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

Abstract

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.