Emotional processing in schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a severe psychiatric disorder characterized by positive, negative, and cognitive symptoms. One of its main features is a deficit in emotional and social cognition. Patients often fail to adequately detect and interpret emotional stimuli, which contributes to impaired functioning. Functional MRI studies have revealed reduced activation in the medial prefrontal cortex, amygdala, and insula, which are centers to social cognition. Hyperactivity in the amygdala and prefrontal areas is associated with auditory verbal hallucinations containing emotional content. Molecular explanations for the disrupted neurotransmission include changes in brain pH that primarily affect NMDA receptor function, noradrenergic signaling, and synaptic plasticity. A genetic risk factor for schizophrenia is altered miR-137 expression, which contributes to abnormal prefrontal activation during emotional processing. These findings highlight the complexity of emotional symptoms in patients diagnosed with schizophrenia.