title: The influence of combined cognitive plus social-cognitive training on amygdala response during face emotion recognition in schizophrenia.
abstract: Both cognitive and social-cognitive deficits impact functional outcome in schizophrenia. Cognitive remediation studies indicate that targeted cognitive and/or social-cognitive training improves behavioral performance on trained skills. However, the neural effects of training in schizophrenia and their relation to behavioral gains are largely unknown. This study tested whether a 50-h intervention which included both cognitive and social-cognitive training would influence neural mechanisms that support social ccognition. Schizophrenia participants completed a computer-based intervention of either auditory-based cognitive training (AT) plus social-cognition training (SCT) (N=11) or non-specific computer games (CG) (N=11). Assessments included a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) task of facial emotion recognition, and behavioral measures of cognition, social cognition, and functional outcome. The fMRI results showed the predicted group-by-time interaction. Results were strongest for emotion recognition of happy, surprise and fear: relative to CG participants, AT+SCT participants showed a neural activity increase in bilateral amygdala, right putamen and right medial prefrontal cortex. Across all participants, pre-to-post intervention neural activity increase in these regions predicted behavioral improvement on an independent emotion perception measure (MSCEIT: Perceiving Emotions). Among AT+SCT participants alone, neural activity increase in right amygdala predicted behavioral improvement in emotion perception. The findings indicate that combined cognition and social-cognition training improves neural systems that support social-cognition skills.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Harvard University, 33 Kirkland St., Cambridge, MA 02138, United States. chooker@wjh.harvard.edu
authors.forename: Christine I
authors.initials: CI
authors.lastname: Hooker
authors.forename: Lori
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bruce
authors.forename: Melissa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fisher
authors.forename: Sara C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Verosky
authors.forename: Asako
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Miyakawa
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: D'Esposito
authors.forename: Sophia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Vinogradov
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000679:Amygdala / Q000503:physiopathology*; D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy; D004644:Emotions / Q000502:physiology*; D005149:Facial Expression; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology; D059907:Functional Neuroimaging; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000503:physiopathology; D011699:Putamen / Q000503:physiopathology; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000628:therapy*; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D012919:Social Behavior; D012938:Social Perception; D013813:Therapy, Computer-Assisted; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D018910:Video Games