Neurophysiological evidence for diminished monitoring of own, but intact monitoring of other's errors in schizophrenia.
Schizophrenia is characterized by social deficits. Correctly monitoring own and others' performance is crucial for efficient social behavior. Deficits in monitoring own performance as reflected in reduced error-related negativity (rERN) amplitudes, have been demonstrated repeatedly in schizophrenia. A similar ERP component (observed ERN; oERN) is elicited when observing others' mistakes. However, possible deficits in monitoring others' performance have never been investigated in schizophrenia. The current ERP-study compared a group of schizophrenia patients (N=22) and healthy controls (N=21) while performing a Simon task and the social Simon task, enabling the investigation of own (rERN) and others' (oERN) performance monitoring. Patients showed slower reaction times, but comparable accuracy and compatibility effects in both tasks. As expected, patients' rERN amplitudes were reduced. Importantly however, oERN amplitudes were comparable between both groups. While monitoring own performance is compromised in schizophrenia, monitoring others' performance seems intact. This divergence between internal and external performance monitoring in patients is in line with studies showing normal neurophysiological responses to negative feedback. The presently found dissociation may improve our understanding of cognitive and neural mechanisms underlying monitoring of own and others' performance and may stimulate treatment development aimed at learning from external rather than internal error information in schizophrenia.
Psychiatric Center Brothers Alexians, Provinciesteenweg 408, 2530 Boechout, Belgium.
Javier
J
de la Asuncion
Psychiatric Center Brothers Alexians, Provinciesteenweg 408, 2530 Boechout, Belgium; Psychiatric Center Brothers Alexians, Provinciesteenweg 408, 2530 Boechout, Belgium.
Lise
L
Docx
Psychiatric Center Brothers Alexians, Provinciesteenweg 408, 2530 Boechout, Belgium; Psychiatric Center Brothers Alexians, Provinciesteenweg 408, 2530 Boechout, Belgium.
Manuel
M
Morrens
Psychiatric Center Brothers Alexians, Provinciesteenweg 408, 2530 Boechout, Belgium; University Psychiatric Center, St Norbertushuis, Stationstraat 22c, 2570 Duffel, Belgium.
Bernard
B
Sabbe
Psychiatric Center Brothers Alexians, Provinciesteenweg 408, 2530 Boechout, Belgium; Department of Clinical Psychology, Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition (LIBC), Leiden University, Wassenaarseweg 52, 2333 AK Leiden, The Netherlands.
Ellen R A
ER
de Bruijn
D000328:Adult; D005246:Feedback; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D007858:Learning / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D010775:Photic Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy*; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D012648:Self Care / Q000523:psychology*; D012649:Self Concept; D055815:Young Adult
Action monitoring; Error observation; Error-related negativity (ERN); Feedback-related negativity (FRN); Joint Simon task; Observed error-related negativity (oERN); Schizophrenia