精神分裂症患者及其一级亲属性格特征的对照研究

目的探讨精神分裂症患者及其一级亲属的性格特征。方法选取住我院治疗处于缓解期的精神分裂症患者48例和一级亲属与正常组各79人，进行MMPI测查分析。结果精神分裂症患者及其一级亲属Hs、D、Hy、Pd、Pa、Pt、Sc量表分高于正常人，而患者和一级亲属间各量表分接近。结论精神分裂症患者及一级亲属具有明显的分裂性人格，两者的性格特征可能有着共同的遗传学基础。     

The executive control of attention differentiates patients with schizophrenia, their first-degree relatives and healthy controls

Attentional and executive impairments have been reported in patients with schizophrenia and in their healthy first-degree relatives. However, its nature remains unclear and discrepancies between studies have been observed. These might be due to differences in the clinical severity of the illness or in sociodemographic factors. The objective of the present work was to explore the efficiency of three attention networks: alerting, orienting and executive control (conflict inhibition) defined anatomically, using patients, their relatives and controls, assessing the possibility to use them as endophenotypes. We used three tests, the Attention Network Test (ANT), the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) and the Stroop Test, and compared 52 patients with schizophrenia, 55 of their first-degree relatives and 53 unrelated healthy controls, taking into account demographic variables (age, sex and years of education) and clinical symptoms of schizophrenia. Patients had a longer overall mean reaction-time (p < 0.001), and took longer to resolve the ANT conflict (ANTc) (p = 0.04) than the control group. In the schizophrenia group, the SSPI disorganization score was significantly correlated to the ANTc performance. Additionally, first-degree relatives of patients with schizophrenia also performed significantly worse than controls in attention performance test. Our findings support a specific deficit in executive control of attention in patients with schizophrenia. This deficit was shown to be correlated with the intensity of the disorganization score in patients. Relative presented an intermediate phenotype between patients and controls; the ANT reaction time (but not the ANTc) may thus be considered as possible endophenotype marker for schizophrenia.     

Facial emotion perception in Chinese patients with schizophrenia and non-psychotic first-degree relatives

Although there is a consensus that patients with schizophrenia have certain deficits in perceiving and expressing facial emotions, previous studies of facial emotion perception in schizophrenia do not present consistent results. The objective of this study was to explore facial emotion perception deficits in Chinese patients with schizophrenia and their non-psychotic first-degree relatives. Sixty-nine patients with schizophrenia, 56 of their first-degree relatives (33 parents and 23 siblings), and 92 healthy controls (67 younger healthy controls matched to the patients and siblings, and 25 older healthy controls matched to the parents) completed a set of facial emotion perception tasks, including facial emotion discrimination, identification, intensity, valence, and corresponding face identification tasks. The results demonstrated that patients with schizophrenia performed significantly worse than their siblings and younger healthy controls in accuracy in a variety of facial emotion perception tasks, whereas the siblings of the patients performed as well as the corresponding younger healthy controls in all of the facial emotion perception tasks. Patients with schizophrenia also showed significantly reduced speed than younger healthy controls, while siblings of patients did not demonstrate significant differences with both patients and younger healthy controls in speed. Meanwhile, we also found that parents of the schizophrenia patients performed significantly worse than the corresponding older healthy controls in accuracy in terms of facial emotion identification, valence, and the composite index of the facial discrimination, identification, intensity and valence tasks. Moreover, no significant differences were found between the parents of patients and older healthy controls in speed after controlling the years of education and IQ. Taken together, the results suggest that facial emotion perception deficits may serve as potential endophenotypes for schizophrenia.     

