Social cognition over time in individuals at clinical high risk for psychosis: Findings from the NAPLS-2 cohort

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Danijela Piskulic, University of Calgary; Lu Liu, University of Calgary; Kristin S. Cadenhead, University of California San Diego; Tyrone D. Cannon, Yale University; Barbara A. Cornblatt, Zucker Hillside Hospital; Thomas H. McGlashan, Yale University; Diana O. Perkins, University of North Carolina; Larry J. Seidman, Harvard Medical School; Ming T. Tsuang, University of California San Diego; Elaine Walker, Emory University; Scott W. Woods, Yale University; Carrie E. Bearden, University of California; Daniel H. Mathalon, University of California; Jean Addington, University of Calgary
• Language: English
• Date: 2016-03
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Publication Version: Author Accepted Manuscript (After Peer Review)
• Copyright Statement: © 2016 Elsevier B.V. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
• License: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.schres.2016.01.017
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: Schizophrenia Research
• ISSN: 0920-9964
• Volume: 171
• Issue: 1-3
• Start Page: 176
• End Page: 181
• Grant/Funding Information: Participants were recruited as part of the multi-site NIMH funded NAPLS 2 that consisted of 764 CHR individuals (436 males, 328 females) and 280 HCs (141 males, 139 females) recruited across the eight NAPLS 2 sites.
• Keywords: Social perception; Emotion perception; Psychosis; Theory of mind; Clinical high risk; Social cognition
• Research Categories: Psychology, Social; Biology, Genetics

Abstract

Deficits in social cognition are well established in schizophrenia and have been observed prior to the illness onset. Compared to healthy controls (HCs), individuals at clinical high risk of psychosis (CHR) are said to show deficits in social cognition similar to those observed in patients experiencing a first episode of psychosis. These deficits have been observed in several domains of social cognition, such as theory of mind (ToM), emotion perception and social perception. In the current study, the stability of three domains of social cognition (ToM, social perception and facial emotion perception) was assessed over time along and their association with both clinical symptoms and the later development of psychosis. Six hundred and seventy-five CHR individuals and 264 HC participants completed four tests of social cognition at baseline. Of those, 160 CHR and 155 HC participants completed assessments at all three time points (baseline, 1 year and 2 years) as part of their participation in the North American Prodrome Longitudinal Study. The CHR group performed poorer on all tests of social cognition across all time points compared to HCs. Social cognition was not associated with attenuated positive symptoms at any time point in the study. CHR individuals who developed a psychotic disorder during the course of the study did not differ in social cognition compared to those who did not develop psychosis. This longitudinal study demonstrated mild to moderate, but persistent ToM and social perception impairments in those at CHR for psychosis compared to HCs.