[Interpersonal sensorimotor coordination dynamics in schizophrenic patients: introducing a new experimental paradigm]

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Cognitive Science
• Psychiatry

Background:

• Schizophrenia is associated with sensorimotor disorders affecting target tracking and biological motion perception.
• Embodied cognition and social coordination dynamics highlight the role of bodily information exchange in social interactions.
• Existing experimental data offer high-resolution insights into sensorimotor performance, relevant for schizophrenia research.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce a novel experimental paradigm for studying schizophrenia, inspired by social coordination dynamics.
• To investigate the hypothesis that sensorimotor deficits in schizophrenia stem partly from impaired processing of movement information.
• To explore sensorimotor coordination abilities in schizophrenic patients using stimuli of varying biological relevance.

Main Methods:

• Developed a paradigm where healthy individuals and schizophrenic patients track oscillating visual targets using hand movements.
• Utilized four visual stimuli: oscillating dot, computer-generated hand, recorded real hand movements, and a real individual's hand.
• Quantified coordination using relative phase and power spectrum overlap between participant movements and visual stimuli.

Main Results:

• Schizophrenic patients exhibited difficulties synchronizing movements with more biologically relevant visual targets compared to controls.
• Kinematic data analysis revealed significant differences in sensorimotor coordination related to biological motion.
• Preliminary findings suggest sensorimotor coordination disabilities in patients with schizophrenia when processing socially relevant visual stimuli.

Conclusions:

• Patients with schizophrenia may have sensorimotor coordination impairments specifically with socially relevant visual stimuli.
• The introduced paradigm offers a promising approach to better understand social interaction difficulties in schizophrenia.
• This research integrates social coordination dynamics, motor control, and social cognition to elucidate sensorimotor deficits.