@article{pmid36946526,

title = {Natural Language Processing Markers for Psychosis and Other Psychiatric Disorders: Emerging Themes and Research Agenda From a Cross-Linguistic Workshop},

author = {Hugo Corona Hernández and Cheryl Corcoran and Amélie M Achim and Janna N de Boer and Tessel Boerma and Sanne G Brederoo and Guillermo A Cecchi and Silvia Ciampelli and Brita Elvevåg and Riccardo Fusaroli and Silvia Giordano and Mathias Hauglid and Arjan van Hessen and Wolfram Hinzen and Philipp Homan and Sybren F de Kloet and Sanne Koops and Gina R Kuperberg and Kritika Maheshwari and Natalia B Mota and Alberto Parola and Roberta Rocca and Iris E C Sommer and Khiet Truong and Alban E Voppel and Marieke van Vugt and Frank Wijnen and Lena Palaniyappan},

doi = {10.1093/schbul/sbac215},

issn = {1745-1701},

year  = {2023},

date = {2023-03-01},

journal = {Schizophr Bull},

volume = {49},

number = {Suppl_2},

pages = {S86--S92},

abstract = {This workshop summary on natural language processing (NLP) markers for psychosis and other psychiatric disorders presents some of the clinical and research issues that NLP markers might address and some of the activities needed to move in that direction. We propose that the optimal development of NLP markers would occur in the context of research efforts to map out the underlying mechanisms of psychosis and other disorders. In this workshop, we identified some of the challenges to be addressed in developing and implementing NLP markers-based Clinical Decision Support Systems (CDSSs) in psychiatric practice, especially with respect to psychosis. Of note, a CDSS is meant to enhance decision-making by clinicians by providing additional relevant information primarily through software (although CDSSs are not without risks). In psychiatry, a field that relies on subjective clinical ratings that condense rich temporal behavioral information, the inclusion of computational quantitative NLP markers can plausibly lead to operationalized decision models in place of idiosyncratic ones, although ethical issues must always be paramount.},

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}

@article{pmid35411646,

title = {What areas of everyday functioning are affected by theory of mind deficits in recent-onset schizophrenia spectrum disorders?},

author = {Amélie M Achim and Élisabeth Thibaudeau and Andréanne Huot and Caroline Cellard and Marc-André Roy},

doi = {10.1111/eip.13291},

issn = {1751-7893},

year  = {2023},

date = {2023-01-01},

journal = {Early Interv Psychiatry},

volume = {17},

number = {1},

pages = {57--64},

abstract = {AIM: Functional recovery is now a recognized treatment goal for schizophrenia. It is therefore important to better understand the cognitive and psychological factors that influence functioning. Theory of mind (ToM) deficits are common in schizophrenia and have been linked to greater impairments in functioning. The current study aimed to identify which specific areas of functioning are linked to ToM in a group of 54 patients with a recent-onset of a schizophrenia spectrum disorder.nnMETHODS: ToM was assessed with the Combined Stories Test (COST). Several areas of functioning were rated based on an extensive semi-structured interviews.nnRESULTS: Among the different areas of functioning that were examined, ToM showed a significant, positive relationship with ratings for productive activities (e.g. work or school) as well as with collaboration to psychiatric care.nnCONCLUSION: These results suggest that ToM can impair functioning especially in situations in which patients need to collaborate with others, including the interactions with the clinical team.},

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}

@article{pmid36846242,

title = {Associations between theory of mind and clinical symptoms in recent onset schizophrenia spectrum disorders},

author = {Audrey Cayouette and Élisabeth Thibaudeau and Caroline Cellard and Marc-André Roy and Amélie M Achim},

