Potential vulnerability markers within the affective domain in subjects at genetic and clinical high risk for schizophrenia.
BACKGROUND
Relative to ample high-risk studies on neurocognitive function, only a few high-risk studies have examined affective functioning components as possible vulnerability markers. In this study, we comprehensively assessed baseline affective functioning in subjects at clinical high risk (CHR) and genetic high risk (GHR) for schizophrenia, and healthy controls (HC), and compared the results to elucidate possible vulnerability markers in the affective domain.


METHODS
We studied 3 groups of subjects: those with CHR (n = 28) or GHR (n = 28) and a HC group (n = 24). Affective-process- and affective-content-related functioning were assessed using 5 emotion-related scales.


RESULTS
In affective process, CHR subjects showed impairments in emotional awareness and mood repair, with some trend of impaired emotional expressivity as well as aggression control relative to either HC or GHR subjects, whereas GHR subjects showed only a trend of impairment in mood repair. In affective content, CHR subjects had less positive and more negative affect scores than the other 2 groups.


CONCLUSIONS
These results correspond to previous findings of prodrome studies of schizophrenia and chronic schizophrenia and suggest that impaired mood repair and emotional awareness, as well as less positive and more negative affect may be potential candidates of vulnerability markers.
Lee
Seung Jae
SJ
Department of Neuropsychiatry, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Yoo
So Young
SY
Kang
Do-Hyung
DH
Lee
Kyung Jin
KJ
Ha
Tae Hyun
TH
Wee
Whee
W
Lee
Ae-Ra
AR
Kim
Nam Sick
NS
Kwon
Jun Soo
JS
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect; D000342:Affective Symptoms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000523:psychology; D001364:Awareness; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease / Q000235:genetics / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010555:Personality Inventory; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics*; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D012569:Schizotypal Personality Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics / Q000523:psychology