SIRS 2025 | Posters & Presentations

Sunday 30th March 12:00-14:00

S162 – Identification of Robust Speech-Based Markers of Negative Symptom Severity in Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders, by Michael Spilka

We identified robust speech-based markers of negative symptom severity in schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSD) by analyzing speech features from 62 inpatient participants across two visits. Speech rate, phonation rate, and unfilled pauses were consistently correlated with negative symptom severity, with suitable test-retest reliability, and demonstrating discriminant validity and specificity. Speech rate most consistently demonstrated convergent validity across tasks and visits. These findings support the use of digital speech assessment as an objective measure of negative symptom severity in SSD. 

Monday 31st March 12:00-14:00

M169 – A Meta-Analysis of Cognitive Impairments on CANTAB Computerized Assessment of MATRICS Domains, by Francesca Cormack, presented by Michael Spilka 

Our meta-analysis examined cognitive impairment associated with schizophrenia (CIAS) using results from 54 studies assessing MATRICS cognitive domains with the CANTAB battery. Significant deficits in participants with schizophrenia relative to healthy control participants were observed across all tasks, with the greatest impairments in attention (Hedges’ g = 1.10), working memory (0.94), and visual learning (0.80). These findings highlight the sensitivity of computerized cognitive testing for assessing CIAS and its potential utility in clinical trials.