Syntax and Schizophrenia: A meta-analysis of comprehension and production
Authors: Elleuch Dalia , Chen Yinhan , Luo Qiang , Palaniyappan Lena 
Published: October 2024

Background

People with schizophrenia exhibit notable difficulties in the use of everyday language. This directly impacts one’s ability to complete education and secure employment. An impairment in the ability to understand and generate the correct grammatical structures (syntax) has been suggested as a key contributor; but studies have been underpowered, often with conflicting findings. It is also unclear if syntactic deficits are restricted to a subgroup of patients, or generalized across the broad spectrum of patients irrespective of symptom profiles, age, sex, and illness severity.

Methods

We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis, registered on OSF, adhering to PRISMA guidelines, searching multiple databases up to May 1, 2024. We extracted effect sizes (Cohen’s d) and variance differences (log coefficient of variation ratio) across 6 domains: 2 in comprehension (understanding complex syntax, detection of syntactic errors) and 4 in production (global complexity, phrasal/clausal complexity, utterance length, and integrity) in patient-control comparisons. Study quality/bias was assessed using a modified Newcastle–Ottawa Scale. Bayesian meta-analysis was used to estimate domain-specific effects and variance differences. We tested for potential moderators with sufficient data (age, sex, study quality, language spoken) using conventional meta-regression to estimate the sources of heterogeneity between studies.

Findings

Overall, 45 studies (n=2960 unique participants, 64·4% English, 79 case-control contrasts, weighted mean age(sd)=32·3(5·6)) were included. Of the patient samples, only 29·2% were women. Bayesian meta-analysis revealed extreme evidence for all syntactic domains to be affected in schizophrenia with a large-sized effect (model-averagedd=0·65 to 1·01, with overall random effectsd=0·86, 95% CrI [0·67-1·03]). Syntactic comprehension was the most affected domain. There was notable heterogeneity between studies in global complexity (moderated by the age), production integrity (moderated by study quality), and production length. Robust BMA revealed weak evidence for publication bias. Patients had a small-to-medium-sized excess of inter-individual variability than healthy controls in understanding complex syntax, and in producing long utterances and complex phrases (overall random effectslnCVR=0·21, 95% CrI [0·07-0·36]), hinting at the possible presence of subgroups with diverging syntactic performance.

Interpretation

There is robust evidence for the presence of grammatical impairment in comprehension and production in schizophrenia. This knowledge will improve the measurement of communication disturbances in schizophrenia and aid in developing distinct interventions focussed on syntax - a rule-based feature that is potentially amenable to cognitive, educational, and linguistic interventions.

Research in Context

Evidence before this study

Prior studies have documented significant language deficits among individuals with psychosis across multiple levels. However, syntactic divergence—those affecting sentence structure and grammar—have not been consistently quantified or systematically reviewed. An initial review of the literature indicated that the specific nature and severity of syntactic divergence, as well as their impact on narrative speech production, symptom burden, and daily functioning, remain poorly defined. We conducted a comprehensive search of the literature up to May 1, 2024, using databases such as PubMed, PsycINFO, Scopus, Google Scholar, and Web of Science. Our search terms combined psychosis, schizophrenia, language production, comprehension, syntax, and grammar, and we identified a scarcity of meta-analytic studies focusing specifically on syntactic comprehension and production divergence in psychosis.

Added value of this study

This systematic review and meta-analysis is the first to quantitatively assess syntactic comprehension and production divergence in individuals with psychosis. This study provides estimated effect sizes associated with syntactic impairments as well as a quantification of the variance within patient groups for each domain of impairment. Besides a detailed examination of this under-researched domain, we also identify critical research gaps that need to be addressed to derive benefits for patients from knowledge generated in this domain.

Implications of all the available evidence

This study provides robust evidence of grammatical impairments in individuals with schizophrenia, particularly in syntactic comprehension and production. These findings can enhance early detection approaches via speech/text readouts and lead to the development of targeted cognitive, educational, and linguistic interventions. By highlighting the variability in linguistic deficits, the study offers valuable insights for future therapeutic trials. It also supports the creation of personalized formats of information and educational plans aimed at improving the effectiveness of any therapeutic intervention offered to patients with schizophrenia via verbal medium.