Early-stage face processing dysfunction in patients with schizophrenia

Objective: Deficits in emotional processing are evident in patients with schizophrenia. Since recent studies have indicated dysfunctions in cortical areas involved in face processing, this study investigated the early processing of faces in schizophrenia patients through the use of event-related potentials. Method: Event-related potential responses were obtained from 24 schizophrenia patients and 28 healthy comparison subjects who were presented with pictures of faces and pictures of buildings (control stimuli). Results: Schizophrenia patients displayed significantly lower differences in the face-specific N170 component between the face and building pictures than did the healthy comparison subjects. Conclusions: This finding suggests a dysfunction of early-stage visual processing of faces in patients with schizophrenia.