doi = {10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1044682},

issn = {1664-0640},

year  = {2023},

date = {2023-01-01},

journal = {Front Psychiatry},

volume = {14},

pages = {1044682},

abstract = {INTRODUCTION: People with schizophrenia often present with Theory of mind (ToM) deficits, and the link between these deficits and clinical symptoms remains to be refined, for instance through the use of more recent assessment methods. The objective of this study was to examine the associations between a psychometrically sound ToM task and the clinical symptoms of schizophrenia as measured with the five dimensions of the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) namely positive, negative, cognitive/disorganization, depression/anxiety and excitability/hostility, while controlling for non-social cognitive abilities.nnMETHODS: Seventy participants with recent-onset schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSD) were assessed for ToM using the Combined stories task (COST) and for clinical symptoms using the PANSS.nnRESULTS: The results revealed significant correlations between ToM and the positive ( = -0.292,  = 0.015) and cognitive/disorganization ( = -0.480,  < 0.001) dimensions when controlling for non-social cognitive abilities. In contrast, the negative symptoms dimension was only significantly correlated with ToM when non-social cognitive abilities were not controlled for ( = -0.278,  = 0.020).nnDISCUSSION: Very few prior studies used the five-dimensions of the PANSS to examine the link with ToM and this study is the first to rely on the COST, which includes a non-social control condition. This study highlights the importance of taking non-social cognitive abilities into account when considering the relationship between ToM and symptoms.},

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}

@article{pmid38274419,

title = {Profiles of theory of mind impairments and personality in clinical and community samples: integrating the alternative DSM-5 model for personality disorders},

author = {Mireille Lampron and Amélie M Achim and Dominick Gamache and Allyson Bernier and Stéphane Sabourin and Claudia Savard},

doi = {10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1292680},

issn = {1664-0640},

year  = {2023},

date = {2023-01-01},

journal = {Front Psychiatry},

volume = {14},

pages = {1292680},

abstract = {INTRODUCTION: Deficits in theory of mind (ToM)-the ability to infer the mental states of others-have been linked to antagonistic traits in community samples. ToM deficits have also been identified in people with personality disorders (PD), although with conflicting evidence, partly due to the use of categorical diagnoses. The DSM-5 Alternative Model for Personality Disorders (AMPD) provides an opportunity for a more precise understanding of the interplay between ToM abilities and personality pathology. Therefore, the study aims to determine whether and how individuals with diverse ToM profiles differ regarding personality impairment (AMPD Criterion A) and pathological facets (AMPD Criterion B).nnMETHOD: Adults with PD ( = 39) and from the community ( = 42) completed tests assessing ToM skills and self-reported questionnaires assessing AMPD Criteria A and B. Hierarchical agglomerative and TwoStep cluster analyses were consecutively computed using scores and subscores from ToM tests as clustering variables. Multivariate analyses of variance were subsequently performed to compare the clusters on both AMPD Criteria. Five clinically and conceptually meaningful clusters were found. The most notable differences across clusters were observed for Intimacy and Empathy dysfunctions (Criterion A), as well as for the Deceitfulness, Callousness, and Hostility facets from the Antagonism domain and the Restricted affectivity facet from the Detachment domain (Criterion B).nnDISCUSSION: The results support the association between antagonistic personality facets and ToM deficits. However, clusters showing impairments in ToM abilities did not necessarily exhibit high levels of personality dysfunction or pathological facets, emphasizing that both constructs are not isomorphic. Nevertheless, specific profiles can help refine existing interventions to make them more sensitive and specific to the nature of ToM dysfunctions while considering personality functioning and facets.},

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pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{pmid35986316,

title = {Further validation of the Cognitive Biases Questionnaire for psychosis},

author = {Crystal Samson and Amélie M Achim and Veronik Sicard and Andy Gilker and Audrey Francoeur and Nicolas Franck and Briana Cloutier and Charles-Edouard Giguère and Francelyne Jean-Baptiste and Tania Lecomte},

