Abstract
This study investigated behavioral inhibition in female college students with psychometrically defined schizotypal traits using a Go/NoGo task and event-related potentials (ERPs). The schizotypal-trait (n = 15) and normal control (n = 15) groups were selected based on scores of the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire (SPQ). The Go/NoGo task consisted of Go (requires response) and NoGo (requires no response) conditions. In terms of response time and accuracy rate for the Go/NoGo task, the two groups did not differ significantly. In terms of ERPs, the control group showed greater N2 amplitudes in response to NoGo (NoGo-N2) than to Go stimuli (Go-N2), whereas the schizotypal-trait group showed no significant difference in NoGo-N2 and Go-N2 amplitudes. In addition, the schizotypal-trait group showed reduced NoGo-N2 amplitudes at the frontal site compared to controls, and an association between SPQ scores and NoGo-N2 amplitudes measured at the frontal site. The two groups did not differ in P3 amplitudes. Since the N2 reflects the detection of response conflict and behavioral inhibition, the present results indicate that nonclinical individuals with schizotypal traits have difficulties in detecting response conflict and behavioral inhibition.
Highlights
Behavioral or response inhibition involves the control of overt behavior such as motor or impulsive responses irrelevant to goal-directed behavior [1]
The schizotypal-trait group showed reduced NoGo-N2 amplitudes at the frontal site compared to controls, and an association between Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire (SPQ) scores and NoGo-N2 amplitudes measured at the frontal site
Increased activations in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex are consistently observed during the performance of the NoGo condition of the Go/NoGo task in normal controls [4,5], whereas activations in these brain structures are significantly reduced in schizophrenia patients relative to controls [6,7]
Summary
Behavioral or response inhibition involves the control of overt behavior such as motor or impulsive responses irrelevant to goal-directed behavior [1]. Studies that have investigated behavioral inhibition in patients with schizophrenia using the Go/NoGo task have reported that schizophrenia patients show significantly longer response times in response to Go stimuli [2] and more errors in response to NoGo stimuli than normal controls [3]. This indicates that patients with schizophrenia have deficits in behavioral inhibition. Structural abnormalities in the ACC and the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex have been reported in schizophrenia patients [8,9] These findings suggest that the impaired performance on the Go/NoGo task observed in schizophrenia patients might be related to structural and functional abnormalities of frontal areas
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