title: Somatosensory amplification in schizophrenia is associated with preserved neuropsychological function.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Some alexithymic features are similar to negative symptoms of schizophrenia, while somatosensory amplification has been defined as an abnormal perceptual style that could be related to hallucinations and positive schizophrenic symptoms. This study analyzed whether both psychological constructs are related to the type of clinical symptoms and to the neuropsychological performance of patients with schizophrenia.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty-seven patients with schizophrenia were assessed psychologically (20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale and Somatosensory Amplification Scale), clinically, and neuropsychologically and were compared with a control group of healthy subjects (n= 37).
  
  
  RESULTS
  No differences were found in alexithymia or somatosensory amplification between patients and controls and there was no relationship between the two psychological variables and the type of psychotic symptoms in the patient group. However, among patients with schizophrenia, somatosensory amplification was related to significantly better neuropsychological performance than that found in alexithymic subjects and in patients in general.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Alexithymia was unrelated to negative symptoms and to the neuropsychological performance of patients with schizophrenia, and as a psychological construct seems to be separate from the disease. However, in patients with an amplifier style, neuropsychological performance was highly similar to that found in healthy controls, raising the possibility of studying somatosensory amplification as a psychological variable that is potentially related to the clinical and neuropsychological outcomes of patients with schizophrenia.
authors.affiliation: Instituto Clínic de Neurociencias, IDIBAPS, Hospital Clínico Universitario, Barcelona, España; Departamento de Psiquiatría y Psicobiología Clínica, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Barcelona, Barcelona, España.
authors.forename: Manuel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Valdés
authors.forename: Miguel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bernardo
authors.forename: Nuria
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Segarra
authors.forename: Gemma
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Parramón
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Teresa Plana
authors.forename: Lorena
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Rami
authors.forename: Manel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Salamero
authors.forename: Nuria
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Bargalló