Análisis de alteraciones del discurso en estados mentales de alto riesgo de psicosis (EMAR): una revisión sistemática / Speech disturbances analysis in ultra-high risk of psychosis (UHR): a systematic review

INTRODUCCIÓN: La necesidad de intervenir precozmente en la psicosis ha llevado a la búsqueda de biomarcadores útiles en su predicción, donde el análisis del lenguaje hablado destaca por su fácil obtención y bajo coste económico. En esta revisión sistemática se analizan las principales alteraciones del lenguaje en pacientes con riesgo ultra alto de psicosis (UHR), evaluando su prevalencia y su relación con la transición a la psicosis. MÉTODOS: Se realizó una búsqueda en las bases de datos PubMed y Embase de estudios en inglés o español, así como en las listas de referencias de los artículos encontrados. RESULTADOS: De 140 artículos identificados, se incluyeron 15. Las variables del lenguaje analizadas fueron Cohesión Lingüística, Coherencia Semántica, Complejidad Sintáctica, Producción Metafórica, Prosodia Emocional y Trastorno del Pensamiento Formal (TFP). La prevalencia encontrada osciló entre el 21% y el 85% para las alteraciones incluidas en el TFP, sin que se hayan encontrado medidas de prevalencia para el resto de las variables. La precisión global para la transición de RH a psicosis osciló entre el 70% y el 100% en todos los estudios. CONCLUSIONES: Existe un amplio abanico de alteraciones del habla en los pacientes con RHU, donde la PTF es la más estudiada. La prevalencia de estas alteraciones parece ser alta, especialmente en lo que respecta a la PTF. El análisis de esas alteraciones del habla en pacientes con RHU aparece como una excelente herramienta para predecir la transición a la psicosis, particularmente a través de la transcripción de entrevistas y el uso de la Inteligencia Artificial.

INTRODUCTION: The need for early intervention in psychosis has led to the search for useful biomarkers in its prediction, where the analysis of spoken language stands out for its easy obtaining and low economic cost. In this systematic review, we analyze the main speech disturbances in patients at ultra-high risk for psychosis (UHR), evaluating their prevalence and their relationship with transition to psychosis. METHODS: A search was carried out in PubMed and Embase databases for studies in English or Spanish, as well as the reference lists of the articles found. RESULTS: Of 140 articles identified, 15 were included. The variables of the language analyzed were Linguistic Cohesion, Semantic Coherence, Syntactic Complexity, Metaphorical Production, Emotional Prosody and Formal Thought Disorder (TFP). The prevalence found ranged between 21% and 85% for disturbances included within the TFP, with no prevalence measures for the rest of the variables. The global accuracy for UHR transition to psychosis ranged from 70% to 100% across studies. CONCLUSION: There is a wide range of speech disorders in UHR patients, where the TFP is the most studied one. The prevalence of these alterations seems to be high, especially with regard to TFP. The analysis of those speech alterations in UHR patients appears as an excellent tool to predict transition to psychosis, particularly through interview transcription and the use of Artificial Intelligence.

Aberrant Tendency of Noncurrent Emotional Experiences in Individuals at Ultra-High Risk for Psychosis

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate whether aberrant tendency of noncurrent emotion was present in individuals at ultra-high risk (UHR) for psychosis and to explore its associations with various clinical profiles. METHODS: Fifty-seven individuals at UHR and 49 normal controls were enrolled. The tendency of experiencing noncurrent emotion was assessed using various noncurrent emotional self-reported formats, including trait [Neuroticism and Extraversion of the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire], hypothetical (Chapman’s Revised Physical and Social Anhedonia Scales), and retrospective [Anhedonia-Asociality Subscale of the Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms (SANS)] measures. Self-related beliefs (Self-Perception Scale), clinical positive and negative symptoms (SA Positive Symptoms and SANS), psychosocial function (Global Functioning Scale: Role Function and Global Functioning Scale: Social Function) were also examined. RESULTS: Subjects at UHR for psychosis reported more trait unpleasant and less trait pleasant emotions, more hypothetical physical and social anhedonia, and more retrospective anhedonia than normal controls. In UHR, self-perception was correlated to trait unpleasant emotion and hypothetical physical and social anhedonia. Negative symptoms in UHR were associated with hypothetical physical anhedonia and retrospective anhedonia. Global social functioning was related to trait pleasant emotion, hypothetical physical and social anhedonia, and retrospective anhedonia. Neurocognitive function, positive symptoms, and global role functioning were not related with any noncurrent emotional experience measures in UHR. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that the aberrant tendency of noncurrent emotional experience may be present at the ‘putative’ prodromal phase and are grossly associated with self-related beliefs and psychosocial functioning but not neurocognitive functioning.

