Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Kah Kheng Goh, Chun-Hsin Chen, Hsien-Yuan Lane
Summary: Schizophrenia is characterized by abnormal behavior, and dysregulation of oxytocin may play a role in its expression. Studies have shown potential clinical benefits of oxytocin in improving the psychopathology of patients with schizophrenia. Oxytocin has the potential to be a therapeutic agent for schizophrenia and may have implications for future treatment.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Psychology, Clinical
Dan Foti, Greg Perlman, Evelyn J. Bromet, Philip D. Harvey, Greg Hajcak, Daniel H. Mathalon, Roman Kotov
Summary: This study examined the relationship between neural measures of performance monitoring and executive function, symptoms, and functioning in individuals with psychotic disorders. The results showed that reduced error-related negativity and error positivity were associated with impaired executive function, negative symptom severity, and poor real-world functioning in the clinical cohort. Multiple potential pathways were identified, suggesting a transdiagnostic model of psychotic disorders where poor performance monitoring contributes to impaired executive function, negative symptoms, and poor functioning.
PSYCHOLOGICAL MEDICINE
(2021)
Article
Psychiatry
L. Okruszek, M. Chrustowicz, M. Jarkiewicz, M. Krawczyk, V. Manera, A. Piejka, A. Schudy, M. Wisnievska, A. Wysokinski
Summary: Social cognitive deficits are important predictors of clinical symptoms and functional outcome in patients with schizophrenia. This study examined the mediation effect of mentalizing abilities on the association between basic social perception processes and symptoms in schizophrenia patients. The results showed that mentalizing abilities fully mediate the effects of basic social perception abilities on negative symptoms in patients.
JOURNAL OF PSYCHIATRIC RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Psychiatry
Lijuan Huo, Diyang Qu, Chenran Pei, Weibin Wu, Yuping Ning, Yongjie Zhou, Xiang Yang Zhang
Summary: This study investigated the prevalence of alexithymia in patients with schizophrenia and found that alexithymia mediated the relationship between cognitive deficits and negative symptoms. The results suggest that targeting emotion processing and cognition may be an effective way to alleviate negative symptoms.
SCHIZOPHRENIA RESEARCH
(2023)
Letter
Psychiatry
Kelsey A. Bonfils, Lauren Luther, Paul H. Lysaker
Summary: Negative symptoms are common and enduring in schizophrenia spectrum disorders, and research has shown that they are not a unitary construct but can be better represented through a two-factor model, including experiential and expressive negative symptoms. Metacognition, the process of noticing and reflecting on experiences, has been linked to negative symptoms, but its associations with specific domains need further exploration. Metacognition may be more closely associated with experiential symptoms, which involve internal experiences, while social cognition is also important but has not been compared in predicting different negative symptom domains.
SCHIZOPHRENIA RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Ellen R. Bradley, Marlene Tai, Michael Hankin, Joshua D. Woolley
Summary: While oxytocin has been shown to improve mentalizing in men with schizophrenia, it did not have the same effect in women with schizophrenia in this study, suggesting potential sex-specific effects. Higher doses of anti-dopaminergic medication were associated with a decreased response to oxytocin, consistent with previous findings in men.
HORMONES AND BEHAVIOR
(2021)
Article
Psychiatry
Ying Jin, Jie Tong, Ying Huang, Dianhong Shi, Na Zhu, Minghuan Zhu, Minjia Liu, Haijun Liu, Xirong Sun
Summary: This study aimed to investigate the efficacy of accelerated intermittent theta burst stimulation (iTBS) on social cognition and negative symptoms in individuals with schizophrenia. A total of 125 individuals with schizophrenia were recruited, and 66 participants were randomly assigned to an active iTBS group or a sham iTBS group. The results showed that accelerated iTBS can effectively improve social cognition and negative symptoms in individuals with schizophrenia.
PSYCHIATRY RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Manuel J. Cuesta, Ana M. Sanchez-Torres, Ruth Lorente-Omenaca, Lucia Moreno-Izco, Victor Peralta
Summary: This study aimed to investigate the clinical, functional, and cognitive correlates of the CAINS dimensions in patients with psychotic disorders, showing strong associations between the MAP and EXP dimensions and real-world functioning measures. The CAINS scale demonstrates good convergent validity in assessing negative symptoms and is particularly useful in predicting psychosocial functioning.
