Social cognition and real-life functioning in patient samples with 22q11.2 deletion syndrome with or without psychosis, compared to a large sample of patients with schizophrenia only and healthy controls.

Patients with the 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (DS) show an increased risk of developing a psychotic illness lifetime. 22q11.2DS may represent a reliable model for studying the neurobiological underpinnings of schizophrenia. The study of social inference abilities in a genetic condition at high risk for psychosis, like 22q11.2DS, may shed light on the relationships between neurocognitive processes and patients' daily general functioning. The study sample consisted of 1736 participants, divided into four groups: 22q11.2DS patients with diagnosis of psychotic disorder (DEL SCZ, N = 20); 22q11.2DS subjects with no diagnosis of psychosis (DEL, N = 43); patients diagnosed with schizophrenia without 22q11.2DS (SCZ, N = 893); and healthy controls (HC, N = 780). Social cognition was assessed through The Awareness of Social Inference Test (TASIT) and general functioning through the Specific Levels of Functioning (SLoF) scale. We analysed data through regression analysis. The SCZ and DEL groups had similar levels of global functioning; they both had significantly lower SLoF Total scores than HC (p < .001); the DEL SCZ group showed significantly lower scores compared to the other groups (SCZ, p = .004; DEL, p = .003; HC, p < .001). A significant deficit in social cognition was observed in the three clinical groups. In the DEL SCZ and SCZ groups, TASIT scores significantly predicted global functioning (p < .05). Our findings of social cognition deficit in psychosis-prone patients point to the possible future adoption of rehabilitation programmes, like Social Skills Training and Cognitive Remediation, during premorbid stages of psychosis.

Similar grey matter abnormalities in 22q11.2DS and chronic schizophrenia: a voxel-based morphometry study.

BACKGROUND: The 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome (22q11.2DS) is considered the most reliable biological model to study genetic vulnerability to schizophrenia. It appears useful to investigate neuroanatomical characteristics of people with 22q11.2DS compared to chronic schizophrenia and healthy controls. METHODS: The sample consisted of 16 individuals with a diagnosis of schizophrenia for over 10 years (SCZ>10), 14 with a diagnosis for less than 10 years (SCZ≤10), 11 patients with 22q11.2DS with no diagnosis of psychotic disorder (DEL, n=11) and 19 healthy controls (HCs, n=19). Global intelligence (IQ) was evaluated for all subjects. Voxel-Based Morphometry (VBM) was employed to investigate potential differences between groups in grey matter volumes. RESULTS: VBM located the most significant difference between SCZ and HCs in the left medial frontal gyrus, where SCZ>10 group showed a significant reduction of grey matter volume; the same cluster resulted significantly decreased in DEL group compared to HCs as well. Despite the extensive grey matter abnormalities observed in 22q11.2DS, the DEL group showed the only significant differences compared to the SCZ>10 group in the right lingual gyrus volumes. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the small sample, our study identified a common area of grey matter loss both in idiopathic schizophrenia and 22q11.2DS.

Recognition of facial emotion expressions and perceptual processes in 22q11.2 deletion syndrome.

BACKGROUND: Social cognition (SC) deficits and of its facial emotion expression (FEE) component have been described in 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome (22q11.2DS), a high-risk for schizophrenia (SCZ) systemic genetic syndrome. Correlations between deficits in FEE skills and visual-spatial abilities in people with 22q11.2DS warrant investigation. METHODS: The sample consisted of 37 patients with 22q11.2DS (DEL), 19 with 22q11.2DS and psychosis (DEL-SCZ), 23 with idiopathic SCZ, and 48 healthy controls. We assessed FEE through The Ekman 60 Faces test (EK-F60), visual-spatial skills with Raven's Standard Progressive Matrices, and symptom severity with the positive And negative syndrome scale. Statistics were conducted through multivariate analysis of variance and correlation analysis. RESULTS: Patients with 22q11.2DS performed worse that the other groups in recognizing Surprise, Disgust, Rage, Fear, and Neutral expressions on the EK-F60. Recognition of Surprise and Disgust correlated positively with visual-spatial abilities in patients with 22q11.2DS; negative and cognitive symptoms correlated negatively with recognition of Sadness, Surprise, and Disgust. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with 22q11.2DS show impairments of both peripheral and central steps of the emotional recognition process, leading to SC deficits. The latter are present regardless of the presence of a full-blown psychosis.

