Response of schizophrenic patients to dynamic facial expressions: An event-related potentials study

Abstract

Objective: Patients with schizophrenia have an impaired ability to respond to faces and may specifically show an impaired response to dynamic facial expressions. Here we investigated the responses of schizophrenic patients and healthy controls to dynamic facial images using event-related potentials (ERPs). Methods: We showed 13 schizophrenic patients and 13 healthy controls visual stimuli comprising facial expressions that continually changed from neutral to emotional. Results: N200 latencies and P100-N200 peak-topeak amplitudes in controls were prolonged or greater for dynamic emotions in comparison with those for static stimuli, but the group with schizophrenia showed no significant differences in responses to dynamic and static emotions. A significant negative correlation was observed between N200 latencies for dynamic negative emotion and PANSS (positive and negative syndrome scale) general psychopathology scale scores. Conclusions: A combination of hypersensitivity to static emotions and hyposensitivity to dynamic emotions in people with schizophrenia might underlie the absence of differences in response to these stimuli. A tendency in the schizophrenic group to hypersensitivity to static emotions might arise from the enhanced fear and arousal characteristics of this group; their hyposensitivity to dynamic emotions might result from controlled attentional bias away from facial expressions to reduce fear and anxiety.