A Correlation Study Of Eye Expression Recognition And Social Functioning In Schizophrenic Patients

Objective Facial expression is a main source of socially associative information that is needed for adequate actions. Eye is one of the most important parts when facial emotions are recognized. Recognizing eye emotions , a important part of emotional cognition,is a cognitive ability to identify other emotional status by getting their eye cues. As a social cognition it is focused increasingly by researchers to explore the pathomechanism that contributes to impaired social function in schizophrenia .We compared eye expression recognition in stable outpatients with schizophrenia with that in normal controls and explore the relationships between eye expression recognition and social functioning to give a base for recovery of emotional cognition.Methods 107 stable schizophrenic outpatients and 66 normal controls matched in age, gender and years of education were assessed with Eye Basic Emotion Discrimination Task(EBEDT) and Eye Complex Emotion Discrimination Task(ECEDT). The ability was compared to recognize eye emotions for two groups. The patients were also assessed with Social Disability Screening Schedule (SDSS) and Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS).The correlations between the ability to recognize eye emotion and social function was analyzed in the patients.Results The correct numbers were significantly lower for patients to identify complex emotions of eye expressions (17.9±4.3 vs.20.6±3.5,P<0.01) than those for controls,the correct numbers to identify basic emotions of eye expressions, anger, fear and disgust for patients (13.2±3.8, 2.1±1.2, 1.3±1.0, 1.4±1.2, respectively) were lower than those for controls (16.0±2.6,3.1±1.0,1.8±1.0,1.8±1.1,respectively) significantly (P<0.01-0.05). The correct numbers to identify sad and anger for patients with paranoid schizophrenia (2.7±1.3,2.3±1.0, respectively)were higher than those for patients with undifferentiated schizophrenia (2.1±1.4,1.6±1.2, respectively) significantly(all P<0.05). No significant difference were found on the total correct numbers of EBEDT and ECEDT and false numbers to misidentify gender from eyes (all P>0.05) between the two patient groups. Correlation analysis showed that the total scores and subscores of SDSS were not correlated with years of education,duration of illness and dosage of medicine in the patients (all P>0.05). After controlling age and total score of PANSS, the numbers to identify total basic emotions in eye expressions were negatively correlated with the total scores (r=-0.335,P<0.05)and the subscores of social withdrawal (r=-0.407,P<0.05),outer world action (r=-0.406,P<0.05)and responsibility and planning(r=-0.491,P<0.01) of SDSS, and those to identify total complex emotions were negatively correlated with the total scores of SDSS (r=-0.374,P<0.05 and the factor scores of social withdrawal (r=-0.495,P<0.01),outer world action(r=-0.361,P<0.05) ,care of oneself (r=-0.501,P<0.01)and responsibility and planning(r=-0.422,P<0.01)respectively in the patients.Conclusion The ability to recognize basic and complicated emotions in eye expressions in the stable outpatients with schizophrenia is impaired. The capacity to identify emotions is correlated with social functioning in the patients, which implies emotion recognition training is important in social rehabilitation in schizophrenic patients.