Structural Cerebellar Abnormalities and Parkinsonism in Patients with 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome.

Background: The phenotypic expression of 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11.2DS) is variable and may include cognitive, psychiatric, and neurological manifestations, e.g., parkinsonism. We investigated brain structural alterations in patients with 22q11.2DS with and without parkinsonism (Park+ and Park-) in comparison with healthy controls (HCs). Methods: Voxel-based morphometry was performed on 3D T1-weighted MR images to explore gray matter volume (GMV) differences between 29 patients (15 Park+, 14 Park-), selected from a consecutive series of 56 adults diagnosed with 22q11.2DS, and 24 HCs. One-way ANOVA and multiple linear regression analyses were performed to explore group differences in GMV and correlations between clinical scores (MDS-UPDR-III and MoCA scores) and structural alterations. Results: Significant between-group differences in GMV were found in the cerebellum, specifically in bilateral lobes VIII and left Crus II, as well as in the left superior occipital gyrus. Although both Park+ and Park- patients showed GMV decrements in these regions with respect to HCs, GMV loss in the right lobe VIII and left Crus II was greater in Park+ than in Park- patients. GMV loss did not correlate with clinical scores. Conclusions: Patients with 22q11.2DS and parkinsonism manifest specific cerebellar volume alterations, supporting the hypothesis of neurodegenerative processes in specific cerebellar regions as a putative pathophysiological mechanism responsible for parkinsonism in patients with 22q11.2DS.

Gender modulation of psychopathological dimensions associated to suicidality.

OBJECTIVES: The dimensional approach to psychopathology has been proposed to reliably evaluate suicidality. Potential gender modulation of psychopathological dimensions associated to suicide attempts was investigated. METHODS: 91 subjects who committed a near-lethal suicide (SA group) and 374 who did not (nSA group) were recruited in a Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit regardless of their categorical diagnosis. The Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D), the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale - Expanded version (BPRS-E) and the Scale for Rapid Dimensional Evaluation (SVARAD) were administered at the admission. A Factorial Multivariate ANOVA was conducted according to General Linear Model: Sex and Suicidality were input as fixed factors, HAM-D, BPRS-E and SVARAD scores as dependent variables. RESULTS: Men with SA (MSA) displayed significant lower scores in SVARAD Activation dimension compared to women with SA (FSA) (p=0.049), men without SA (MnSA) (p<0.001) and women without SA (FnSA) (p<0.001). Both SA groups displayed significant higher scores compared to nSA groups in regard of Depression item (BPRS-E) (p<0,001). The MSA group displayed significant lower scores in Psychomotor agitation (HAM-D) compared to FSA (p=0,044), MnSA (p<0,001) and FnSA (p<0,001). CONCLUSIONS: By means of multifactorial statistics sex resulted a moderator of the relation between activation/agitation and suicidality, despite categorical diagnosis.

The importance of suicide risk assessment in patients affected by neurofibromatosis.

