title: The effects of familiarity and emotional expression on face processing examined by ERPs in patients with schizophrenia.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Université de Rouen, Faculté des Sciences, Laboratoire Psychologie et Neurosciences de la Cognition (PSY.CO EA-1780), 76821 Mont-Saint-Aignan Cedex, France.
authors.forename: Stéphanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Caharel
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bernard
authors.forename: Florence
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Thibaut
authors.forename: Sadec
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Haouzir
authors.forename: Carole
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Di Maggio-Clozel
authors.forename: Gabrielle
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Allio
authors.forename: Gaël
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Fouldrin
authors.forename: Michel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Petit
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lalonde
authors.forename: Mohamed
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rebaï
mesh_terms: 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*