Can an experimental white noise task assess psychosis vulnerability in adult healthy controls?

Maider Gonzalez De Artaza,Ana Catalan,Amaia Bilbao,Virxinia Angosto,Cristina Valverde,Jim Van Os,Miguel Angel Gonzalez-Torres,Nori Takei

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0192373

Abstract

BackgroundThis is an extension of a paper published earlier. We investigated the association between the tendency to detect speech illusion in random noise and levels of positive schizotypy in a sample of 185 adult healthy controls.Materials and methodsSubclinical positive, negative and depressive symptoms were assessed with the Community Assessment of Psychic Experiences (CAPE); positive and negative schizotypy was assessed with the Structured Interview for Schizotypy-Revised (SIS-R).ResultsSpeech illusions were associated with positive schizotypy (OR: 4.139, 95% CI: 1.074–15.938; p = 0.039) but not with negative schizotypy (OR: 1.151, 95% CI: 0.183–7.244; p = 0.881). However, the association of positive schizotypy with speech illusions was no longer significant after adjusting for age, sex and WAIS-III (OR: 2.577, 95% CI: 0.620–10.700; p = 0.192). Speech illusions were not associated with self-reported CAPE measures.ConclusionsThe association between schizotypy and the tendency to assign meaning in random noise in healthy controls may be mediated by cognitive ability and not constitute an independent trait.

Highlights

The presence of psychotic features such as hallucinations, delusions or disorganized thinking is common in a wide range of mental disorders [1].The prevalence of psychotic experiences in the population is difficult to assess given a range of methodological issues
We investigated the association between the tendency to detect speech illusion in random noise and levels of positive schizotypy in a sample of 185 adult healthy controls
Subclinical positive, negative and depressive symptoms were assessed with the Community Assessment of Psychic Experiences (CAPE); positive and negative schizotypy was assessed with the Structured Interview for Schizotypy-Revised (SIS-R)

Summary

Results

Controls were 55.14% males and more than half were single (58.38%). Mean age of controls was 31.81 years old (SD = 11.56). The majority was from middle social class (76.76%) and had had full-time education (38.92%). Mean WAIS-IQ was 109.01 (SD = 14.93) (Table 1). 12.97% of controls perceived at least two instances of any positive, negative or neutral voice in white noise (Table 2). Any speech illusion was associated with positive schizotypy (OR: 4.139, 95% CI: 1.074–15.938; p = 0.039) but not with negative schizotypy (OR: 1.151, 95% CI: 0.183–7.244; p = 0.881). The association of positive schizotypy with speech illusions disappeared after adjustment for age, sex and WAIS-III (OR: 2.577, 95% CI: 0.620–10.700; p = 0.192).

Introduction

Method Procedure and sample

Discussion