Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Email this article to a Colleague Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to My Articles & Searches Download to citation manager Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Articles by Paradiso, S. Articles by Hichwa, R. D. Search for Related Content PubMed Citation Articles by Paradiso, S. Articles by Hichwa, R. D. Neuropsychology Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders PET Cognition Related Article

Emotions in Unmedicated Patients With Schizophrenia During Evaluation With Positron Emission Tomography

OBJECTIVE: Schizophrenia is currently conceptualized as a disease of functional neural connectivity, leading to symptoms that affect aspects of mental activity, including perception, attention, memory, and emotion. The neural substrates of its emotional components have not been extensively studied with functional neuroimaging. Previous neuroimaging studies have examined medicated patients with schizophrenia. The authors measured regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) during performance of a task that required unmedicated patients to recognize the emotional valence of visual images and to determine whether they were pleasant or unpleasant. METHOD: The authors examined rCBF in 17 healthy volunteers and 18 schizophrenia patients who had not received antipsychotic medications for at least 3 weeks during responses to pleasant and unpleasant visual stimuli. Areas of relative increases or decreases in rCBF were measured by using the [¹⁵O]H₂O method. RESULTS: When patients consciously evaluated the unpleasant images, they did not activate the phylogenetically older fear-danger recognition circuit (e.g., the amygdala) used by the healthy volunteers, although they correctly rated them as unpleasant. Likewise, the patients showed no activation in areas of the prefrontal cortex normally used to recognize the images as pleasant and were unable to recognize them as such. Areas of decreased CBF were widely distributed and comprised subcortical regions such as the thalamus and cerebellum. CONCLUSIONS: This failure of the neural systems used to support emotional attribution is consistent with pervasive problems in experiencing emotions by schizophrenia patients. The widely distributed nature of the abnormalities suggests the importance of subcortical nodes in overall dysfunctional connectivity.

Related Article:

In This Issue
Am J Psychiatry 2003 160: A62. [Full Text] [PDF]

This article has been cited by other articles:

				H. Li, R. C.K. Chan, G. M. McAlonan, and Q.-y. Gong Facial Emotion Processing in Schizophrenia: A Meta-analysis of Functional Neuroimaging Data Schizophr Bull, May 20, 2009; (2009) sbn190v2. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				P. F. Buckley, B. J. Miller, D. S. Lehrer, and D. J. Castle Psychiatric Comorbidities and Schizophrenia Schizophr Bull, March 1, 2009; 35(2): 383 - 402. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				G. S. Dichter, C. Bellion, M. Casp, and A. Belger Impaired Modulation of Attention and Emotion in Schizophrenia Schizophr Bull, October 8, 2008; (2008) sbn118v1. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. M. Kring and E. K. Moran Emotional Response Deficits in Schizophrenia: Insights From Affective Science Schizophr Bull, September 1, 2008; 34(5): 819 - 834. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				E. S. Herbener Emotional Memory in Schizophrenia Schizophr Bull, September 1, 2008; 34(5): 875 - 887. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. K. Hill, M. S. H. Harris, E. S. Herbener, M. Pavuluri, and J. A. Sweeney Neurocognitive Allied Phenotypes for Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder Schizophr Bull, July 1, 2008; 34(4): 743 - 759. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				P. G. Michalopoulou, S. Surguladze, L. A. Morley, V. P. Giampietro, R. M. Murray, and S. S. Shergill Facial fear processing and psychotic symptoms in schizophrenia: functional magnetic resonance imaging study The British Journal of Psychiatry, March 1, 2008; 192(3): 191 - 196. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				H. Picard, I. Amado, S. Mouchet-Mages, J.-P. Olie, and M.-O. Krebs The Role of the Cerebellum in Schizophrenia: an Update of Clinical, Cognitive, and Functional Evidences Schizophr Bull, January 1, 2008; 34(1): 155 - 172. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. R. Laviolette Dopamine Modulation of Emotional Processing in Cortical and Subcortical Neural Circuits: Evidence for a Final Common Pathway in Schizophrenia? Schizophr Bull, July 1, 2007; 33(4): 971 - 981. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				W. P Horan, A. M Kring, and J. J Blanchard Anhedonia in Schizophrenia: A Review of Assessment Strategies Schizophr Bull, April 1, 2006; 32(2): 259 - 273. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. R. Laviolette, W. J. Lipski, and A. A. Grace A Subpopulation of Neurons in the Medial Prefrontal Cortex Encodes Emotional Learning with Burst and Frequency Codes through a Dopamine D4 Receptor-Dependent Basolateral Amygdala Input J. Neurosci., June 29, 2005; 25(26): 6066 - 6075. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				D. S. Lehrer, B. T. Christian, J. Mantil, A. C. Murray, B. R. Buchsbaum, T. R. Oakes, W. Byne, E. M. Kemether, and M. S. Buchsbaum Thalamic and Prefrontal FDG Uptake in Never Medicated Patients With Schizophrenia Am J Psychiatry, May 1, 2005; 162(5): 931 - 938. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Get information about faster international access.

Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2003 American Psychiatric Association. All rights reserved.

Home | Search | Current Issue | Past Issues | Subscribe | All APPI Journals | Help | Contact Us