title: Mirroring the self: testing neurophysiological correlates of disturbed self-experience in schizophrenia spectrum.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Self-disorders (SDs) have been described as a core schizophrenia spectrum vulnerability phenotype, both in classic and contemporary psychopathological literature. However, such a core phenotype has not yet been investigated adopting a trans-domain approach that combines the phenomenological and the neurophysiological levels of analysis. The aim of this study is to investigate the relation between SDs and subtle, schizophrenia-specific impairments of emotional resonance that are supposed to reflect abnormalities in the mirror neurons mechanism. Specifically, we tested whether electromyographic response to emotional stimuli (i.e. a proxy for subtle changes in facial mimicry and related motor resonance mechanisms) would predict the occurrence of anomalous subjective experiences (i.e. SDs).
  
  
  METHODS
  Eighteen schizophrenia spectrum (SzSp) patients underwent a comprehensive psychopathological examination and were contextually tested with a multimodal paradigm, recording facial electromyographic activity of muscles in response to positive and negative emotional stimuli. Experiential anomalies were explored with the Bonn Scale for the Assessment of Basic Symptoms (BSABS) and then condensed into rational subscales mapping SzSp anomalous self-experiences.
  
  
  RESULTS
  SzSp patients showed an imbalance in emotional motor resonance with a selective bias toward negative stimuli, as well as a multisensory integration impairment. Multiple regression analysis showed that electromyographic facial reactions in response to negative stimuli presented in auditory modality specifically and strongly correlated with SD subscore.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The study confirms the potential of SDs as target phenotype for neurobiological research and encourages research into disturbed motor/emotional resonance as possible body-level correlate of disturbed subjective experiences in SzSp.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience, Unit of Physiology, University of Parma, Parma, Italy.
authors.forename: Mariateresa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sestito
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Raballo
authors.forename: Maria Alessandra
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Umiltà
authors.forename: Emanuela
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Leuci
authors.forename: Matteo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tonna
authors.forename: Renata
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Fortunati
authors.forename: Giancarlo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: De Paola
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Amore
authors.forename: Carlo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Maggini
authors.forename: Vittorio
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Gallese
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000342:Affective Symptoms / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology*; D004532:Ego; D004576:Electromyography; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D059167:Mirror Neurons; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010641:Phenotype; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology