Temporal characteristics of facial ensemble in individuals with autism spectrum disorder: examination from arousal and attentional allocation.

Introduction: Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) show atypical recognition of facial emotions, which has been suggested to stem from arousal and attention allocation. Recent studies have focused on the ability to perceive an average expression from multiple spatially different expressions. This study investigated the effect of autistic traits on temporal ensemble, that is, the perception of the average expression from multiple changing expressions. Methods: We conducted a simplified temporal-ensemble task and analyzed behavioral responses, pupil size, and viewing times for eyes of a face. Participants with and without diagnosis of ASD viewed serial presentations of facial expressions that randomly switched between emotional and neutral. The temporal ratio of the emotional expressions was manipulated. The participants estimated the intensity of the facial emotions for the overall presentation. Results: We obtained three major results: (a) many participants with ASD were less susceptible to the ratio of anger expression for temporal ensembles, (b) they produced significantly greater pupil size for angry expressions (within-participants comparison) and smaller pupil size for sad expressions (between-groups comparison), and (c) pupil size and viewing time to eyes were not correlated with the temporal ensemble. Discussion: These results suggest atypical temporal integration of anger expression and arousal characteristics in individuals with ASD; however, the atypical integration is not fully explained by arousal or attentional allocation.

Validation of the MUSIC Model of Motivation Inventory for use with cognitive training for schizophrenia spectrum disorders: A multinational study.

AIM: Low motivation is a core symptom of schizophrenia which significantly impacts successful engagement in and benefit from psychosocial treatments. Therefore, it is important for clinicians to design psychosocial treatments to effectively motivate and engage patients during the treatment. The MUSIC® Model of Academic Motivation Inventory (MMI) is an 18-item instrument with five scales that assess students' motivation during academic tasks. The objective of the current study was to validate the MMI for use with schizophrenia-spectrum patients undergoing cognitive training. METHODS: Participants included 181 people with schizophrenia spectrum disorders enrolled in cognitive training in four countries. A confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) assessed construct validity. Quality of fit was determined using the Comparative Fit Index (CFI), the Standardized Root Mean Square Residual (SRMR), and the Root Mean Square Error of Approximation (RMSEA). Pearson's correlation coefficients assessed construct validity and Cronbach's alphas assessed reliability. Furthermore, we examined factor loadings for each inventory item and assessed predictive validity by analyzing MMI scales with attendance outcomes. RESULTS: Consistent with the original MMI validation studies used in academic settings, we found CFI values indicated a good fit, as did the SRMR and RMSEA values. The scales were correlated yet distinct. Cronbach's alpha values ranged from good to excellent and factor loadings showed that all items loaded very well onto their intended factors. The MMI had a positive relationship to treatment intensity. CONCLUSION: The MMI is a valid and reliable tool to use with individuals with schizophrenia spectrum disorders undergoing a cognitive training intervention.

Impaired prefrontal activity to regulate the intrinsic motivation-action link in schizophrenia.

A core feature of schizophrenia (SCZ) is impairment in intrinsic motivation. Although intrinsic motivation plays an important role in enhancing improvement of the social functioning, its neural mechanisms of impairment have yet to be clarified. We hypothesized that abnormal function of the frontostriatal loop consisting of the striatum and lateral prefrontal cortex (LPFC) may be related to impaired intrinsic motivation in SCZ. We tested this by comparing the brain activity measured by functional magnetic resonance imaging and behavioral parameters associated with movement, motivation, and cognitive control between 18 stable SCZ patients and 17 healthy control (HC) participants during a task that elicits intrinsic motivation. We also compared the functional connectivity during resting-state and the fractional anisotropy using diffusion tensor imaging analysis between the two groups. We adopted an enjoyable timing task to stop a stopwatch at an exact time, which in our previous study has demonstrated to elicit intrinsic motivation. Although the performance level in general was not different between groups, the SCZ group performed worse than the HC group in trials following "overshoot" errors (i.e., the response was too late). SCZ participants showed lower intrinsic motivation to the task than the HC group in an inventory report. The striatal activity during the prediction at the task cue period was consistently lower in SCZ participants than in HC. The LPFC activity at the task cue period positively correlated with intrinsic motivation and also with the rate of success following overshoot errors in the HC group, but not in the SCZ group. The LPFC activity at the task cue period was also positively correlated with the striatal activity in both groups. The striatal activity during the feedback period was not significantly different between groups. These results suggest that, unlike HC, the neural activity in the LPFC fails to mediate between prediction of hedonic events and cognitive control of action plans in SCZ, whereas the hedonic response is retained.

Association between stigmatisation and experiences of evidence-based practice by psychiatric rehabilitation staff in Japan: a cross-sectional survey.

BACKGROUND: Mental health professionals are one of the groups holding harmful stigmatisation towards people with mental illness. AIMS: To investigate the association between the performance of evidence-based practice (EBP) and the staff's level of stigmatisation in Japan. METHODS: The study enrolled 179 staff members in psychiatric day-care, psychiatric community outreach teams, and psychiatric rehabilitation teams at 14 psychiatric hospitals. The Positive Attitudes Scale (PAS), the Japanese-language version of the Social Distance Scale (SDSJ) and the Recovery Attitude Questionnaire (RAQ) were employed as outcome measures. Scores on each scale were compared between participants who performed EBPs and those who had never performed EBPs. RESULTS: Approximately 40% of the staff engaged in at least assertive community treatment, supported employment or family psychoeducation. The staff who performed EBPs had significantly higher scores on PAS (MD, 7.09; 95% CIs, 4.09-10.09) and RAQ (MD, 1.30; 95% CIs, 0.36-2.25) but lower scores on SDSJ (MD, -2.41; 95% CIs, -3.50 to -1.32) than those who never performed EBPs. Multivariate analyses found that EBP experience was associated with a low level of staff stigmatisation after controlling for confounders. CONCLUSION: The findings suggest that an individual EBP experience is associated with their reduced stigmatisation.