OBJECTIVE: Neurofibromatosis 1 (NF1) is a chronic medical disease that often presents with psychiatric disorders. We investigated suicidal ideation in NF1 patients compared to healthy controls. We also evaluated whether hopelessness, depressive symptoms and perceived disability may mediate suicidal ideation in patients with NF1. METHODS: We enrolled 60 patients with NF1 and 50 healthy controls with no history of NF1. Patients underwent a full psychiatric evaluation. Psychiatric diagnosis was made according to Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fifth edition (DSM-5) criteria. Patients and controls underwent a series of psychometric measures, namely the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale, the Beck Hopelessness Scale, the Italian Perceived Disability Scale and the Beck Depression Inventory. RESULTS: Suicidal ideation was significantly higher in patients with NF1 (45%) than in controls (10%). Patients also presented more severe perceived disability and hopelessness and more frequent psychiatric disorders than controls. Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that perceived disability was independently associated with the presence of suicidal ideation in patients with NF1. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, our results showed that suicidal ideation was present in almost half of patients with NF1, suggesting the importance of suicide assessment in these patients.Key pointsPatients with NF1 have an increased suicide ideation when compared to healthy controlsIncreased suicidal ideation correlates with perceived disability, but not with the presence of psychiatric disordersAssessment of suicidal ideation should be performed in patients with NF1.

Clozapine-induced gastroesophageal rumination in 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome. A case report on gastroesophageal side effects management without renouncing clozapine's effectiveness.

Despite entailing more severe and uncommon side effects in 22q11.2DS compared to idiopathic schizophrenia, we strongly believe that clozapine should continue to be considered the gold standard for all treatment-resistant schizophrenia, even in 22qDS.

Psychic euosmia among obsessive-compulsive personality disorder patients: A case control study.

BACKGROUND: Psychic euosmia (PE) has been described as a supposed psychological predisposition for which pleasant smells elicit an immediate sense of pleasure, order and calmness in obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (OCPD). In this study we tried to verify the interpretation that PE is the counterpart of disgust that has been associated to contamination and moral purity. Disgust and morality are significantly associated in people with obsessive-compulsive personality traits. We expected that OCPD patients would experience higher levels of PE. AIM: To investigate the PE frequency in OCPD patients and healthy controls (HC) and to evaluate the relationship between PE and disgust. METHODS: A single-center, case-control study was conducted in an outpatient service for obsessive-compulsive and related disorders. The sample consisted of 129 subjects: 45 OCPD patients and 84 HC. In both groups we submitted the Disgust Scale Revised (DS-R) and the self-report Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-5 Screening Personality Questionnaire to which we added an additional yes or no question to investigate the presence of PE. In order to verify differences between groups, t-test was employed for continuous variables and 2 test for categorical variable; odds ratio was employed to analyze group differences in the PE survey. Correlation was explored with Pearson r correlations. RESULTS: No differences were observed between groups in gender composition or education. A slight significant difference was found in mean age (t = 1.988; P = 0.049). The present study revealed significantly higher proportions of PE among OCPD patients when compared to HC (OR: 5.3, 2.28-12.46). Patients with OCPD were more likely to report PE (n = 36; 80%) whereas a much lower proportion endorsed PE in the HC group (n = 36; 42.9%). Interestingly, no differences were observed between groups in mean score for the Disgust Scale. There was also no difference between the two groups in any of the Disgust Scale Revised subscales. Moreover, no significant correlations were observed in the OCPD group between PE and Disgust Scale Revised subscales. CONCLUSION: Results suggested that PE might be part of the clinical spectrum of OCPD, and it does not reflect the counterpart of disgust. This could also indicate that this phenomenon is a manifestation of orderliness or incompleteness. Further studies will need to be undertaken to better understand PE and its significance in OCPD.

Prevalence of antipsychotic-induced extrapyramidal symptoms and their association with neurocognition and social cognition in outpatients with schizophrenia in the "real-life".

