Social Cognition and Iron Dysregulation in Schizophrenia: A Longitudinal Study

This study focuses on understanding how schizophrenia impacts social thinking, emotion regulation, brain function, and biological processes over time. It involves two groups: individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia and healthy adults without schizophrenia. The goal is to compare how these aspects change in people with schizophrenia compared to healthy adults, which could help improve our understanding and care for this condition. The study also aims to explore how these changes differ from normal aging. Participants from both groups will complete a series of behavioral tasks and questionnaires at three different times: at the start of the study, after one year, and after two years. These tasks assess abilities such as understanding others, processing social information, and regulating emotions. For those with schizophrenia, clinical symptoms and their severity will also be assessed. Blood and hair samples will be collected at all visits to investigate biological factors related to mental health and stress. Participants will also undergo an MRI brain scan at the start and after one year. The study's outcomes include changes in the ability to understand others' mental states, attributional style, emotion recognition, and emotion regulation choice.