Using computer vision of facial expressions to assess symptom domains and treatment response in antipsychotic-naïve patients with first-episode psychosis

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Background: Facial expressions are a core aspect of non-verbal communication. Reduced emotional expressiveness of the face is a common negative symptom of schizophrenia, however, quantifying negative symptoms can be clinically challenging and involves a considerable element of rater subjectivity. We used computer vision to investigate if (i) automated assessment of facial expressions captures negative as well as positive and general symptom domains, and (ii) if automated assessments are associated with treatment response in initially antipsychotic-naïve patients with first-episode psychosis. Method: We included 46 patients (mean age 25.4 (6.1); 65.2% males). Psychopathology was assessed at baseline and after 6 weeks of monotherapy with amisulpride using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS). Baseline interview videos were recorded. Seventeen facial action units (AUs), that is, activation of muscles, from the Facial Action Coding System were extracted using OpenFace 2.0. A correlation matrix was calculated for each patient. Facial expressions were identified using spectral clustering at group-level. Associations between facial expressions and psychopathology were investigated using multiple linear regression. Results: Three clusters of facial expressions were identified related to different locations of the face. Cluster 1 was associated with positive and general symptoms at baseline, Cluster 2 was associated with all symptom domains, showing the strongest association with the negative domain, and Cluster 3 was only associated with general symptoms. Cluster 1 was significantly associated with the clinically rated improvement in positive and general symptoms after treatment, and Cluster 2 was significantly associated with clinical improvement in all domains. Conclusion: Using automated computer vision of facial expressions during PANSS interviews did not only capture negative symptoms but also combinations of the three overall domains of psychopathology. Moreover, automated assessments of facial expressions at baseline were associated with initial antipsychotic treatment response. The findings underscore the clinical relevance of facial expressions and motivate further investigations of computer vision in clinical psychiatry.

OriginalsprogEngelsk
TidsskriftActa Psychiatrica Scandinavica
Antal sider10
ISSN0001-690X
DOI
StatusE-pub ahead of print - 2024

Bibliografisk note

Funding Information:
This project was funded by the Lundbeck Foundation (ID: R13\u2010A1349, R25\u2010A2701), Danish Agency for Science Technology and Innovation (271\u201308\u20100690), Gerhard Linds legat, Marie and B\u00F8rge Kroghs Foundation, and the Mental Health Services in the Capital Region of Denmark.

Funding Information:
BYG has been the leader of a Lundbeck Foundation Centre of Excellence for Clinical Intervention and Neuropsychiatric Schizophrenia Research (CINS) (January 2009\u2013December 2021), which was partially financed by an independent grant from the Lundbeck Foundation based on international review and partially financed by the Mental Health Services in the Capital Region of Denmark, the University of Copenhagen, and other foundations. All grants are the property of the Mental Health Services in the Capital Region of Denmark and administrated by them. BE is part of the Advisory Board of Eli Lilly Denmark A/S, Janssen\u2010Cilag, Lundbeck Pharma A/S, and Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Ltd; and has received lecture fees from Bristol\u2010Myers Squibb, Boehringer Ingelheim, Otsuka Pharma Scandinavia AB, Eli Lilly Company, and Lundbeck Pharma A/S. All other authors have nothing to disclose.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 The Author(s). Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

ID: 401972498