title: Prospective and concurrent correlates of emotion perception in psychotic disorders: a naturalistic, longitudinal study of neurocognition, affective blunting and avolition.
abstract: This naturalistic study investigated longitudinal and cross-sectional symptomatic and neurocognitive correlates of social cognition indexed by emotion perception. Participants were 31 persons admitted to a psychiatric emergency ward due to acute psychosis. Positive and negative (i.e., affective blunting and avolition) symptoms were assessed at baseline and 12-month follow-up using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale. Participants completed neuropsychological assessments with alternative versions of the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status at baseline and at 12-month follow-up. Emotion perception was measured using the Face/Voice Emotion Test at 12-month follow-up. Correlational analyses (Spearman's rho) revealed strong and statistically significant associations between neurocognition and emotion perception (baseline r = 0.58, follow-up r = 0.43). Associations between positive symptoms and emotion perception were weak or non-existent (baseline r = 0.13, follow-up r  =  -0.01). Emotion perception was moderately, but not significantly, associated with affective blunting at follow-up (r = 0.33), but not at baseline (r = 0.21). The association with avolition was non-existent (baseline r  =  -0.05, follow-up r = 0.01). This study supports the notion that emotion perception has neurocognitive correlates. The cross-sectional trend level association with affective blunting suggests that the ability to perceive emotions might be related to, but dissociable from the ability to express emotions.
authors: KG Jebsen Centre for Psychosis Research, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway. Ingrid.dundas@uib.no
authors: Anja
authors: A
authors: Vaskinn
authors: Erik
authors: E
authors: Johnsen
authors: Hugo A
authors: HA
authors: Jørgensen
authors: Rune A
authors: RA
authors: Kroken
authors: Else-Marie
authors: EM
authors: Løberg
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect / Q000502:physiology*; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004644:Emotions / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012938:Social Perception; D014836:Volition / Q000502:physiology*