Specificity of facial emotion recognition impairments in patients with multi-episode schizophrenia

Background Patients with schizophrenia show impairments in social information processing, such as recognising facial emotions and face identity. Goal The aim of this study was to explore whether these impairments represent specific deficits or are part of a more general cognitive dysfunction. Method Forty-two patients with schizophrenia and 42 matched controls were compared on facial emotion and face identity recognition versus (non-social) abstract pattern recognition, using three tasks of the Amsterdam Neuropsychological Tasks (ANT) program. Results Patients were slower than controls in social information processing as well as in (non-social) abstract pattern recognition. Patients were also less accurate than controls in processing social information, but not in recognition of abstract patterns. Differences between patients and controls were most substantial for facial emotion recognition compared to both face identity recognition (speed) and non-social pattern recognition (speed and accuracy). Finally, differences between patients and controls were largest for the recognition of negative emotions. Conclusion Compared to controls patients with schizophrenia displayed more difficulties in processing of social information compared to non-social information. These results support the hypothesis that facial emotion recognition impairment is a relatively distinct entity within the domain of cognitive dysfunction in schizophrenia.