title: Social cognition and prefrontal hemodynamic responses during a working memory task in schizophrenia.
abstract: Social cognition is an important determinant of functional impairment in schizophrenia, but its relationship with the prefrontal functional abnormalities associated with the condition is still unclear. The present study aimed to explore the relationship between social cognition and prefrontal function in patients with schizophrenia using 52-channel near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS). Twenty-six patients with schizophrenia and 26 age-, gender-, and intelligence quotient-matched healthy controls (HCs) participated in the study. Hemodynamic responses in the prefrontal and superior temporal cortical regions were assessed during a working memory task using NIRS. Social cognition was assessed using the Social Cognition Screening Questionnaire (SCSQ). The observed hemodynamic responses were significantly reduced in the lateral prefrontal cortex (PFC), the frontopolar cortex, and temporal regions in subjects with schizophrenia compared to HCs. Additionally, lateral PFC hemodynamic responses assessed during the working memory task demonstrated a strong positive correlation with the SCSQ theory of mind (ToM) subscale score even after controlling for working memory performance. These results suggest that ToM integrity is closely related to lateral PFC functional abnormalities found in patients with schizophrenia. In addition, this study provides evidence to suggest that NIRS could be used to identify biomarkers of social cognition function in subjects with schizophrenia.
authors.affiliation: Division of Neuropsychiatry, Department of Brain and Neuroscience, Tottori University Faculty of Medicine: 36-1 Nishi-cho, Yonago, Tottori, Japan.
authors.forename: Shenghong
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pu
authors.affiliation: National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry: 4-1-1 Ogawa-Higashi, Kodaira, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Kazuyuki
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nakagome
authors.affiliation: Division of Psychiatry, Kurayoshi Hospital, 43 Yamane, Kurayoshi, Japan.
authors.forename: Takeshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yamada
authors.affiliation: Division of Neuropsychiatry, Department of Brain and Neuroscience, Tottori University Faculty of Medicine: 36-1 Nishi-cho, Yonago, Tottori, Japan.
authors.forename: Masashi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Itakura
authors.affiliation: Division of Neuropsychiatry, Department of Brain and Neuroscience, Tottori University Faculty of Medicine: 36-1 Nishi-cho, Yonago, Tottori, Japan.
authors.forename: Takehiko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yamanashi
authors.affiliation: Division of Psychiatry, Kurayoshi Hospital, 43 Yamane, Kurayoshi, Japan.
authors.forename: Sayaka
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yamada
authors.affiliation: Division of Neuropsychiatry, Department of Brain and Neuroscience, Tottori University Faculty of Medicine: 36-1 Nishi-cho, Yonago, Tottori, Japan.
authors.forename: Mieko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Masai
authors.affiliation: Division of Neuropsychiatry, Department of Brain and Neuroscience, Tottori University Faculty of Medicine: 36-1 Nishi-cho, Yonago, Tottori, Japan.
authors.forename: Akihiko
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Miura
authors.affiliation: Division of Neuropsychiatry, Department of Brain and Neuroscience, Tottori University Faculty of Medicine: 36-1 Nishi-cho, Yonago, Tottori, Japan.
authors.forename: Takahira
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yamauchi
authors.affiliation: Division of Neuropsychiatry, Department of Brain and Neuroscience, Tottori University Faculty of Medicine: 36-1 Nishi-cho, Yonago, Tottori, Japan.
authors.forename: Takahiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Satake
authors.affiliation: Division of Neuropsychiatry, Department of Brain and Neuroscience, Tottori University Faculty of Medicine: 36-1 Nishi-cho, Yonago, Tottori, Japan.
authors.forename: Masaaki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Iwata
authors.affiliation: Division of Neuropsychiatry, Department of Brain and Neuroscience, Tottori University Faculty of Medicine: 36-1 Nishi-cho, Yonago, Tottori, Japan.
authors.forename: Izumi
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Nagata
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, The University of Texas Health Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, USA.
authors.forename: David L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Roberts
authors.affiliation: Division of Neuropsychiatry, Department of Brain and Neuroscience, Tottori University Faculty of Medicine: 36-1 Nishi-cho, Yonago, Tottori, Japan.
authors.forename: Koichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kaneko
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006439:Hemodynamics / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008570:Memory, Short-Term / Q000502:physiology*; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000502:physiology; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012917:Social Adjustment; D012919:Social Behavior; D019265:Spectroscopy, Near-Infrared; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires