title: Effect of yoga therapy on facial emotion recognition deficits, symptoms and functioning in patients with schizophrenia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Facial emotion recognition deficits have been consistently demonstrated in schizophrenia and can impair socio-occupational functioning in these patients. Treatments to improve these deficits in antipsychotic-stabilized patients have not been well studied. Yoga therapy has been described to improve functioning in various domains in schizophrenia; however, its effect on FERD is not known.
  
  
  METHODS
  Antipsychotic-stabilized patients randomized to receive Yoga (n=27), Exercise (n=17) or Waitlist group (n=22) were assessed at baseline, 2nd month, and 4th month of follow-up by raters blind to group status. Assessments included Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), Socio-Occupational Functioning Scale (SOFS), and Tool for Recognition of Emotions in Neuropsychiatric DisorderS (TRENDS).
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was a significant positive correlation between baseline FERD and socio-occupational functioning (r=0.3, P=0.01). Paired samples t test showed significant improvement in positive and negative symptoms, socio-occupational functioning and performance on TRENDS (P<0.05) in the Yoga group, but not in the other two groups. Maximum improvement occurred at the end of 2 months, and improvement in positive and negative symptoms persisted at the end of 4 months.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Yoga therapy can be a useful add-on treatment to improve psychopathology, FERD, and socio-occupational functioning in antipsychotic-stabilized patients with schizophrenia.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Psychiatry Psychiatric Social Work Biostatistics, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bangalore Swami Vivekananda Yoga Anusandhana Samsthana University, Bangalore, India.
authors.forename: R V
authors.initials: RV
authors.lastname: Behere
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Arasappa
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jagannathan
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Varambally
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Venkatasubramanian
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Thirthalli
authors.forename: D K
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Subbakrishna
authors.forename: H R
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Nagendra
authors.forename: B N
authors.initials: BN
authors.lastname: Gangadhar
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D056348:Emotional Intelligence; D005149:Facial Expression; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D021641:Recognition, Psychology; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000628:therapy*; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D015013:Yoga / Q000523:psychology