Disturbed facial affect recognition in patients with schizophrenia associated with hypoactivity in distributed brain regions: A magnetoencephalographic study

Objective: The authors sought to identify brain mechanisms underlying the w ell-documented facial affect recognition deficit in patients with schizophr enia. Since this deficit is stable over the course of the illness and relat ively specific for schizophrenic disorders, it was expected that knowledge about the related brain mechanisms would provide substantial information ab out the pathophysiology of the illness. Method: Fifteen partly remitted schizophrenic inpatients and 12 healthy vol unteers categorized facial expressions of emotion and performed two control tasks while magnetoencephalographic recordings were done by means of a 148 -channel whole head system, which revealed foci of high cerebral activity a nd their evolution in time. Anatomical sites were defined through coregistr ated magnetic resonance images. Results: The magnetoencephalography data recorded in response to facial exp ressions of emotion revealed that patients generated weaker activations (pr imary current density) in inferior prefrontal, temporal, occipital, and inf erior parietal areas at circumscribed latencies. Group differences did not occur in basic visual areas during a first sensory-related activation betwe en 60 and 120 msec. Behavioral performance was associated with strength of activation in inferior prefrontal areas, the right posterior fusiform gyrus region, right anterior temporal cortex, and the right inferior parietal co rtex. Conclusions: Disturbed facial affect recognition in schizophrenic patients might be a result of hypoactivity in distributed brain regions, some of the m previously related to the pathophysiology of schizophrenic disorders. The se regions are probably working within a spatially and temporally defined c ircuitry.