Psychopathology and personality traits in psychotic patients and their first-degree relatives

Personality dimensions have been associated with symptoms dimensions in schizophrenic patients (SP). In this paper we study the relationships between symptoms of functional psychoses and personality dimensions in SP and their first-degree relatives (SR), in other psychotic patients (PP) and their first-degree relatives (PR), and in healthy controls in order to evaluate the possible clinical dimensionality of these disorders. Twenty-nine SP, 29 SR, 18 PP, 18 PR and 188 controls were assessed using the temperament and character inventory (TCI-R). Current symptoms were evaluated with positive and negative syndrome scale (PANSS) using the five-factor model described previously (positive [PF], negative [NF], disorganized [DF], excitement [EF] and anxiety/depression [ADF]). Our TCI-R results showed that patients had different personality dimensions from the control group, but in relatives, these scores were not different from controls. With regard to symptomatology, we highlight the relations observed between harm avoidance (HA) and PANSS NF, and between self-transcendence (ST) and PANSS PF. From a personality traits-genetic factors point of view, schizophrenia and other psychosis may be initially differentiated by temperamental traits such as HA. The so-called characterial traits like ST would be associated with the appearance of psychotic symptoms.     

Handedness and schizotypy in non-psychotic relatives of patients with schizophrenia

Existing studies have found the relationship between handedness and schizotypy to be inconsistent, and had limited generalisability since only highly homogeneous groups have been investigated. This study aimed to examine the relation between handedness and the four schizotypal factors identified from a previous confirmatory factor analysis in a population of high familial loading for schizophrenia. Study participants consisted of non-psychotic first-degree relatives (850 parents and 334 siblings) of sib-pairs who were co-affected with schizophrenia. All participants were interviewed with the Diagnostic Interview for Genetic Studies, which contains a section of the modified Structured Interview for Schizotypy, and the Annett handedness questionnaire. Both categorical and continuous indicators for handedness were examined. Non-right-handed siblings of schizophrenia patients displayed more positive schizotypal features than their right-handed counterparts when the two-way Annett's handedness classification was adopted. No association was found when handedness was treated as continuous. The relationship between handedness and schizotypy was insignificant for parents probably due to the strong social pressure against left-handedness. We concluded that categorical non-right-handedness was associated with positive schizotypy in non-psychotic siblings of schizophrenia patients. The results indicate that an atypical cerebral lateralisation underlying non-right-handedness may be also a contributing factor to positive schizotypy.     

首发精神分裂症患者及其正常一级亲属血脂和肥胖的研究

目的 研究在排除抗精神病药物影响下精神分裂症患者和其正常一级亲属的脂代谢以及肥胖情况.方法 选择58例符合中国精神障碍分类与诊断标准第三版（CCMD-3）和精神障碍诊断统计手册第四版（DSM-IV）中分裂症诊断标准的首发且未服药的精神分裂症患者（患者组）以及其22例正常一级亲属（亲属组）、24例普通人群（正常对照组）为研究对象,检测腰围、腰臀比、体重指数以及血脂水平（甘油三酯、总胆固醇、高密度脂蛋白胆固醇、低密度脂蛋白胆固醇）.结果 患者组的血脂异常发病率为20.7%,高于对照组的,且差异具有显著性（P＜0.05）;而且患者组高密度脂蛋白胆固醇水平（1.31±0.28）mmol/L明显低于对照组的（1.46±0.28）mmol/L,差异亦具有显著性（P＜0.05）,而其他血脂代谢各项指标与对照组相比,都没有显著性差异（P＞0.05）.另外,亲属组的各个指标与对照组相比,均无显著性差异.结论 与普通人群相比,精神分裂症患者具有较高的血脂异常发病率,精神分裂症与脂代谢异常之间存在一定的相关性.     

