title: [Measuring impairment of facial affects recognition in schizophrenia. Preliminary study of the facial emotions recognition task (TREF)].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The impairment of social cognition, including facial affects recognition, is a well-established trait in schizophrenia, and specific cognitive remediation programs focusing on facial affects recognition have been developed by different teams worldwide. However, even though social cognitive impairments have been confirmed, previous studies have also shown heterogeneity of the results between different subjects. Therefore, assessment of personal abilities should be measured individually before proposing such programs.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Most research teams apply tasks based on facial affects recognition by Ekman et al. or Gur et al. However, these tasks are not easily applicable in a clinical exercise. Here, we present the Facial Emotions Recognition Test (TREF), which is designed to identify facial affects recognition impairments in a clinical practice. The test is composed of 54 photos and evaluates abilities in the recognition of six universal emotions (joy, anger, sadness, fear, disgust and contempt). Each of these emotions is represented with colored photos of 4 different models (two men and two women) at nine intensity levels from 20 to 100%. Each photo is presented during 10 seconds; no time limit for responding is applied.
  
  
  METHODS
  The present study compared the scores of the TREF test in a sample of healthy controls (64 subjects) and people with stabilized schizophrenia (45 subjects) according to the DSM IV-TR criteria. We analysed global scores for all emotions, as well as sub scores for each emotion between these two groups, taking into account gender differences. Our results were coherent with previous findings. Applying TREF, we confirmed an impairment in facial affects recognition in schizophrenia by showing significant differences between the two groups in their global results (76.45% for healthy controls versus 61.28% for people with schizophrenia), as well as in sub scores for each emotion except for joy. Scores for women were significantly higher than for men in the population without psychiatric diagnosis. The study also allowed the identification of cut-off scores; results below 2 standard deviations of the healthy control average (61.57%) pointed to a facial affect recognition deficit.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The TREF appears to be a useful tool to identify facial affects recognition impairment in schizophrenia. Neuropsychologists, who have tried this task, have positive feedback. The TREF is easy to use (duration of about 15 minutes), easy to apply in subjects with attentional difficulties, and tests facial affects recognition at ecological intensity levels. These results have to be confirmed in the future with larger sample sizes, and in comparison with other tasks, evaluating the facial affects recognition processes.
authors.affiliation: Service universitaire de réhabilitation, centre hospitalier le Vinatier, 98, rue Boileau, 69006 Lyon, France. Electronic address: baptiste.gaudelus@ch-le-vinatier.fr.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Gaudelus
authors.affiliation: Service universitaire de réhabilitation, centre hospitalier le Vinatier, 98, rue Boileau, 69006 Lyon, France.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Virgile
authors.affiliation: Service universitaire de réhabilitation, centre hospitalier le Vinatier, 98, rue Boileau, 69006 Lyon, France; Centre de neuroscience cognitive, UMR 5229 CNRS, 67, boulevard Pinel, 69675 Bron cedex, France.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Peyroux
authors.affiliation: Centre des sciences du Goût et de l'alimentation, UMR 6265 CNRS, UMR 1324 INRA, université de Bourgogne, bâtiment centre des sciences du goût, 9E, boulevard Jeanne-d'Arc, 21000 Dijon, France.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Leleu
authors.affiliation: Centre des sciences du Goût et de l'alimentation, UMR 6265 CNRS, UMR 1324 INRA, université de Bourgogne, bâtiment centre des sciences du goût, 9E, boulevard Jeanne-d'Arc, 21000 Dijon, France.
authors.forename: J-Y
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Baudouin
authors.affiliation: Service universitaire de réhabilitation, centre hospitalier le Vinatier, 98, rue Boileau, 69006 Lyon, France; Centre de neuroscience cognitive, UMR 5229 CNRS, 67, boulevard Pinel, 69675 Bron cedex, France.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Franck
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001076:Aptitude; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy; D004644:Emotions; D005149:Facial Expression; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007206:Individuality; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012016:Reference Values; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D012737:Sex Factors; D000067404:Social Communication Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy
keywords: Cognition sociale; Evaluation; Facial affects recognition; Reconnaissance des émotions faciales; Schizophrenia; Schizophrénie; Social cognition; Évaluation