The relationship of emotion recognition with neuropsychological performance in patients with first episode psychosis

The relationship between neuropsychological dysfunction and emotion perception has been frequently noted in various studies. Attention, for example, has been found to play an important role in emotion processing and recognition. Not many studies though, have examined this relationship in first psychotic episode patients. The aim of the present study was to explore the nature of the relation between performance in cognitive tests and a test that measures emotion perception. In a sample of 46 first psychotic episode patients (22 male), we administered a comprehensive battery of neuropsychological non-verbal tests and an emotion recognition test. The cognitive domains of attention, memory, working memory, visuospatial ability and executive function were examined, by using specific tests of the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB). The emotion recognition assessment comprised a new test that includes 35 coloured pictures of individuals expressing six basic emotions (happiness, sadness, anger, disgust, surprise, fear) and a neutral emotion. We used partial correlation–controlling for the effect of age–and we found a statistically significant relationship between emotion recognition and overall cognitive performance. More specifically, attention, visual memory and visuospatial ability positively correlated with emotion recognition. In regard to specific cognitive domains, attention positively correlated with anger and fear, whereas visual memory correlated with happiness and fear. In conclusion, it seems that the role of underlying visual processes in emotion perception has to be further examined and evaluated in this group of patients.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.</jats:sec

No effect of cognitive performance on post-intervention improvement in emotion recognition

Deficits in emotion perception in patients with first episode of psychosis have been reported by many researchers. Till now, training programs have focused mainly in patients with schizophrenia and not in first psychotic episode (FEP) patients. We used a new intervention for facial affect recognition in a group of 35 FEP patients (26 male). The emotion recognition intervention included coloured pictures of individuals expressing six basic emotions (happiness, sadness, anger, disgust, surprise, fear) and a neutral emotion. The patients were trained to detect changes in facial features, according to the emotion displayed. A comprehensive battery of neuropsychological tests was also administered, measuring attention, memory, working memory, visuospatial ability and executive function by using specific tests of the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB). We tried to explore whether cognitive performance can explain the difference noted between the original assessment of emotion recognition and the post-intervention assessment. According to our data, overall cognitive performance did not correlate with post-intervention change in emotion recognition. Specific cognitive domains did not correlate with this change, either. According the above mentioned results, no significant correlation between neuropsychological performance and post-intervention improvement in emotion recognition was noted. This finding may suggest that interventions for emotion recognition may target specific processes that underlie emotion perception and their effect can be independent of general cognitive function.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.</jats:sec

Impact of oral lesions among South African adults with HIV/AIDS on oral health-related quality of life

AbstractBackground/purposeThis study examined the association between oral conditions in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immune-deficiency syndrome (AIDS) patients and the oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) among South African adults.Materials and methodsParticipants consisted of 175 HIV-positive adults who visited Johannesburg Hospital's outpatient HIV clinic. A systematic oral examination recorded the presence or absence of HIV-related lesions. A structured self-administered questionnaire was used to determine participants' sociodemographic characteristics and access to dental care. It included items adapted from the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP), which measures the OHRQoL. Participants' OHIP scores were not normally distributed, thus were dichotomized as either less than or equal to the median score or greater than the median score: participants with above-median scores had a poorer OHRQoL. The data analysis included a multivariable-adjusted logistic regression analysis.ResultsIn total, 109 (62.3%) subjects had multiple oral lesions. Those with more than two lesions were significantly more likely to report a poorer OHRQoL. Presenting with pseudomembranous candidiasis or erythematous candidal lesions, being female, and having visited a dentist in the last year were significantly associated with a poorer OHRQoL.ConclusionOral candidal lesions were the most strongly associated with a poorer OHRQoL among the studied adult South African population living with HIV/AIDS

Neonatal brain and physiological reactivity in preschoolers: An initial investigation in an Asian sample

10.1016/j.jpsychires.2021.11.010Journal of Psychiatric Research146219-22