the formation of more integrated and flexible representations of the self and others. We additionally assessed symptoms, social functioning and neurocognition. Participants were 95 individuals with a schizophrenia spectrum disorder. Results: A principle components analysis followed by a varimax rotation revealed two factors which accounted for 62% of the variance. The first factor was comprised of the three social cognition tests and the second of two tasks that tapped the ability to create representations of oneself and others which integrate more discreet information. The first factor was uniquely correlated with negative symptoms, and the second was uniquely correlated with social function. Conclusion: Results suggest that deficits in social cognition and metacognition represent different forms of dysfunction in schizophrenia.     

利培酮联合帕罗西汀治疗慢性精神分裂症阴性症状

目的:探讨利培酮联合帕罗西汀治疗慢性精神分裂症阴性症状的临床疗效以及安全性.方法:将126例以阴性症状为主的慢性精神分裂症住院患者随机分为研究组(利培酮联合帕罗西汀治疗)和对照组(单用利培酮治疗),疗程12周,采用阳性和阴性症状量表(PANSS)和治疗中出现的症状量表(TESS)评定疗效和安全性. 结果:治疗后两组PANSS评分均较治疗前有显著降低(P＜0.05).治疗后4、8、12周末,研究组阴性因子分及情感迟钝、情感退缩、情感交流障碍及社会退缩因子分均显著低于对照组,差异具有统计学意义(P＜0.05或P＜0.01).两组不良反应均为轻至中度. 结论:利培酮联合帕罗西汀较单用利培酮治疗慢性精神分裂症阴性症状具有起效更快、疗效更好、依从性好的特点.     

Persistent negative symptoms in schizophrenia: an overview

Persistent negative symptoms represent an alternative approach for assessing negative symptoms in the context of clinical trials. Persistent negative symptoms are designed to capture those symptoms that lead to functional impairment but are currently understudied and for which there are no currently available effective treatments. Persistent negative symptoms differ from the 2 most commonly used approaches: primary, enduring negative symptoms or deficit symptoms and negative symptoms broadly defined to include negative symptoms, regardless of their etiology or duration. In contrast to deficit symptoms, persistent negative symptoms may include secondary negative symptoms. However, in contrast to negative symptoms broadly defined, the secondary negative symptoms included in the assessment of persistent negative symptoms only include those that have failed to respond to usual treatments for secondary negative symptoms. In consequence, the presence of persistent negative symptoms identifies a patient population with clinically relevant symptomatology, which is larger than the one with the deficit syndrome but less heterogeneous than that captured through the use of a nonrestrictive definition of negative symptoms. This may facilitate the selection of subjects for inclusion into research and efforts to develop new pharmacological treatments and enhance our understanding of a relevant clinical problem. Ultimately, the investigation of the different entities characterized by negative symptoms, such as persistent negative symptoms, and the enhanced understanding of their biological and clinical characteristics may help to unravel the psychopathological and biological heterogeneity of schizophrenia.     

An open trial of adjunctive sertraline in the treatment of chronic schizophrenia

While the positive symptoms of schizophrenia are amenable to treatment with standard neuroleptics, negative symptoms are often difficult to treat. Co-prescribing antidepressants, such as sertraline, for patients on stable neuroleptic depot preparations is one pharmacological method of overcoming this problem. A total of 20 patients with chronic schizophrenia were enrolled in an open trial over a 12-week period during which sertraline was added to their usual antipsychotic medication. Prior to this, baseline scores for positive and negative symptoms, and extrapyramidal side-effects, were measured. The addition of sertraline resulted in global improvement, with a significant reduction in positive and negative symptom scores and no increase in undesirable neuroleptic side-effects. Sertraline may act by indirectly reducing dopaminergic activity.     

Positive and negative subtypes of schizophrenia. A study from India

Ninety-eight schizophrenic patients were studied to examine the concept of positive and negative subtyping. Using a cross-sectional phenomenological approach, the relationship of this subtyping with six definitions of schizophrenia was also investigated. The study provides support for this subtyping. Principal components analysis of the data and correlational structure of positive and negative symptom complexes lend further support to this notion.     

A placebo-controlled comparison of zotepine versus chlorpromazine in patients with acute exacerbation of schizophrenia

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of zotepine in the treatment of acute episodes of schizophrenia. METHOD: Patients with acute exacerbation of schizophrenia (DSM-III-R criteria; n = 158) were allocated on a random, double-blind basis to receive zotepine (150 or 300 mg/day), chlorpromazine (300 or 600 mg/day) or placebo for 8 weeks. Symptoms were assessed on the BPRS, SANS and CGI scales at baseline and weeks 1, 2, 4, 6 and 8 and patients were assessed at these times for adverse effects. Analysis was by analysis of variance on the intent-to-treat population, with last observation carried forward. RESULTS: Mean BPRS scores improved statistically significantly more with zotepine than chlorpromazine (point estimate of difference -12.4, 95% CI -18.3 to -6.5) or placebo (point estimate of difference -12.7, 95% CI -18.6 to -6.8). Zotepine produced significantly fewer extrapyramidal symptoms (EPS) than chlorpromazine. CONCLUSION: Zotepine is an effective antipsychotic with low propensity for EPS.     

mGluR5 receptor availability is associated with lower levels of negative symptoms and better cognition in male patients with chronic schizophrenia

