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Abstract
Embodied emotions arise from interoceptive and somatosensory processes, and are essential
to the development of a stable sense of self. Emotional embodiment is therefore inherently
interwoven with our sense of bodily self-awareness, and allows us to navigate complex
social situations. Given that the core feature of schizophrenia (SZ) is characterized
by the presence of bodily self-disturbances and social-emotional deficits, we hypothesized
that embodiment of emotion would be disrupted in SZ. Twenty-six medicated individuals
with SZ and 26 demographically matched controls used a computerized topographical
mapping tool (“EmBODY”) to indicate on a body outline where they felt bodily sensations
while experiencing an emotion. There were 13 different emotions plus a neutral state.
The resulting bodily maps of emotions were quantitatively compared between groups
using linear discriminant analysis and similarity scores. Bodily maps of emotions
were anomalous in SZ as indicated by indistinguishable maps across different emotions.
Relative to the control group, patients reported less discrete and less clear bodily
sensations across emotions. In particular, bodily maps for low-arousal emotions were
atypical in comparison with healthy controls. Anomalous and undifferentiated mapping
of embodied emotions in SZ could lead to deficits in linking bodily sensations to
conceptual categories of emotions. Disrupted emotional embodiment could also contribute
to poor social functioning. Abnormal bodily sensations of emotions might therefore
be a promising target for future psychosocial interventions.