Fragile Self and Malevolent Others: Biased Attribution Styles in Individuals at Ultra-High Risk for Psychosis

OBJECTIVE: Biased attribution styles of assigning hostile intention to innocent others and placing the blame were found in schizophrenia. Attribution styles in individuals at ultra-high risk (UHR) for psychosis, however, have been less studied especially for its association with various psychological factors. We investigated whether UHR individuals show increased hostility perception and blaming bias and explored the associations of these biased styles of attribution with the factor structure of multifaceted self-related psychological variables and neurocognitive performances. METHODS: Fifty-four UHR individuals and 80 healthy controls were assessed by evaluating resilience, self-perception, self-esteem, and aberrant subjective experiences of schizotypy (physical anhedonia, social anhedonia, magical ideation, and perceptual aberration), basic symptoms, and carrying out a comprehensive neurocognitive test battery. Attribution styles were assessed using the Ambiguous Intentions Hostility Questionnaire. RESULTS: UHR individuals, compared with normal controls, showed increased hostility perception and blaming bias. Factor analysis of self-related psychological variables and neurocognitive performances in the entire subject population showed a three-factor solution, which was designated as reflective self, pre-reflective self, and neurocognition. Multiple regression analysis in UHR individuals revealed that hostility perception bias was associated with reflective self and composite blame bias was associated with reflective and pre-reflective self. CONCLUSION: This study supports the emergence of attribution biases in the putative ‘prodromal’ phase of schizophrenia. The associations of biased attribution styles with multifaceted self-related psychological constructs suggest that psychosocial interventions for biased attribution styles in UHR individuals should focus not only on reflective self but also pre-reflective self-related psychological constructs.

Ultra-High Risk for Psychosis : Clinical Characteristics and Diagnosis / 신경정신의학

Early detection is a crucial milestone in the prevention and treatment of schizophrenia spectrum psychosis, which might alter the course of schizophrenia. Currently, there are two complementary approaches to characterizing the clinical-high risk state of psychosis : the ultra-high risk (UHR) and basic symptoms criteria. Individuals at UHR have two phase-specific problems : heightened risk for the potential pathology of schizophrenia spectrum psychosis and the symptoms, distress and psychosocial functional impairment, which make them seek help. The clinical characteristics of UHR are similar to those of overt psychotic disorders in terms of psychopathological symptoms dimensions, psychosocial disability, neurocognitive and socio-cognitive impairments, history of trauma and abuse experience, lack of protective factors and dysfunctional metacognitive beliefs, and the comorbidity of psychiatric illness. Regarding the risk, the pretest risk probability of a psychotic disorder in each high-risk clinic is considered an important factor for predicting the power of an early detection strategy. For the distress and psychosocial disability, the strategies of the therapeutic intervention will be a focus of clinical attention. On the follow-up, one of third of the UHR individuals have sufficient positive symptom to fulfil the at-risk criteria. Most of the UHR individuals have suffered from comorbid psychiatric illness at the times of both baseline and follow-up, and there is no improvement of psychosocial functioning. Currently, it is essential to optimize the early detection and intervention strategy according to the referring and recruitment characteristics of each high-risk clinic in Korean practice situations.

School Counselors' Recognition of the Ultra-High Risk for Psychosis

The ability to identify students at ultra-high risk (UHR) for psychosis in school settings is crucial for enabling appropriate referral to a clinician and positive therapeutic results. The aim of this study was to examine school counselors' recognition of the diagnosis and appropriate treatment recommendations for students at UHR for psychosis. In total, 132 school counselors completed surveys, including questions relating to a vignette about a student at UHR for psychosis. In total, 12.4% of the sample provided the correct diagnosis, much lower than that for other schizophrenia spectrum disorders and non-psychotic disorders, including depressive disorder. Although most school counselors preferred psychiatrists as the first-line treatment for students at UHR for psychosis, counseling centers were also mentioned as potential treatment options. In terms of medication, antipsychotics were preferred over other medication classes. It is necessary to design appropriate educational and training programs for school counselors to promote identification and effective referral of those at UHR for psychosis.