First generation antipsychotics (FGAs) are more likely to induce extrapyramidal side-effects (EPS) than second generation antipsychotics (SGAs), and EPS have been shown associated to cognitive deficits in schizophrenia. So far, no study has explored the relationships between EPS and social cognition (SC) in people with schizophrenia. Therefore, we assessed the prevalence of EPS in a large sample of drug-treated community-dwelling persons with schizophrenia and explored their relationships with patients' neurocognitive and SC abilities. 875 patients underwent EPS, psychopathological, neurocognitive and SC assessments by means of standardized measures. Relationships between EPS, psychopathology and neurocognitive and SC measures were investigated by correlation tests. Moreover, a partial correlation network was computed by means of a network analysis. 256 patients were treated with FGAs alone or in combination with SGA and 619 with SGAs. EPS were significantly more frequent in FGA-treated group than in the SGA-treated one. Patients with EPS disclosed a more severe psychopathology and were more impaired in neurocognitive and SC measures compared to those without EPS. Disorganization, expressive deficit, and duration of illness were significantly associated to both neurocognitive and SC measures while EPS were associated to neurocognitive measures only. The network analysis showed that parkinsonism was the sole EPS directly connected to both psychopathological and neurocognitive indices whereas no direct connection emerged between EPS and SC measures. Present findings confirm that EPS are still present in the era of SGAs and contribute, together with other clinical variables, to the neurocognitive but not to the SC impairment of patients with schizophrenia.

Social cognition deficit and genetic vulnerability to schizophrenia in 22q11 deletion syndrome.

INTRODUCTION: 22q11.2 microdeletion syndrome (22q11DS) is associated with a 25% risk of psychotic onset. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The sample consist of 120 subjects: 39 schizophrenics (SCZ); 20 siblings of schizophrenic patients (SIB); 34 22q11DS non-psychotic patients (DEL); 17 22q11DS psychotic patients (DEL_scz); 30 control subjects (CS). Social cognition was evaluated with the awareness of social interference test. Intelligence Quotient (IQ) was calculated with Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale. TASIT (Awareness of Social Inference Test) performance was analyzed via MANOVA, including IQ as covariate. RESULTS: Group and IQ showed significant effect (p < 0.001; p = 0.037). The only TASIT variables where IQ showed no effect were paradoxical sarcasm; sincerity; lie. In sincerity, CS group shows a better performance than both 22q11DS groups (p < 0.05). In paradoxical sarcasm and lie, CS group performed better than each clinical group (p < 0.05). Regarding lie, DEL group was worst also respect to SCZ group (p = 0.029). CONCLUSIONS: Our results show a specific social cognition deficit in 22q11DS and schizophrenia.

Myoclonic epilepsy, parkinsonism, schizophrenia and left-handedness as common neuropsychiatric features in 22q11.2 deletion syndrome.

BACKGROUND: 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11.2DS) is considered as the genetic model of schizophrenia. However, its polymorphic nature has led researchers to further investigate its neuropsychiatric manifestations. METHODS: We enrolled 56 adults (38 men, 18 women) diagnosed with 22q11.2DS. All subjects were evaluated by a multidisciplinary team. The neuropsychiatric features were investigated by means of clinical and neurophysiological evaluation (video-EEG). RESULTS: Thirty per cent of our patients were left-handed. Fifty-eight per cent had a low IQ, and 22 of 56 subjects had psychotic disorders (13 of 22 with schizophrenia). Eighteen patients reported at least one seizure in their lifetime, and ten were diagnosed with epilepsy; among them, seven had genetic generalised epilepsy (GGE), and five of seven showed features suggestive of juvenile myoclonic epilepsy (JME). Video-EEG recordings revealed generalised epileptiform abnormalities in 24 of 56 cases. Besides, only one patient with epilepsy had a cardiac malformation. Lastly, 31 of 56 subjects presented with parkinsonism, 16 of whom were taking neuroleptics. None of the 15 patients with parkinsonism not related to neuroleptic therapy was diagnosed with epilepsy, compared with 6 of those taking antipsychotics. CONCLUSIONS: 22q11.2DS is characterised by left-handedness and neuropsychiatric features such as cognitive impairment, schizophrenia, epilepsy and parkinsonism. GGE, mostly the JME phenotype, is the predominant epilepsy type. The significant association between 22q11.2DS and parkinsonian features confirms these patients' genetic susceptibility to parkinsonism. Despite the lack of any conclusive evidence, our study suggests a possible relationship between the analysed clinical variables: (1) an inverse correlation between low IQ/psychosis/epilepsy and major cardiac diseases; (2) a direct association between psychosis and both mental delay and epilepsy; and (3) an inverse correlation between parkinsonism and epilepsy.