缓解期精神分裂症患者及其一级非患病亲属神经系统软体征比较研究

目的探讨缓解期的精神分裂症患者及其非患病一级亲属神经系统软体征(neurological soft signs,NSS)的差异。方法使用中文版剑桥神经科检查(the Cambridge neurological inventory,CNI)软体征测试分量表对86例缓解期精神分裂症患者(患者组)、86名患者的非患病一级亲属(亲属组)和86名健康对照(对照组)进行NSS的评估。结果与亲属组比较,患者组NSS总分、运动协调因子及感觉整合因子得分更高(P0.01)。患者组与对照组比较,患者组的NSS总分、运动协调因子得分和感觉整合因子的得分更高(P0.01)。亲属组与对照组比较,亲属组的NSS总分和运动协调因子得分更高(P0.01)。结论缓解期的精神分裂症患者及其非患病一级亲属较正常对照有更多神经系统软体征,而患者的神经系统软体征多于其非患病一级亲属。神经系统软体征中的运动协调因子可能为精神分裂症潜在的内表型。     

Emotion processing and theory of mind in schizophrenia patients and their unaffected first-degree relatives

Previous studies have suggested that social cognition is affected in individuals with schizophrenia. The purpose of this study was to explore to what extent social cognition deficits are shared by unaffected first-degree relatives, and the nature of the relationship between performance in different paradigms of social cognition. 20 Schizophrenia patients (7 females, 31 ± 10 years), 20 healthy age- and gender-matched individuals, 20 unaffected first-degree relatives of the schizophrenia patients (11 females, 50 ± 20 years), and 20 healthy individuals matched for age and gender were recruited. Patients showed deficits in the detection of social Faux Pas (0.80 ± 0.17 vs. controls: 0.94 ± 0.09, p = 0.025) and the correct identification of Theory of Mind stories (0.71 ± 0.13 vs. controls: 0.82 ± 0.12, p = 0.038). Relatives performed poorly in the Faces Test (0.83 ± 0.14 vs. controls: 0.9 ± 0.08, p = 0.048), the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test (0.59 ± 0.17 vs. controls: 0.71 ± 0.14, p = 0.046) and the detection of social Faux Pas (0.8 ± 0.2 vs. controls: 0.93 ± 0.09, p = 0.024). Abnormalities were independent of age, years of education, and general cognitive performance in patients and their relatives. Performance in an Emotion Processing task (Faces Test) was correlated with performance in theory of mind tests in healthy individuals and relatives of patients with schizophrenia only. These results suggest that schizophrenia patients and their unaffected first-degree relatives display similar but nonidentical patterns of social cognition processing.     

Cognitive deficits in early-onset schizophrenia spectrum patients and their non-psychotic siblings: a comparison with ADHD

BACKGROUND: Previous research has shown cognitive deficits in patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders in the areas of executive function, verbal memory and attention. Subtle deficits have been shown in healthy first-degree relatives of patients, suggesting that they may be trait markers. The specificity of these markers for schizophrenia compared with another neurodevelopmental disorder, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) has not been reliably established. METHODS: The Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT), Hayling Sentence Completion Test (HSCT), FAS Test of orthographic verbal fluency (FAS) and Continuous Performance Test-Identical Pairs (CPT-IP) were administered to adolescent schizophrenia spectrum patients (SZ; n=30), adolescent siblings of schizophrenia spectrum patients (SZ-SIB; n=36), healthy control participants (HC; n=72); a neurodevelopmental comparison group of adolescents with ADHD (n=27). RESULTS: The SZ group were impaired on all measures. The SZ-SIB group were impaired on IQ, immediate recall (RAVLT), target sensitivity (CPT-IP), response initiation (HSCT); error rates for the FAS and HSCT. There were no significant differences between the SZ-SIB and ADHD groups on individual measures of cognitive function. Principal Components Analysis revealed four factors on which further analyses were conducted. The SZ-SIB and ADHD groups showed different profiles of impairment on components related to response initiation and sustained attention/vigilance when each was compared with the HC group. CONCLUSIONS: Deficits in intellectual function, verbal memory and response initiation/inhibition were found in the SZ-SIB group indicating that these are markers of risk for schizophrenia. Subtle differences in profiles of impairment in the SZ-SIB and ADHD groups on composite measures of attention and response initiation require further investigation.     

