title: Potential vulnerability markers within the affective domain in subjects at genetic and clinical high risk for schizophrenia.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuropsychiatry, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Seung Jae
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: So Young
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Yoo
authors.forename: Do-Hyung
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.forename: Kyung Jin
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Tae Hyun
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Ha
authors.forename: Whee
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Wee
authors.forename: Ae-Ra
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Nam Sick
authors.initials: NS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Jun Soo
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Kwon
mesh_terms: 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