Genetic and clinical features of social cognition in 22q11.2 deletion syndrome.

22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11.2 DS) is widely known as one of the most compelling genetic models of schizophrenia so far, being almost 40% of the carriers affected by psychotic symptoms. Moreover, most of these subjects also show impairment in social cognition, which is a comprehensive array of function that guides social interaction with the others, leading as well to the acquisition of new cognitive and social skills. In the last decade researchers have argued whether social cognition dysfunctions could be underlined by specific genetic alterations, and whether these are linked to specific clinical features. Some valid candidate genes are RTN4R, that encodes a protein which inhibits axonal sprouting, DGCR8, crucial in mRNA processing, or catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) and proline oxydase 1 (PRODH), involved in catecholamine metabolism in frontal cortex. This is the first article to address the topic of social cognition in 22q11.2 DS from a wide perspective, with a highlight on its genetic characteristics. We will provide a narrative review of the most recent findings and we will point out new directions on this research path, in order to achieve an effective characterization of the neurobiological system underlying social behavior.

Attentional functioning in individuals with 22q11 deletion syndrome: insight from ERPs.

The 22q11 deletion syndrome (22q11DS), or DiGeorge syndrome (DG), is one of the most common genetic deletion syndromes. DG also carries a high risk for psychiatric disorders, with learning disabilities frequently being reported. Impairments in specific cognitive domains, such as executive functioning and attention, have also been described. The aim of this study was to investigate attentional functioning in a group of subjects with DG using ERPs, and in particular the P300 and CNV components. We studied ten patients with DG and ten healthy subjects that performed a P300 Novelty task and a CNV motor task. P3b amplitude was significantly lower in patients than in controls, while P3b latency was comparable in patients and controls. The P3a parameters were similar in both groups. All CNV amplitudes were significantly lower in DG patients than in controls. DG patients displayed slower reaction times in the CNV motor task than healthy subjects. These results point to a cognitive dysfunction related above all to executive attentional processing in DG patients. In particular, a specific difficulty emerged in selective attention and in the ability to orient and to sustain the anticipatory attention required for an executive motor response.

Negative functional brain networks.

The anticorrelations in fMRI measurements are still not well characterized, but some new evidences point to a possible physiological role. We explored the topology of functional brain networks characterized by negative edgess and their possible alterations in schizophrenia, using functional images of 8 healthy subjects and 8 schizophrenic patients in a resting state condition. In order to minimize the insertion of artifactual negative correlations, the preprocessing of images was carried out by the CompCorr procedure, and the results compared with the Global Signal Regression (GSR) procedure. The degree distribution, the centrality, the efficiency and the rich-club behavior were used to characterize the functional brain network with negative links of healthy controls in comparison with schizophrenic patients. The results show that functional brain networks with both positive and negative values have a truncated power-law degree distribution. Moreover, although functional brain networks characterized by negative values have not small-world topology, they show a specific disassortative configuration: the more connected nodes tend to have fewer connections between them. This feature is lost using the GSR procedure. Finally, the comparison with schizophrenic patients showed a decreased (local and global) efficiency associated to a decreased connectivity among central nodes. As a conclusion, functional brain networks characterized by negative values, despite lacking a well defined topology, show specific features, different from random, and indicate an implication in the alterations associated to schizophrenia.

Cannabis use related to early psychotic onset: Role of premorbid function.