Consistent findings postulate disturbed glutamatergic function (more specifically a hypofunction of the ionotropic NMDA receptors) as an important pathophysiologic mechanism in schizophrenia. However, the role of the metabotropic glutamatergic receptors type 5 (mGluR5) in this disease remains unclear. In this study, we investigated their significance (using [¹¹C]ABP688) for psychopathology and cognition in male patients with chronic schizophrenia and healthy controls. In the patient group, lower mGluR5 binding potential (BP_ND) values in the left temporal cortex and caudate were associated with higher general symptom levels (negative and depressive symptoms), lower levels of global functioning and worse cognitive performance. At the same time, in both groups, mGluR5 BP_ND were significantly lower in smokers (F_[27,1] = 15.500; p = .001), but without significant differences between the groups. Our findings provide support for the concept that the impaired function of mGluR5 underlies the symptoms of schizophrenia. They further supply a new perspective on the complex relationship between tobacco addiction and schizophrenia by identifying glutamatergic neurotransmission—in particularly mGluR5—as a possible connection to a shared vulnerability.     

Neuropsychology of the deficit syndrome: new data and meta-analysis of findings to date

The deficit syndrome is thought to characterize a pathophysiologically distinct subgroup of patients with schizophrenia. Supporting this notion, prior research examining the neuropsychological correlates of the deficit syndrome has suggested the presence of a differential impairment in frontal and parietal functions. This article reports findings from 2 studies attempting to replicate and extend previous reports of a differential neuropsychological impairment in deficit schizophrenia. In the first study, we administered a comprehensive neuropsychological battery to 20 deficit and 25 nondeficit patients with schizophrenia and 25 normal healthy controls. In the second study, a meta-analysis was conducted of 13 separate studies examining the neuropsychology of the deficit syndrome. There was little evidence from either of the present studies that the deficit syndrome is associated with a selective impairment in frontal and parietal lobe functions. The first study failed to find significant differences in frontal or parietal abilities for deficit vs nondeficit patients. The meta-analytic findings revealed that deficit patients were globally more neuropsychologically impaired than nondeficit patients (effect size [ES] = 0.41). Relative to nondeficit patients, deficit patients performed poorest on tests of olfaction (ES = 1.11), social cognition (ES = 0.56), global cognition (ES = 0.52), and language (ES = 0.51). The neuropsychological impairments associated with the deficit form of schizophrenia do not follow an obvious anatomically defined pattern of impairment. The question of whether deficit patients exhibit a unique cognitive impairment profile will require a more sophisticated and rigorous examination of the neuropsychology of the deficit syndrome.     

艾司西酞普兰对慢性精神分裂症阴性症状的作用

目的:观察艾司西酞普兰对慢性精神分裂症阴性症状的作用. 方法:以阴性症状为主的83例慢性精神分裂症患者随机分为研究组和对照组;两组在原有抗精神病药物的基础上,研究组加用艾司西酞普兰10～ 20 mg/d,共12周.于治疗前后分别进行阴性症状量表(SANS)、治疗中出现的症状量表(TESS)和洛文斯顿作业疗法用认知功能评定成套测验(LOTCA). 结果:12周后,研究组SANS总分及情感平淡、意志缺乏、兴趣缺乏评分明显低于对照组(P ＜0.05 ～0.01);LOTCA评分显著高于治疗前及对照组(t=-10.45,P=0.000;t =2.17,P=0.033);药物不良发生率两组间差异无统计学意义.结论:艾司西酞普兰对慢性精神分裂症阴性症状及认知功能有一定改善作用,不良反应轻微.     

Treatment of schizophrenia negative symptoms: future prospects

New findings from neuroscience, genetics, and experimental psychology have emerged that provide alternative explanations of many negative symptoms. We review the continuing limitations in treatment and discuss possible sources of heterogeneity among negative symptoms. We also anticipate conceptual uncertainties that may arise with forthcoming treatment developments.     

联用帕罗西汀治疗精神分裂症阴性症状研究

目的:探讨抗精神病药联用帕罗西汀治疗精神分裂症阴性症状的疗效.方法:以阴性症状为主的住院慢性精神分裂症33例,在原用抗精神病药基础上,联用帕罗西汀,疗程12周.使用阳性 与阴性症状量表(PANSS)和副反应量表(TESS)评定,在治疗前和治疗4、8、12周末各评定1次.结果:联用帕罗西汀12周后,PANSS总分、阴性症状因子分及情感迟钝、情感退缩、情感交流障碍、被动/淡漠及社交退缩因子分均比治疗前显著降低.结论:以阴性症状为主的慢性精神分裂症,在使用抗精神病药物的同时联用帕罗西汀,对改善阴性症状有明显作用.     

联用西酞普兰治疗精神分裂症阴性症状疗效分析

目的:探讨抗精神病药联用西酞普兰治疗精神分裂症阴性症状的疗效。方法:以阴性症状为主的住院精神分裂症39例,在原用抗精神病药基础上,联用西酞普兰治疗。疗程12周。使用阳性与阴性症状量表(PANSS)和治疗中出现的症状量表(TESS),在治疗前和治疗4、8、12周末各评定1次。结果:联用西酞普兰12周后,PANSS总分、阴性症状因子分及情感迟钝、情感退缩、情感交流障碍、被动/淡漠及社交退缩分均比治疗前显著降低。结论:以阴性症状为主的精神分裂症,在使用抗精神病药物的同时联用西酞普兰,对改善阴性症状有明显效用。