ABSTRACT
People with schizophrenia-spectrum disorders (SSDs) experience significant deficits in social cognition.
Social cognition independently contributes to real-world outcomes, including social competence and social
functioning. As such, social cognition is an important treatment target in SSDs. Yet, current research has not
adequately focused on determinants of social cognition, and intervention efforts do not reliably improve functional
outcomes or produce durable gains. This study addresses that gap by examining sleep disturbance and
inflammation as novel determinants of social cognition in people with SSDs. Up to 80% of people with SSDs
experience sleep disturbance, which is linked to increased symptomatology, risk for suicide attempts, and
reduced functional capacities and quality of life. Sleep disturbance is also linked to heightened inflammation in
those with SSDs and other severe mental illnesses, like bipolar disorders (BDs), including increased C-reactive
protein (CRP) and interleukin (IL)-6. Inflammation is elevated in people with SSDs and BDs, and experimental
studies in healthy groups show that increased inflammation causes reduced social behavior and social cognition.
While a small body of literature links sleep disturbance and inflammation to neurocognitive domains in SSDs,
the relationships between sleep disturbance, inflammation, and social cognition are unexplored. This study will
use an intensive longitudinal approach to 1) test the relationships between sleep disturbance, inflammation, and
social cognition and behavior in those with SSDs, BDs, and healthy control (HC) participants; 2) compare SSD,
BD, and HC participants on social cognition, inflammation, and ecologically assessed sleep and social
parameters; and 3) develop methods to ecologically assess social cognition and use those methods to explore
stability of social cognition as a day-to-day process. Twenty-five participants will be recruited per group (N=75)
and asked to wear actigraphs and complete daily surveys (7 per day) over a period of 14 days, followed by a
comprehensive social cognitive assessment. Dried blood spots will be collected pre- and post-intensive
longitudinal data collection to provide inflammation data. Results will inform social cognitive intervention targets
for SSDs and BDs (consistent with the NIMH 2020 Strategic Plan) and support a larger, definitive R01
application. Additionally, consistent with the aims of the Research Enhancement Award Program (REAP), this
study will provide ample training opportunities for graduate and undergraduate students, tailored to provide
exposure to groups with severe mental illnesses and training in social cognitive research methodology, intensive
longitudinal assessment of biobehavioral processes, and collection and analysis of inflammation data. This
project will significantly improve the research environment at the University of Southern Mississippi and establish
infrastructure to support future projects, leading to a lasting positive impact on the research environment and
student opportunities in the USM Clinical Psychology PhD Program.