Attentional networks and cingulum bundle in chronic schizophrenia

Thirty patients with chronic schizophrenia and 30 age-matched controls performed the Attention Network Test (ANT). A subset of the patient group (n = 18) also had available magnetic resonance diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) measures of the cingulum bundle (CB) fractional anisotropy and volume. The patients showed a significantly different pattern of ANT performance, characterized primarily by decreased alerting efficiency. In addition, left CB fractional anisotropy correlated significantly with orienting of attention. Smaller right CB volume also correlated with reduced alertness, but not when covarying for medication and illness duration.     

Impaired automatization of a cognitive skill in first-degree relatives of patients with schizophrenia

We studied healthy, first-degree relatives of patients with schizophrenia to test the hypothesis that deficits in cognitive skill learning are associated with genetic liability to schizophrenia. Using the Weather Prediction Task (WPT), 23 healthy controls and 10 adult first-degree Relatives Of Schizophrenia (ROS) patients were examined to determine the extent to which cognitive skill learning was automated using a dual-task paradigm to detect subtle impairments in skill learning. Automatization of a skill is the ability to execute a task without the demand for executive control and effortful behavior and is a skill in which schizophrenia patients possess a deficit. ROS patients did not differ from healthy controls in accuracy or reaction time on the WPT either during early or late training on the single-task trials. In contrast, the healthy control and ROS groups were differentially affected during the dual-task trials. Our results demonstrate that the ROS group did not automate the task as well as controls and continued to rely on controlled processing even after extensive practice. This suggests that adult ROS patients may engage in compensatory strategies to achieve normal levels of performance and support the hypothesis that impaired cognitive skill learning is associated with genetic risk for schizophrenia.     

精神分裂症及其一级亲属性格特征的对比分析

本研究对缓解期精神分裂症患者６８例及其一级亲属和正常人各１１２人进行ＭＭＰＩ测查。结果提示：精神分裂症患者及其一级亲属Ｈｓ、Ｄ、Ｈｙ、Ｐｄ、Ｐａ、Ｐｔ、Ｓｃ等量表分高于正常人，其中Ｐｄ、Ｐａ、Ｓｃ增幅最大；而患者和一级亲属之间各量表分比较接近。精神分裂症患者和一级亲属具有明显的分裂性人格，两者的性格特征可能有着共同的遗传学基础。     

Voxel-based morphometry of patients with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder and their unaffected relatives.

BACKGROUND: Structural brain abnormalities in schizophrenia are well replicated; many emerge before the onset of illness and are present in relatives who remain well. Structural changes in bipolar disorder are less clearly established. The possibility that structural abnormalities might provide a means by which the disorders might be separated is one that has attracted limited research effort. This study sought to examine these issues and clarify the associations of phenotypic expression and genetic liability. METHODS: Forty-nine control subjects, 71 patients, and 72 unaffected relatives were recruited for the study. Patients included those with schizophrenia from families affected by schizophrenia alone, those with bipolar disorder from families affected by bipolar disorder alone, and those with bipolar disorder from families affected by both bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. Unaffected relatives were recruited from the families of the three patient groups. Subjects underwent a magnetic resonance imaging scan of the brain, which was analyzed with a grey-matter-optimized, voxel-based morphometry technique. RESULTS: Compared with control subjects, all patient and relative groups showed evidence of reduced anterior thalamic gray matter. Reductions in middle prefrontal gyrus and dorsomedial thalamus were specific to participants with schizophrenia. CONCLUSIONS: Whereas prefrontal and dorsomedial thalamic gray matter reductions seem to be specific to schizophrenia, anterior thalamic reductions seem to be a marker of liability to psychosis in general. These results are discussed in the context of their functional role and in terms of their connections with other cortical and subcortical structures.     

