An fMRI study of face encoding and recognition in first-episode schizophrenia.
BACKGROUND
Schizophrenia has been associated with limited abilities to interact effectively in social situations. Face perception and ability to recognise familiar faces are critical for social interaction. Patients with chronic schizophrenia are known to show impaired face recognition. Studying first-episode (FE) patients allows the exclusion of confounding effects of chronicity, medication and institutionalisation in this deficit.


OBJECTIVE
To determine brain (dys)functions during a face encoding and recognition paradigm in FE schizophrenia.


METHODS
Thirteen antipsychotic-naïve FE schizophrenia patients and 13 age- and sex-matched healthy controls underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging during a face encoding and recognition paradigm. Behavioural responses were recorded on line.


RESULTS
Patients recognised significantly fewer of previously presented faces than the controls (p = 0.008). At the neural level, both groups activated a network of regions including the fusiform area, occipital, temporal and frontal regions. In brain activity, the two groups did not differ in any region during encoding or recognition conditions (p > 0.05, corrected or uncorrected).


CONCLUSIONS
Our findings show impaired face recognition without a significant alteration of related brain activity in FE schizophrenia patients. It is possible that neural changes become more strongly evident with progression of the illness, and manifest themselves as behavioural impairments during the early course.
1Division of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, London, UK.
Anantha P P
AP
Anilkumar
3Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, London, UK.
Veena
V
Kumari
1Division of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, London, UK.
Ravi
R
Mehrotra
1Division of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, London, UK.
Ingrid
I
Aasen
4Centre for Neuroimaging Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, London, UK.
Martina T
MT
Mitterschiffthaler
5Clinical Neuroscience Research Centre, Dartford, Kent, UK.
Tonmoy
T
Sharma