The effects of familiarity and emotional expression on face processing examined by ERPs in patients with schizophrenia.
BACKGROUND
The main objective of the study was to determine whether patients with schizophrenia are deficient relative to controls in the processing of faces at different levels of familiarity and types of emotion and the stage where such differences may occur.


METHODS
ERPs based on 18 patients with schizophrenia and 18 controls were compared in a face identification task at three levels of familiarity (unknown, familiar, subject's own) and for three types of emotion (disgust, smiling, neutral).


RESULTS
The schizophrenic group was less accurate than controls in the face processing, especially for unknown faces and those expressing negative emotions such as disgust. P1 and N170 amplitudes were lower and P1, N170, P250 amplitudes were of slower onset in patients with schizophrenia. N170 and P250 amplitudes were modulated by familiarity and face expression in a different manner in patients than controls.


CONCLUSIONS
Schizophrenia is associated with a genelarized defect of face processing, both in terms of familiarity and emotional expression, attributable to deficient processing at sensory (P1) and perceptual (N170) stages. These patients appear to have difficulty in encoding the structure of a face and thereby do not evaluate correctly familiarity and emotion.
Caharel
Stéphanie
S
Université de Rouen, Faculté des Sciences, Laboratoire Psychologie et Neurosciences de la Cognition (PSY.CO EA-1780), 76821 Mont-Saint-Aignan Cedex, France.
Bernard
Christian
C
Thibaut
Florence
F
Haouzir
Sadec
S
Di Maggio-Clozel
Carole
C
Allio
Gabrielle
G
Fouldrin
Gaël
G
Petit
Michel
M
Lalonde
Robert
R
Rebaï
Mohamed
M
D000328:Adult; D001921:Brain / Q000503:physiopathology; D035061:Control Groups; D004569:Electroencephalography / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004644:Emotions; D005071:Evoked Potentials / Q000502:physiology*; D005149:Facial Expression; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008960:Models, Psychological; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D021641:Recognition, Psychology / Q000502:physiology*; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D014796:Visual Perception / Q000502:physiology*