Decreased neural response for facial emotion processing in subjects with high genetic load for schizophrenia

• Asymptomatic subjects with high genetic load for schizophrenia (GHR) revealed abnormal patterns of implicit facial emotion processing.
• The GHR showed decreased functional activation of the right temporo-insular-amygdalar regions for fearful face.
• The GHR showed attenuated functional activation of occipito-temporal-prefrontal-amygdalar regions for neutral faces.
• Abnormal patterns of ‘social brain network’ in GHR could be a trait marker of genetic vulnerability for developing psychosis.

BackgroundPatients with schizophrenia show impairment in facial emotion processing which is essential for successful social cognition. Using a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), this study aimed to investigate the implicit facial emotion recognition processing in participants with high genetic load for schizophrenia (GHR) as a possible trait marker of developing schizophrenia.MethodsBlock design fMRI of implicit facial emotion processing was used in 20 participants with GHR aged 16–35, and 17 age, sex, and education year-matched healthy controls (HC). During the facial emotional processing for fearful, happy, and neutral face stimuli, participants were asked to explicitly determine the gender per stimuli.ResultsOccipito-temporo-limbic area in fearful face condition and involvement of broader region including prefrontal cortex in neutral face condition revealed significant attenuation of BOLD signal activation in GHR compared to HC. The GHR demonstrated less activity in right amygdala during fearful and neutral face condition.ConclusionThe study presented that GHR displayed abnormal brain activity in occipito-temporo-limbic-frontal network implicated in facial emotion processing. It indicates that abnormal facial emotion processing may be influenced by a genetic factor and could be a trait marker in schizophrenia.