The Neural Bases of Early Visual and Auditory Processing and Emotion Recognition Deficits in Schizophrenia

The purpose of this project is to examine potential mechanisms that may underlie early visual and auditory perception as well as visual and auditory affect perception deficits in schizophrenia and the possible connection between these processes. Given that affect perception largely involves visual and/or auditory information processing and likely relies on intact basic visual and/or auditory perceptual mechanisms, the investigators will examine affect perception deficits within the framework of the more basic visual and auditory processes. Specifically, the investigators will examine magnetophysiological correlates of vocal and visual affect discrimination, non-affective face discrimination and voice discrimination, and simple visual and auditory stimulus discrimination, using Magnetoencephalography (MEG), to identify neural mechanisms underlying perceptual deficits, as well as their contribution to affect perception deficits in schizophrenia.