doi = {10.1186/s12888-022-04203-8},

issn = {1471-244X},

year  = {2022},

date = {2022-08-01},

journal = {BMC Psychiatry},

volume = {22},

number = {1},

pages = {560},

abstract = {BACKGROUND: Cognitive biases are recognized as important treatment targets for reducing symptoms associated with severe mental disorders. Although cognitive biases have been linked to symptoms in most studies, few studies have looked at such biases transdiagnostically. The Cognitive Bias Questionnaire for psychosis (CBQp) is a self-reported questionnaire that assesses cognitive biases amongst individuals with a psychotic disorder, as well as individuals with other severe mental disorders. The current study aims to validate a French version of the CBQp and to explore transdiagnostic cognitive biases in individuals with psychotic disorders, individuals with depression, and in healthy controls.nnMETHODS: The CBQp was translated into French following a protocol based on international standards. Discriminant validity and internal consistency were determined for total score and each subscale score. Confirmatory factor analyses were performed to test construct validity. Finally, cluster analyses were conducted to investigate cognitive biases across diagnostic groups.nnRESULTS: Our results were similar to those of the original authors, with the one-factor solution (assessment of a general thinking bias) being the strongest, but the two-factor solution (assessing biases within two themes relating to psychosis) and the five-factor solution (assessment of multiple distinct biases) being clinically more interesting. A six-cluster solution emerged, suggesting that individuals with similar diagnoses score differently on all cognitive biases, and that individuals with different diagnoses might have similar cognitive biases.nnCONCLUSIONS: The current findings support the validity of the French translation of the CBQp. Our cluster analyses overall support the transdiagnostic presence of cognitive biases.},

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pubstate = {published},

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}

@article{pmid34289761,

title = {Comparing individual and collective management of referential choices in dialogue},

author = {Dominique Knutsen and Marion Fossard and Amélie M Achim},

doi = {10.1177/17470218211037117},

issn = {1747-0226},

year  = {2022},

date = {2022-04-01},

journal = {Q J Exp Psychol (Hove)},

volume = {75},

number = {4},

pages = {712--729},

abstract = {Past research shows that when a discourse referent is mentioned repeatedly, it is usually introduced with a full noun phrase and maintained with a reduced form such as a pronoun. Is this also the case in dialogue, where the same referent may be introduced by one person and maintained by another person? An experiment was conducted in which participants either told entire stories to each other or told stories together, thus enabling us to contrast situations in which characters were introduced and maintained by the same person (control condition) and situations in which the introduction and the maintaining of each character were performed by different people (alternating condition). Story complexity was also manipulated through the introduction of one or two characters in each story. We found that participants were less likely to use reduced forms to maintain referents in the alternating condition. The use of reduced forms also depended on the context in which the referent was maintained (in particular, first or second mention of a character) and on story complexity. These results shed light on how the pressure to signal understanding to one's conversational partner affects referential choices throughout the interaction.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{pmid36159951,

title = {Referential communication in people with recent-onset schizophrenia-spectrum disorders},

author = {Amélie M Achim and André Achim and Marion Fossard},

doi = {10.3389/fpsyt.2022.971256},

issn = {1664-0640},

year  = {2022},

date = {2022-01-01},

journal = {Front Psychiatry},

volume = {13},

pages = {971256},

abstract = {People with schizophrenia present with language production impairments, yet very few studies examine language production in the context of collaborative, verbal interaction tasks performed with a real interaction partner. The current study relied on a referential communication paradigm in which participants with schizophrenia (SZ) and healthy controls (HC) presented a series of movie characters to their interaction partner, whose role was to identify and place the characters in the same order. The HC spontaneously provided more information when presenting characters that their interaction partner was unlikely to know than when presenting very well-known characters, and the magnitude of this adjustment was positively correlated with their performance on a theory of mind task. In contrast, people with SZ showed a significantly reduced (absent) adjustment to the likely-known vs. likely-unknown nature of the characters, and no correlation emerged with ToM. Further examination of the verbal productions revealed that HC often combined movie-related information (ex: character's name or movie title) and descriptive information whereas people with SZ more often used description only to present the characters. Overall, this study adds to our knowledge about referential choices in SZ in the context of collaborative verbal interactions with a real interaction partner.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{pmid34638049,

title = {The neural correlates of referential communication: Taking advantage of sparse-sampling fMRI to study verbal communication with a real interaction partner},

author = {Amélie M Achim and Isabelle Deschamps and Élisabeth Thibaudeau and Alexandra Loignon and Louis-Simon Rousseau and Marion Fossard and Pascale Tremblay},

