title: Theory-of-mind use in remitted schizophrenia patients: The role of inhibition and perspective-switching.
abstract: In social interaction, Theory of Mind (ToM) enables us to construct representations of others' mental states, and to use those representations flexibly to explain or predict others' behavior. Although previous literature has documented that schizophrenia is associated with poor ToM ability, little is known about the cognitive mechanisms underlying their difficulty in ToM use. This study developed a new methodology to test whether the difficulty in false-belief-use might be related to deficits in perspective-switching or impaired inhibitory control among 23 remitted schizophrenia patients and 18 normal controls. Patients showed a significantly greater error rate in a perspective-switching condition than a perspective-repeating position in a false-belief-use task, whereas normal controls did not show a difference between the two conditions. In addition, a larger main effect of inhibition was found in remitted schizophrenia patients than normal controls in both a false-belief-use task and control task. Thus, remitted schizophrenia patients' impairment in ToM use might be accounted for, at least partially, by deficits in perspective-switching and impaired inhibitory control.
authors.affiliation: Department of Brain Functioning Research, the Seventh Hospital of Hangzhou, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China; Clinical Institute of Mental Health in Hangzhou, Anhui Medical University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China; Mental Health Center, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China.
authors.forename: Yong-Guang
authors.initials: YG
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Brain Functioning Research, the Seventh Hospital of Hangzhou, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China; Mental Health Center, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China. Electronic address: shijf659293@126.com.
authors.forename: Jian-fei
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, USA.
authors.forename: David L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Roberts
authors.affiliation: Department of Brain Functioning Research, the Seventh Hospital of Hangzhou, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China; Mental Health Center, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China.
authors.forename: Xiao-ying
authors.initials: XY
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.affiliation: Department of Brain Functioning Research, the Seventh Hospital of Hangzhou, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China; Mental Health Center, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China.
authors.forename: Zhi-hua
authors.initials: ZH
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.affiliation: Department of Brain Functioning Research, the Seventh Hospital of Hangzhou, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China; Mental Health Center, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China.
authors.forename: Yi-quan
authors.initials: YQ
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, 218 Jixi Road, Hefei 230022, Anhui Province, China. Electronic address: wangkai1964@126.com.
authors.forename: Kai
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007266:Inhibition, Psychological; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010775:Photic Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D012074:Remission Induction; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D056345:Theory of Mind / Q000502:physiology; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: False belief; Inhibitory control; Perspective-switching; Referential communication task; Schizophrenia; Theory of mind