The present cross-sectional study investigates the relation between Cannabis and the development of a psychotic disorder. The main objective is to explore the relations between Cannabis use and psychosis onset, premorbid adjustment cognitive impairment and familiarity. Forty-three patients with a diagnosis of Psychotic Disorder were recruited and divided in two groups based on Cannabis use before onset: Cannabis-using patients (PCU, N=21) and Cannabis-free patients (PCF, N=22). Cognitive functioning was evaluated by Trail Making Test A and B (TMT), Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure Test (ROCF), and the Rey Auditory-Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT). Premorbid functioning was assessed retrospectively through the Premorbid Adjustment Scale (PAS). PCU group showed earlier onset of the psychotic disorder compared to PCF (p=0.008). This finding was not influenced by age or positive family history for psychiatric illness. PCU subjects showed a worse premorbid functioning respect to PCF and this difference was found to impact on the early onset in the PCU group. In conclusion the present study suggests the hypothesis of an interactive role of Cannabis and poor premorbid school adjustment in the development of psychotic disorders.

Persistence or recurrence of non-psychotic comorbid mental disorders associated with 6-year poor functional outcomes in patients at ultra high risk for psychosis.

BACKGROUND: Patients at ultra-high risk for psychosis (UHR) are a highly heterogeneous group in terms of clinical and functional outcomes. Several non-psychotic mental disorders co-occur together with the UHR state. Little is known about the impact of non-psychotic comorbid mental disorders on clinical and functional outcomes of UHR patients. METHODS: The sample included 154 UHR help-seeking patients (identified with the CAARMS, comprehensive assessment of the at-risk mental state), evaluated at baseline on the Ham-D, Ham-A (Hamilton depression/anxiety rating scale), and PANSS (positive and negative syndrome scale). 74 patients completed the 6-year follow-up assessment (mean=6.19, SD=1.87). Comorbid disorders at follow-up were assessed with the SCID I and II. Global functioning was rated on the global assessment of functioning (GAF) scale. RESULTS: In the present sample, 6-year risk of psychosis transition was 28.4%. Among non-transitioned UHR patients, 28.3% reported attenuated psychotic symptoms (APS) and 45.3% remained functionally impaired at follow-up (GAF<60). 56.8% patients were affected by at least one comorbid disorder at follow-up. Among UHR patients who presented with some comorbid disorder at baseline, 61.5% had persistent or recurrent course. Incident comorbid disorders emerged in 45.4% of baseline UHR patients. The persistence or recurrence of non-psychotic comorbid mental disorders was associated with poorer global functional outcomes at follow-up. LIMITATIONS: A substantial proportion of the initial sample was not available for follow-up interviews and some groups in the analyses had small sample size. Predictors of longitudinal outcomes were not explored. CONCLUSIONS: Among UHR patients, persistence or recurrence of non-psychotic comorbid mental disorders, mostly affective disorders, is associated with 6-year poor functional outcomes.

Why are help-seeking subjects at ultra-high risk for psychosis help-seeking?

In addition to attenuated psychotic symptoms, individuals at high clinical risk of developing psychosis display a wide range of psychopathological features. Some of these may be subjectively perceived as more troubling than others and may therefore be more likely to trigger help-seeking behavior. We aimed at investigating the nature and prevalence of symptoms subjectively considered most distressing by high-risk individuals at the time of their presentation to early recognition services and to determine their impact on baseline and longitudinal functional and clinical outcomes. The clinical records of 221 clients meeting ultra-high risk (UHR) criteria and receiving care at a specialized early intervention service ("Outreach and Support in South London") between 2001 and 2011 were reviewed. Main outcome measures were reason to seek help as subjectively reported by the clients, comorbid DSM-IV SCID diagnoses, transition to psychosis, psychosocial functioning at baseline and after a median follow-up period of 4.5 years. Affective symptoms, i.e., depression and/or anxiety, were the most commonly reported subjective reasons to seek help (47.1%). Sub-threshold psychotic symptoms were reported by 39.8%. There was no significant association between subjective complaints at presentation and transition to psychosis. However, the group reporting affective symptoms as their main subjective reason to seek help at baseline had a significantly poorer longitudinal outcome in psychosocial functioning relative to the group reporting sub-threshold psychotic symptoms. Assessment of subjective complaints in UHR individuals at initial presentation may help to identify predictors of future functional outcome and tailor treatments accordingly.

