The fundamental study of biofeedback treatments using biological markers such as Event-related potentials (ERPs) and exploratory eye movements (EEMs) in schizophrenic patients

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In schizophrenic patients, event-related potentials (ERPs) and exploratory eye movements (EEMs) have been used as biological correlates of information processing. Previously, Morita, tile prinspal investigator in this study, investigated ERPs and EEMs during recover period in schizophrenic patients in comparison with these in healthy subjects. This study and compared the effects of facial affective stimuli on visual ERPs and EEMs using photographs of babies crying and smiling while recording autonomic vital markers such as ECG, skin conductance and heart rate to monitor the emotional responses. We reported that the P300 amplitude, area and eye movements became more similar to those of healthy subjects after recovery from illness. For example, the P300 amplitude and area while viewing photograph of a smiling baby were the same as these while viewing crying baby. However, the values while viewing smiling baby were smaller than these while viewing crying baby at clinical improving phase in the patients. These findings suggest that both the ERPs and EEMs evoked by these facial affect stimuli are useful biological state markers and may be useful as feed back during clinical treatment. However, the findings were insufficient to record the emotional effects reflected by ECG, skin conductance and heart rate during ERPs and EEMs recordings. Thus, we are currently trying to monitor the ERPs, EEMs and other markers using crying and laughing voices and pleasant and unpleasant odors. These additional stimuli caused larger emotional effects and changed several biological markers. The degree of emotional level induced by facial-affect recognition with voices and odors may vary more depending on the clinical state. The failure to accurately read nonverbal emotional cues may contribute to inappropriate social responses.