While persuasive evidence has accumulated over the past 15 years documenting an association between schizophrenia and violence, there are 3 unresolved issues. First, does a downward extension of this relationship exist at the nonclinical level with respect to schizotypal personality and aggression in children? Second, is aggression more associated with impulsive reactive aggression or with more planned proactive aggression. Third and importantly, does peer victimization mediate the relationship between schizotypy and aggression? A further aim of this cross-sectional study was to examine the utility of a new child self-report measure of schizotypal personality. These issues were examined in a sample of 3804 schoolchildren assessed on schizotypy using the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire-Child (SPQ-C), reactive-proactive aggression, and peer victimization. A confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the 3-factor structure (cognitive-perceptual, interpersonal, and disorganized) of the SPQ-C. Schizotypy was positively associated with total aggression and reactive aggression but not with proactive aggression. Peer victimization was found to significantly mediate the schizotypy-aggression relationship, accounting for 58.9% of the association. Results are broadly consistent with the hypothesis that schizotypal features elicit victimization from other children, which in turn predisposes to reactive retaliatory aggression. Findings are to the authors' knowledge the first to document any mediator of the schizotypy-aggression relationship and have potential treatment implications for violence reduction in schizophrenia-spectrum disorders. This study also provides initial evidence for the factorial and discriminant validity of a brief and simple measure of schizotypal personality in children as young as 8 years.

BackgroundThe relationship between neurocognition and symptomatology in people with schizophrenia has been established. The present study examined whether social cognition could mediate this relationship.MethodsThere were 119 participants (58 people with paranoid schizophrenia and 61 healthy controls) participated in this study. Neurocognition was assessed by Raven’s Progressive Matrices Test, the Judgment of Line Orientation Test, and the Tower of London Test. Psychiatric symptoms in people with schizophrenia were assessed by the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale. Social cognition was measured by the Faux Pas Test, the “Reading the Mind in the Eyes” Test, and the Interpersonal Reactivity Index.ResultsResults were consistent with previous findings that neurocognition and social cognition were impaired in the clinical participants. A novel observation is that social cognition significantly mediated the relationship between neurocognition and symptomatology.ConclusionsThese findings suggest that neurocognitive deficits predispose people with schizophrenia to worse psychiatric symptoms through the impairment of social cognition. Findings of the present study provide important insight into a functional model of schizophrenia that could guide the development of cost-effective interventions for people with schizophrenia.

No abstract

To investigate (1) the effects of indoor incense burning upon cognition over 3 years; (2) the associations between indoor incense burning with the brain's structure and functional connectivity of the default mode network (DMN); and (3) the interactions between indoor incense burning and vascular disease markers upon cognitive functions. Community older adults without stroke or dementia were recruited (n = 515). Indoor incense use was self-reported as having burnt incense at home ≥ weekly basis over the past 5 years. Detailed neuropsychological battery was administered at baseline (n = 227) and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment at baseline and year 3 (n = 515). MRI structural measures and functional connectivity of the DMN were recorded at baseline. Demographic and vascular risk factors and levels of outdoor pollutants were treated as covariates. Indoor incense burning was associated with reduced performance across multiple cognitive domains at baseline and year 3 as well as decreased connectivity in the DMN. It interacted with diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia and white matter hyperintensities to predict poorer cognitive performance. Indoor incense burning is (1) associated with poorer cognitive performance over 3 years; (2) related to decreased brain connectivity; and (3) it interacts with vascular disease to predispose poor cognitive performance. Incense burning is a religious ritual commonly practised in many cultures and is popular among older adults. Incense comes in many forms, with 'joss sticks' being the commonest choice for home use (Fig. 1). Incense is made up of a mixture of fragrance materials and herbal, wood and adhesive powder 1. When incense is burnt, pollutants including particulate matter (PM), carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO 2), sulfur dioxide (SO 2), nitrogen dioxide (NO 2), volatile organic compounds, aldehydes and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are released into the air 1,2. Incense burning is considered a major source of indoor air pollution; the amount of PM generated by incense can be up to 4.5 times of that by cigarettes 2. Incense smoke is associated with carcinogenicity, increased cardiovascular mortality and respiratory conditions 1,3-5. Although there is currently a lack of published data showing a direct link between incense burning with cognitive and brain health, air pollution research suggests that pollutants emitted from incense smoke are associated with accelerated cognitive aging, intellectual decline and an increased risk for Alzheimer's Disease (AD) and vascular dementia 6-11. Moreover, long term exposure to air pollution is associated with smaller total brain volume and volume in prefrontal cortex, white matter and associations areas in frontal, temporal regions and corpus callosum. It is also related to the development of