[Functional magnetic resonance imaging in subjects at high risk for schizophrenia: a review]. / La risonanza magnetica funzionale nei soggetti ad alto rischio per la schizofrenia.

Functional magnetic resonance (fMRI) has an important role in the study of the vulnerability to psychosis: it is an essential tool to search for endophenotypes that can let us to understand the pathophysiological mechanisms of schizophrenia and increase the ability to predict the onset of the illness. In this review are summarized results of the fMRI studies conducted on individuals at enhanced risk for developing psychosis, for clinical or genetic reasons. The cerebral activity in this kind of subjects appear in most cases more similar to that of individuals affected than to that of normal controls; this increases the possibility, in the future, for a diagnostic role of the cerebral activation. Nevertheless the technology is too young and the studies are too heterogeneous to reach conclusive results.

Medial frontal gyrus alterations in schizophrenia: relationship with duration of illness and executive dysfunction.

Executive functioning is consistently impaired in schizophrenia, and it has been associated with reduced gray matter volume in prefrontal areas. Abnormalities in prefrontal brain regions have also been related to the illness duration. The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of executive functioning decline and chronicity in prefrontal regions of patients with schizophrenia. Participants comprised 33 schizophrenic patients, 18 with duration of illness (DoI) shorter than 10 years and 15 with duration of illness longer than 10 years. In addition, 24 healthy controls served as a comparison group. Participants performed the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) and underwent structural magnetic resonance imaging. Patients with longer DoI showed significant reduction of gray matter volume in the left medial frontal gyrus compared with healthy controls. Moreover, there was a trend for greater gray matter volume decrease in patients with a longer illness duration compared with patients with shorter illness duration. There was no interaction between the volume of the left medial frontal gyrus performance on the WCST. The present study supports the hypothesis that medial frontal gyrus alterations in schizophrenia are sensitive to duration of illness. These alterations were not associated with executive functioning.

Neurofunctional maps of the 'maternal brain' and the effects of oxytocin: a multimodal voxel-based meta-analysis.

Several studies have tried to understand the possible neurobiological basis of mothering. The putative involvement of oxytocin, in this regard, has been deeply investigated. Performing a voxel-based meta-analysis, we aimed at testing the hypothesis of overlapping brain activation in functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies investigating the mother-infant interaction and the oxytocin modulation of emotional stimuli in humans. We performed two systematic literature searches: fMRI studies investigating the neurofunctional correlates of the 'maternal brain' by employing mother-infant paradigms; and fMRI studies employing oxytocin during emotional tasks. A unimodal voxel-based meta-analysis was performed on each database, whereas a multimodal voxel-based meta-analytical tool was adopted to assess the hypothesis that the neurofunctional effects of oxytocin are detected in brain areas implicated in the 'maternal brain.' We found greater activation in the bilateral insula extending to the inferior frontal gyrus, basal ganglia and thalamus during mother-infant interaction and greater left insular activation associated with oxytocin administration versus placebo. Left insula extending to basal ganglia and frontotemporal gyri as well as bilateral thalamus and amygdala showed consistent activation across the two paradigms. Right insula also showed activation across the two paradigms, and dorsomedial frontal cortex activation in mothers but deactivation with oxytocin. Significant activation in areas involved in empathy, emotion regulation, motivation, social cognition and theory of mind emerged from our multimodal meta-analysis, supporting the need for further studies directly investigating the neurobiology of oxytocin in the mother-infant relationship.