Blain Scott D, Peterman Joel S, Park Sohee
Department of Psychology, Vanderbilt University, 111, 21st Avenue South, Nashville, TN 37240, United States.
Schizophr Res. 2017 May;183:157-160. doi: 10.1016/j.schres.2016.11.003. Epub 2016 Nov 9.
Deficits in emotion perception are central features of schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorders. These conditions are also associated with disrupted embodiment and impaired processing of biological motion. However, medication and the impact of illness over time complicate the study of socioemotional processing in such neuropsychiatric populations. Thus, the current study investigated the perception of emotional cues from gait, in relation to autistic and schizotypal traits in the general population.
Self-report measures of schizotypy and autism-spectrum were obtained from 107 healthy participants. An affective biological motion task that required participants to discriminate emotions from the gait patterns of polygonal avatars at varying levels of emotional intensity was used to assess accuracy of emotion perception.
Emotion perception accuracy depended on the stimulus intensity. Those with elevated autism spectrum quotient and those with elevated positive syndrome (cognitive-perceptual) schizotypy showed deficits in emotion perception from gait.
Perception of emotion from low-intensity gait cues is compromised in those who may carry liability for autism or psychosis. Emotion perception deficits may be a core feature of autism and schizophrenia, rather than simply being a downstream consequence of illness duration or medication.
情绪感知缺陷是精神分裂症和自闭症谱系障碍的核心特征。这些病症还与身体体现障碍及生物运动处理受损有关。然而，药物治疗以及疾病随时间产生的影响使对此类神经精神疾病人群的社会情感加工研究变得复杂。因此，本研究调查了普通人群中与自闭症和分裂型特质相关的步态情绪线索感知情况。
从107名健康参与者处获取分裂型特质和自闭症谱系的自我报告测量数据。采用一项情感生物运动任务，要求参与者从不同情绪强度的多边形虚拟角色的步态模式中辨别情绪，以此评估情绪感知的准确性。
情绪感知准确性取决于刺激强度。自闭症谱系商数较高者以及阳性综合征（认知-感知型）分裂型特质较高者在步态情绪感知方面存在缺陷。
对于可能患有自闭症或精神病倾向的人来说，从低强度步态线索中感知情绪的能力会受到损害。情绪感知缺陷可能是自闭症和精神分裂症的核心特征，而不仅仅是疾病持续时间或药物治疗的下游后果。