A comparative study of cognitive functions in individuals at ultra high-risk for psychosis / 中华行为医学与脑科学杂志

Objective To investigate the differences of cognitive functions among ultra high-risk individuals(UHR),first-episode schizophrenia patients and healthy controls.Methods Twenty four participants meeting clinical inclusion criteria for initial prodromal states (IPS) selected from the first degree relatives of schizophrenia,23 first onset schizophrenia patients from the same family with UHR as well as 30 healthy controls were assessed with a comprehensive neuropsychological test battery including Trail Making Test (TMT),Stroop color word test and the Continuous Performance Test (CPT) to test the speed of information processing and sustained attention ability.Results ①The time of the Trail Making Test in UHR ((45.12±14.87) s) was shorter than first-episode schizophrenia patients((60.43± 19.30)s),but longer than healthy controls((27.13±7.74) s).The whole score of the Stroop color word test in UHR (28.46± 7.87) was higher than first-episode schizophrenia patients (18.78± 6.86),and lower than healthy controls (43.40±9.64).The score of the Continuous Performance Test in UHR (1.86 ± ± 1.05) was significanly higher than first-episode schizophrenia patients(1.17±0.67),but lower than healthy controls (2.63±0.67),and all these differences were significant (P＜0.01).②Taking age,years of education,occupation status,marital status and the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) scores as the covariance,the analysis of covariance showed TMT and Stroop color word test were still statistically significant.Conclusion There are cognitive function changes in individuals at ultra high-risk for psychosis,lying between first-episode schizophrenia cases and healthy controls.

Emotional Dysregulation, Attributional Bias, Neurocognitive Impairment in Individuals at Ultra-High Risk for Psychosis and with Schizophrenia : Its Association with Paranoia / 대한정신분열병학회지

OBJECTIVES: Paranoia is a complex phenomenon, affected by a number of factors such as depression, trait anxiety, and attributional bias in schizophrenia. The aim of this study was to explore whether paranoia within continuum of clinical and subclinical states is associated with emotional dysregulation, attributional bias and neurocognitive impairment in whole individuals of normal controls, ultra-high risk (UHR) for psychosis and schizophrenia. METHODS: 101 normal controls, 50 participants at UHR for psychosis, and 49 schizophrenia patients were recruited. All subjects were asked to complete self-reported paranoia scale and emotional dysregulation scales including Rosenberg's self-esteem, Spielberg's state-trait anxiety inventory and Beck depression inventory. The attributional style was assessed by Ambiguous Intentions Hostility Questionnaire (AIHQ). Participants were also requested to complete the comprehensive neurocognitive battery. RESULTS: Multiple linear regression analysis showed that paranoia were found to be associated with emotional dysregulation (state anxiety, trait anxiety and depression), composite blaming bias in ambiguous situation, impairment of attention and working memory in whole participants [F (9, 190)=34.85, p<0.001, adjusted R2=0.61]. CONCLUSION: The main findings suggest that paranoia is a complex affective and cognitive structure that may be associated with emotional dysregulation, blaming bias and attention and working memory impairment in clinical and non-clinical paranoia.

Pilot Study on Resting-State Functional Connectivity under the Effects of Familial Loading in People at Ultra-High Risk for Psychosis / 대한정신분열병학회지

OBJECTIVES: People at ultra-high risk for psychosis have heterogenous character and different long-term outcomes. We divided ultra-high risk subjects into two subgroups by presence of familial history and tried to find different pattern of functional connectivity of the default mode network (DMN) between the two groups in order to examine the effects familial loading. METHODS: Eleven subjects at clinical-high risk (CHR) group with familial history of psychiatric illness and nineteen subjects of CHR group without familial history were recruited. All the subjects were scanned using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging. A posterior cingulate cortex was the seed region of the analysis, and the DMN of the both high risk group were analyzed with voxel-wise two sample T test. RESULTS: The CHR group with familial history showed greater functional connectivity in the precuneus area in contrast with the other high risk subjects (peak-level t=5.49, p<0.001). There were no significant differences in total score on the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale and Scales of Psychosis-risk Syndrome between the two groups. CONCLUSION: The study suggests that the abnormalities of functional connectivity between precuneus and posterior cingulate area may be associated with the genetic vulnerability of high risk trait.

Working Memory Deficits in Ultra-High Risk for Psychosis and Schizophrenia / 대한정신분열병학회지

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to investigate whether verbal and spatial working memory functions were impaired not only in patients with schizophrenia but also in people at ultra-high risk for first-episode psychosis. METHODS: Twenty-five patients (M 13, F 12) with schizophrenia (SPR), 21 people at ultra-high risk for psychosis (UHR)(M 10, F 11) and 19 normal controls (NC)(M 10, F 9) were recruited. The working memory was assessed by using the verbal and spatial n-back test. The working memory load increased incrementally from the 0-back to the 3-back condition. RESULTS: SPR performed significantly lower than NC and UHR in terms of hit rates of verbal and spatial n-back test. UHR subjects conducted significantly lower than NC and higher in trend-level than SPR in terms of hit rates of verbal and spatial n-back test. These differences were derived from the high working memory load (2-back and 3-back), not from the low working memory load (0-back and 1-back). There was no significant difference between the verbal and spatial n-back test across the three groups. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that verbal and spatial working memory dysfunction may be general rather than differential in terms of stimuli modality, and this working memory deficit may be an important trait factor in schizophrenia.