doi = {10.1016/j.bandc.2021.105801},

issn = {1090-2147},

year  = {2021},

date = {2021-11-01},

journal = {Brain Cogn},

volume = {154},

pages = {105801},

abstract = {This paper introduces an innovative functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) protocol to study real verbal interactions while limiting the impact of speech-related movement artefacts. This protocol is based on a sparse sampling acquisition technique and allowed participants to complete a referential communication task with a real interaction partner. During verbal interactions, speakers adjust their verbal productions depending on their interlocutors' knowledge of the referents being mentioned. These adjustments have been linked to theory of mind (ToM), the ability to infer other's mental states. We thus sought to determine if the brain regions supporting ToM would also be activated during a referential communication task in which participants have to present movie characters that vary in their likelihood of being known by their interlocutor. This pilot study establishes that the sparse sampling strategy is a viable option to study the neural correlates of referential communication while minimizing movement artefacts. In addition, the brain regions supporting ToM were recruited during the task, though specifically for the conditions where participants could adjust their verbal productions to the interlocutor's likely knowledge of the referent. This study therefore demonstrates the feasibility and relevance of a sparse-sampling approach to study verbal interactions with fMRI, including referential communication.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{pmid33433606,

title = {Functional Impairments and Theory of Mind Deficits in Schizophrenia: A Meta-analysis of the Associations},

author = {Élisabeth Thibaudeau and Caroline Cellard and Mélissa Turcotte and Amélie M Achim},

doi = {10.1093/schbul/sbaa182},

issn = {1745-1701},

year  = {2021},

date = {2021-04-01},

journal = {Schizophr Bull},

volume = {47},

number = {3},

pages = {695--711},

abstract = {Schizophrenia is associated with major functioning difficulties. Theory of mind (ToM), the ability to infer the mental states of others, is an important determinant of functioning. However, the contribution of ToM to each specific domain of functioning remains to be better understood. The objectives of this meta-analysis were to document and compare the magnitude of the associations between ToM and (1) different domains of functioning (social functioning, productive activities, and instrumental activities of daily living), each assessed separately for functional performance and functional outcome and (2) different aspects of functioning (functional performance and functional outcome) in schizophrenia. Fifty-nine studies (N = 4369) published between 1980 and May 2019 targeting patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder aged between 18 and 65 years old were included. Studies were retrieved from seven databases. Correlations were extracted from the articles, transformed into effect sizes Zr and combined as weighted and unweighted means. The strength of the associations between the domains and aspects of functioning were compared using focused tests. A moderate association was observed between ToM and all domains of functioning, with a stronger association between ToM and productive activities compared with social functioning (only for functional outcome [χ2(2) = 6.43, P = 0.040]). Regarding the different aspects of functioning, a stronger association was observed between ToM and functional performance, compared with functional outcome, for overall functioning (χ2(1) = 13.77, P < 0.001) and social functioning (χ2(1) = 18.21, P < 0.001). The results highlight a stronger association of ToM with productive activities and with functional performance, which should be considered in future studies to improve functional recovery in schizophrenia.},

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pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{pmid33119429,

title = {Personalized cognitive remediation therapy to facilitate return to work or to school in recent-onset psychosis},

author = {William Pothier and Marc-André Roy and Marc Corbière and Élisabeth Thibaudeau and Amélie M Achim and Til Wykes and Clare Reeder and Yvon Chagnon and Caroline Cellard},

doi = {10.1080/13554794.2020.1841797},

issn = {1465-3656},

year  = {2020},

date = {2020-12-01},

journal = {Neurocase},

volume = {26},

number = {6},

pages = {340--352},

abstract = {Cognitive deficits are barriers to job acquisition or return to school, and can be reduced through Cognitive remediation therapy (CRT). The main goal of this multiple case study was to investigate the effect of personalized CRT on occupational status in three participants with a recent-onset psychosis. Two cases improved their occupational status at post-treatment, and showed improvements in cognitive, psychological, and/or clinical variables. This study suggests that personalized CRT may facilitate job acquisition or return to school. However, the different pathways showed by our cases indicate that personalized CRT may influence occupational status through multiple mechanisms, underlining the relevance of treatment personalization.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}