Social cognition and risk factors for schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is associated with profoundly abnormal social cognition which severely impairs relationships and employment and is a major determinant of disability. Deficits precede symptoms and their stability throughout illness course demonstrates how refractory they are to treatment. Current assessment paradigms have psychometric limitations and ignore reciprocal cooperation, a key element.

This PhD proposal has 3 components: (1) comprehensive assessment of social cognition, including reciprocal cooperation, in schizophrenia; (2) investigation of the role of known risk factors (genetics, childhood trauma); (3) functional imaging relating social cognition to functional brain networks.

In studies 1 and 2, participants will complete a comprehensive set of social cognition tests from our new EMOTICOM battery, general cognitive function assessment and the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ).

Study 1:
30 stable patients within 3 years of the onset of schizophrenia symptoms will be recruited, via established partnerships with local services. Their performance will be compared with that of 60 healthy controls from our existing database with no personal or family history of mental health problems and no significant childhood trauma. The patients will be followed up 12 months later to compare deficits to prospective and retrospective functional progress.

Study 2:
To assess the impact of known risk factors on social cognition in the absence of schizophrenia symptoms, we will recruit 2 groups of 30 individuals with no history of schizophrenia: (1) people with a sibling who has schizophrenia (i.e. increased genetic risk) but with no history of childhood trauma; (2) people with significant childhood trauma (i.e. increased environmental risk) but no family history of schizophrenia. These groups will be compared to those from study 1.

Study 3:
20 individuals with schizophrenia from study 1 will undertake functional MR imaging to measure connectivity in resting state brain networks which will be related to social cognitive measures from study 1.

The outcomes of this project are directly relevant to translational studies aimed at improving treatments for people with schizophrenia. The additional focus on risk in the absence of symptoms has potential to influence primary prevention strategies. A student on this project would therefore acquire a range of skills for future translational research positions. IBBMH also provides opportunities for students to develop generic skills such as public engagement, presentation skills and peer representation.


This project will provide training in applied cognitive neuroscience, essential for translational medicine projects in the field of mental health and neurodegeneration. The student will learn how to recruit and assess people with mental health problems and people with childhood trauma. Development and delivery of computerised cognitive tests are also important cognitive neuroscience skills that will be addressed in this studentship. Further, we will provide training in functional imaging including experimental design, running an fMRI study and image analysis with advanced connectivity techniques. Finally, for an interested student, the project would provide opportunities for advanced statistical approaches, such as latent class analysis and structural equation modelling.