EUROPEAN ARCHIVES OF PSYCHIATRY AND CLINICAL NEUROSCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Psychiatry
Michael J. Spilka, William R. Keller, Robert W. Buchanan, James M. Gold, James I. Koenig, Gregory P. Strauss
Summary: This study investigated the relationship between plasma oxytocin (OT) levels and social cognition in individuals with schizophrenia (SZ). The results showed that lower plasma OT levels were associated with decreased accuracy in facial emotion recognition, indicating a potential role of endogenous OT in social cognitive abilities in SZ. However, there was no association between OT levels and visual attention to salient facial features. These findings highlight the importance of understanding the association between endogenous OT and social cognition in SZ for the improvement of OT-focused therapies.
ACTA PSYCHIATRICA SCANDINAVICA
(2022)
Article
Psychiatry
Kah Kheng Goh, Mong-Liang Lu
Summary: The study suggests that oxytocin levels are associated with social cognition and social dysfunction in patients with schizophrenia. Patients with schizophrenia have more deficits in social cognition and social dysfunction, along with lower plasma oxytocin levels. Plasma oxytocin levels are positively correlated with affective Theory of Mind (ToM) in patients with schizophrenia, and the effects of oxytocin on social functioning are partially mediated by affective ToM.
JOURNAL OF PSYCHIATRIC RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Neurosciences
Shiu F. Wong, Christopher Cardoso, Mark A. Orlando, Christopher A. Brown, Mark A. Ellenbogen
Summary: The study demonstrates the complex effects of oxytocin on social cognition and its regulation of depressive symptoms. Oxytocin increases the vividness of recalled memories in a social context, while it may lead to more negative memories in a non-social context, especially in individuals with elevated depressive symptoms.
SOCIAL COGNITIVE AND AFFECTIVE NEUROSCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Soojin Kim, Seong-Wook Kim, Mai Anh Thi Bui, Yeji Kim, Minsoo Kim, Jung-Cheol Park, Nam-Heon Kim, Gyeong Hee Pyeon, Yong Sang Jo, Jaewon Jang, Hae-Young Koh, Chae-Hong Jeong, Moonkyung Kang, Hyo Jung Kang, Yong-Woo Lee, Craig A. Stockmeier, Je Kyung Seong, Dong Ho Woo, Jung-Soo Han, Yeon-Soo Kim
Summary: Previous studies have shown the upregulation of SELENBP1 in the prefrontal cortex of schizophrenia patients, but no causal connection has been established. This study provides evidence linking the upregulation of SELENBP1 with negative symptoms of schizophrenia in mice. The results suggest that increased SELENBP1 levels in the prefrontal cortex lead to social withdrawal and other negative behaviors associated with schizophrenia.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Review
Clinical Neurology
Michel Sabe, Nan Zhao, Alessio Crippa, Gregory P. Strauss, Stefan Kaiser
Summary: A systematic review and meta-analysis on the effects of intranasal oxytocin for treating negative symptoms in schizophrenia showed inconsistent results, with no consistent beneficial effect found. Higher doses of oxytocin may have a beneficial effect on negative symptoms, but further studies are needed to confirm this. There was no beneficial effect of oxytocin on positive symptoms in the main meta-analysis, although a potential advantage of higher doses was suggested in the dose-response meta-analysis.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF NEUROPSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Medicine, General & Internal
Mitchell D. Arnovitz, Andrew J. Spitzberg, Ashkhan J. Davani, Nehal P. Vadhan, Julie Holland, John M. Kane, Timothy Michaels
Summary: The negative symptoms of schizophrenia severely limit daily functioning, and there are currently no FDA-approved treatments for them. 3,4-Methylenedioxy methamphetamine (MDMA) has potential as a novel therapeutic due to its ability to enhance social interactions, generate empathy, and induce a state of metaplasticity in the brain. This review provides a rationale for the use of MDMA in the treatment of negative symptoms by reviewing the literature on negative symptoms, their treatment, MDMA, and MDMA-assisted therapy.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL MEDICINE
(2022)
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Dennis Boyle, Orit Levi-Shachar, Hila Z. Gvirts, Orna Zagoory-Sharon, Ruth Feldman, Yuval Bloch, Uriel Nitzan, Hagai Maoz
Summary: This study did not find a statistical correlation between the severity of ADHD symptoms and salivary OT levels in children. It suggests that impairments in the reactivity of the OT system, associated with interpersonal difficulties, may be a distinct aspect of the clinical presentation of ADHD, different from other symptoms.
PSYCHONEUROENDOCRINOLOGY
(2021)