Effects of Rhythmic Auditory Stimulation on Movements in Individuals at Risk for Psychotic Onset and Schizophrenia Patients

Effects of Rhythmic Auditory Stimulation on Movements in Individuals at Risk for Psychotic Onset and Schizophrenia Patients

The purpose of this research is to examine effects of movement training with the aid of rhythmic auditory stimulation (RAS) on reducing severity of dyskinesia and bradykinesia in at-risk individuals and schizophrenia patients. The investigators hypothesize that training with the aid of RAS reduced severity of bradykinesia and dyskinesia in at-risk individuals as well as in schizophrenia patients.

For at-risk individuals:

The inclusion criteria for at-risk individuals are:

1. A score of or above 9 in the Chinese version of the 16-item Prodromal Questionnaire (CPQ-16), or a score of or above 8.18 in the Chinese version of Community Assessment of Psychic Experiences with 15 items (CAPE-C15), or a score of or above 17 in Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire-Brief (SPQ-B);
2. A score of or above 22 in the Hong Kong version of Montreal Cognitive Assessment (HK-MoCA) to ensure that they can understand instructions;
3. A score of or above 60 in the Chinese Version of Edinburgh Handedness Inventory to ensure that they are right-handed.
4. The age ≥ 13 years.

The inclusion criteria for healthy controls are:

1. A score below the cut-off score of CPQ-16, CAPE-C15, and SPQ-B;
2. A score of or above 22 in MoCA;
3. A score of or above 60 in the Chinese Version of Edinburgh Handedness Inventory;
4. No first-degree family members having a diagnosis of mental illnesses.
5. The age ≥ 13 years.

At-risk participants and healthy controls will be excluded if they have any neurological / musculoskeletal dysfunction that may affect their upper-limb movements.

For schizophrenia patients:

The inclusion criteria for schizophrenia patients are:

1. A diagnosis of schizophrenia without other psychiatric diseases;
2. Having stable psychotic symptoms;
3. A score of or above 22 in HK-MoCA;
4. A score of or above 60 in the Chinese Version of Edinburgh Handedness Inventory.
5. The age ≥ 18 years.

The inclusion criteria for healthy controls are:

1. A score below the cut-off score of CPQ-16, CAPE-C15, and SPQ-B;
2. A score of or above 22 in MoCA;
3. A score of or above 60 in the Chinese Version of Edinburgh Handedness Inventory;
4. No first-degree family members having a diagnosis of mental illnesses.
5. The age ≥ 18 years.

Patients and healthy controls will be excluded if they have any neurological / musculoskeletal dysfunction that may affect their upper-limb movements.