Neuromuscular and psychomotor abnormalities in patients with schizophrenia and their first-degree relatives

In previous studies of schizophrenic patients, neuromuscular (histopathological and electrophysiological) and psychomotor (finger tapping) abnormalities were found. The present study was designed to investigate relationships between these abnormalities and a family history of psychosis in 14 schizophrenic patients and 25 unaffected first-degree relatives compared to 14 healthy controls. Muscle biopsies were performed in either m. tibialis anterior or m. lateralis. Macro EMG recordings were made from m. tibialis anterior. A finger tapping test was used to investigate psychomotor performance. Neuromuscular abnormalities (muscle biopsies and/or macro EMG) and/or aberrant psychomotor performance (finger tapping test) were found in 13 (93%) patients, 14 (56%) first-degree relatives and in three (21%) controls. A statistically significant relationship for the psychomotor, but not neuromuscular changes to a family history of psychosis was found using a logistic regression method. The percentage of patients, relatives and healthy controls exhibiting were 36/40/7% in the muscle biopsy, 50/20/0% in the macro EMG, and 71/82/14% in the finger tapping investigations. A higher frequency of neuromuscular and psychomotor abnormalities was found in patients with schizophrenia and their first-degree relatives compared to healthy controls. The relationship between psychomotor findings and a family history of psychosis indicate that central aspects of motor aberrations are associated with a hereditary disposition of psychosis. The neuromuscular as well as psychomotor changes indicate that schizophrenia may be a systemic disease involving the central nervous system as well as peripheral organs. An altered cell membrane is suggested to be an underlying factor based on the type of neuromuscular findings.     

Sex differences in cognition among persons with schizophrenia and healthy first-degree relatives

Previous research suggests differences between women and men in the clinical features of schizophrenia, but studies examining sex differences in neuropsychological functioning have reached inconsistent results. In the present study, sex differences in cognition and clinical features were investigated in population-based samples of participants with schizophrenia (n = 218), their healthy first-degree relatives (n = 438) and controls (n = 123). Sex differences in illness features were small; nevertheless, women with schizophrenia had less negative symptoms and lived independently more often than men. The schizophrenia group had impairments in all studied neuropsychological domains, and the relatives were impaired in processing speed and set-shifting. In all groups, women performed better than men in processing speed, set-shifting and verbal episodic memory, whereas men outperformed women in visual working memory. The group-by-sex interaction was significant in two variables: women outperformed men in the relatives group in immediate verbal reproduction and in the use of semantic clustering as a learning strategy, while there was no sex difference in the schizophrenia group. In conclusion, sex differences in cognition are mostly similar in schizophrenia to those among controls, despite sex differences in illness features. The preservation of sex differences also in first-degree relatives supports the conclusion.     

Handedness and schizotypy in non-psychotic relatives of patients with schizophrenia

Existing studies have found the relationship between handedness and schizotypy to be inconsistent, and had limited generalisability since only highly homogeneous groups have been investigated. This study aimed to examine the relation between handedness and the four schizotypal factors identified from a previous confirmatory factor analysis in a population of high familial loading for schizophrenia. Study participants consisted of non-psychotic first-degree relatives (850 parents and 334 siblings) of sib-pairs who were co-affected with schizophrenia. All participants were interviewed with the Diagnostic Interview for Genetic Studies, which contains a section of the modified Structured Interview for Schizotypy, and the Annett handedness questionnaire. Both categorical and continuous indicators for handedness were examined. Non-right-handed siblings of schizophrenia patients displayed more positive schizotypal features than their right-handed counterparts when the two-way Annett's handedness classification was adopted. No association was found when handedness was treated as continuous. The relationship between handedness and schizotypy was insignificant for parents probably due to the strong social pressure against left-handedness. We concluded that categorical non-right-handedness was associated with positive schizotypy in non-psychotic siblings of schizophrenia patients. The results indicate that an atypical cerebral lateralisation underlying non-right-handedness may be also a contributing factor to positive schizotypy.     

精神分裂症患者注意网络功能与情绪认知障碍的相关性研究

目的 探讨精神分裂症患者的注意网络功能和面孔情绪认知功能障碍及两者间的关系.方法 采用注意网络测验(ANT)和中国人面孔情绪测验(CFET)对50例未用抗精神病药的精神分裂症患者(患者组)进行评估,并与53名正常健康者(对照组)进行比较.结果 (1)ANT:患者组的平均反应时间[(743.0±97.0)ms]长于对照组[(668.9±95.8)ms,P＜0.01],定向网络效率[(30.1±30.7)ms]低于对照组[(49.6±21.3)ms,P＜0.01].(2)CFET:患者组和对照组的总分[分别为(75.46±13.28)分和(105.64±4.82)分]及对六种基本情绪的认知评分[分别为:喜(18.82±0.52)分和(19.81±0.39)分、怒(15.10±4.63)分和(18.23±1.37)分、悲(12.96±5.11)分和(18.17±1.52)分、惊(13.24±5.03)分和(18.77±1.12)分、怕(5.96±3.99)分和(15.11±2.15)分、厌(9.38±5.47)分和(15.47±2.18)分]差异均有统计学意义(P＜0.01).(3)Spearman相关分析:患者组ANT正确率与CFET总分呈正相关(r=0.285),ANT平均反应时间与CFET总分(r=-0.302)和对情绪怒的认知评分(r=-0.296)呈负相关,而ANT警觉效率评分与对情绪厌的认知评分(r=0.401)呈正相关(均P＜0.05).结论 精神分裂症患者存在注意定向功能障碍和广泛的情绪认知缺陷,注意功能与情绪认知总体水平存在相关.     

Recognition memory for faces in schizophrenia patients and their first-degree relatives

It has consistently been shown that schizophrenia patients are impaired in recognition memory for faces. However, studies have not examined the specificity of this deficit relative to other cognitive functions nor the relationship between this deficit and particular schizophrenia symptoms. In addition, no studies have examined recognition memory for faces in unaffected biological relatives of schizophrenia patients who likely share some of the genetic diathesis for this disorder without presenting the potential confounds of mentally ill study samples. The Faces subtests from the Wechsler Memory Scale—Third Edition were used to evaluate recognition memory for faces in 39 schizophrenia patients, 33 of their first-degree relatives and 56 normal controls. Both schizophrenia patients and their relatives were impaired, relative to control participants, in recognition memory for faces after partialing out group differences in spatial attention or verbal memory. Further, recognition memory for faces was associated with positive symptoms in the schizophrenia group and schizotypal personality traits in the relative group. These findings may have important implications for reducing etiological heterogeneity among schizophrenia populations, identifying disorder susceptibility among their relatives and furthering understanding of disorder etiology.     

Cancer incidence in patients with schizophrenia and their first-degree relatives - a meta-analysis

Objective: Controversy concerning cancer incidence in schizophrenia exists because of heterogeneous study findings. Method: A meta‐analysis was performed on standardized incidence ratios (SIR) of cancer in patients with schizophrenia and first‐degree relatives and compared with general population samples. Results: The pooled overall cancer incidence in patients was not significantly increased (SIR = 1.05, CI 0.95–1.15). Lung cancer incidence was slightly increased (SIR = 1.31, CI 1.01–1.71), but was reduced after adjusting for smoking prevalence. The incidence of several cancers unrelated to smoking was reduced in patients. Breast cancer rates were significantly increased in female patients. The pooled overall cancer incidence in siblings (SIR = 0.89, CI 0.84–0.94) and parents (SIR = 0.90, CI 0.88–0.93) was significantly reduced. A meta‐regression detected a significant relationship between cancer risk in the general population and relative risk in patients. Conclusion: The meta‐analysis aided exploration of inconsistent study findings. There is a discrepancy between cancer risk exposure and cancer incidence in schizophrenia consistent with a protective effect.     

Neurological soft signs and neurocognitive deficits in remitted patients with schizophrenia,their first-degree unaffected relatives,and healthy controls

European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience - Neurological soft signs (NSS) and neurocognitive deficits (ND) are highly prevalent in schizophrenia, and have been separately proposed...