Schizotypal Dimensions Research Articles

Season of birth and schizotypy in a sample of undergraduate students.

In line with the psychotic continuum theory, the study of psychometric schizotypy in non-clinical samples has been proposed as a convenient yet powerful method for studying the etiology of psychosis. Based on this paradigm, several studies explored the association between season of birth (SoB) and schizotypy but led to inconsistent results. Building on the analysis of the previous studies, in the present study, we aimed to advance our understanding by improving the methodology (using a homogeneous group, eliminating unreliable respondents, taking into account potential confounders) and the reporting. Subjects were recruited among undergraduate students from 3 Romanian Universities. To limit the potential influence of invalid response, we applied methods for detecting unreliable and/or biased questionnaires and excluded subjects with unreliable/ biased answers from the analyses. Schizotypal dimensions were measured using the Romanian translation of the 22-items Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire-Brief (SPQ-B). The association between schizotypy scores and season of birth was explored using linear regression. In a sample of 484 undergraduate students from Romania, we found that being born in late winter/early spring (February and March) was associated to higher total schizotypy score and disorganization. Furthermore, we found that restricting the sample to subjects born in an urban environment increased the strength of the association. This study is consistent with an association between SoB and the risk of psychotic disorders.

Abnormalities in emotion regulation are associated with negative, but not positive or disorganized schizotypy: An experience sampling study

BackgroundSchizotypy, a multidimensional construct with positive, negative, and disorganized dimensions, represents a vulnerability marker for the development of schizophrenia. Although there has been increasing evidence linking schizotypy to emotion regulation (ER) deficits, the specific association between different schizotypal dimensions and alterations in ER strategy use in daily life remains poorly understood. MethodsUsing the experience sampling method (ESM), the present study examined the associations between positive, negative, and disorganized schizotypy and ER strategy use in daily life in a nonclinical young adult sample (N = 258). Participants were instructed to report their ER strategy use 5 times a day for 14 days. Four adaptive ER strategies (reflection, reappraisal, social sharing, and distraction) and two maladaptive ER strategies (suppression and rumination) were included. ResultsMultilevel modeling analyses showed that positive schizotypal traits predicted greater use of adaptive ER strategies, while negative schizotypal traits predicted less use of adaptive ER strategies and more frequent use of emotional suppression in daily life. No associations between disorganized schizotypal traits and any ER strategy use were found. ConclusionSchizotypy dimensions are differentiated by preferences for different ER strategies in daily life. The findings suggest a strong association between negative schizotypy and notable dysfunctions in ER, emphasizing the significance of negative schizotypy as a vulnerability factor for psychosis.

Cold executive function processes and their hot analogs in schizotypy.

To examine cold (based on logical reasoning) versus hot (having emotional components) executive function processes in groups with high individual schizotypal traits. Two-hundred and forty-seven participants were administered the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire and were allocated into schizotypal (cognitive-perceptual, paranoid, negative, disorganized) or control groups according to pre-specified criteria. Participants were also administered a battery of tasks examining working memory, complex selective attention, response inhibition, decision-making and fluid intelligence and their affective counterparts. The outcome measures of each task were reduced to one composite variable thus formulating five cold and five hot cognitive domains. Between-group differences in the cognitive domains were examined with repeated measures analyses of covariance. For working memory, the control and the cognitive-perceptual groups outperformed negative schizotypes, while for affective working memory controls outperformed the disorganized group. Controls also scored higher compared with the disorganized group in complex selective attention, while both the control and the cognitive-perceptual groups outperformed negative schizotypes in complex affective selective attention. Negative schizotypes also had striking difficulties in response inhibition, as they scored lower compared with all other groups. Despite the lack of differences in fluid intelligence, controls scored higher compared with all schizotypal groups (except from cognitive-perceptual schizotypes) in emotional intelligence; the latter group reported higher emotional intelligence compared with negative schizotypes. Results indicate that there is no categorical association between the different schizotypal dimensions with solely cold or hot executive function processes and support impoverished emotional intelligence as a core feature of schizotypy.

Schizotypal dimensions are associated with current but not former tobacco consumption

ObjectivesWe aimed to study the relationship between tobacco smoking and attenuated psychosis measures taking into account several aspects of tobacco consumption that to date have not been explored and that could help understand this association, such as age of onset, the influence of former consumption and the duration of abstinence. MethodsWe investigated, in a sample of 580 students, the relationship between schizotypy (using the schizotypal personality questionnaire-brief in a Likert format) and smoking status, nicotine dependence (measured with the Fagerström test for nicotine dependence), age of onset of smoking and in former smokers, duration of smoking abstinence. Results35.2% of the students were current smokers and 13.4% were former smokers. We found that current but not former smokers had higher scores of schizotypy (total, positive and disorganized) than non-smokers. We found no association between schizotypy scores and nicotine dependence or earlier age of onset of smoking. The duration of smoking abstinence, in former smokers, was inversely correlated to the score of positive and total schizotypy. ConclusionsOur results suggest that tobacco has a reversible effect on schizotypy, but more studies with a different design (controlled, longitudinal) and a more thorough exploration of potential confounders (e.g. cannabis) are needed before a firm conclusion can be reached.

Polygenic risk for schizophrenia as a moderator of associations between childhood trauma and schizotypy

Recent evidence shows that genetic and environmental risk factors for psychotic disorders are associated with higher levels of schizotypy (or psychosis proneness) in the general population. However, little is known about how these risk factors interact. We specifically examined whether genetic loading for schizophrenia moderates the association between childhood trauma severity and schizotypy. Schizotypy was measured using the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire (SPQ), and childhood trauma severity was measured with the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) among a total of 168 participants (comprising 51 healthy individuals, 56 diagnosed with schizophrenia, and 61 with bipolar disorder). Polygenic risk scores (PRS) for schizophrenia were calculated for all participants and examined as a potential moderator of associations between total scores on the CTQ and schizotypy total scores and dimensions (i.e., cognitive-perceptual, interpersonal, disorganised). Multiple linear regression models revealed associations between childhood trauma and all dimensions of schizotypy, but no associations between PRS and schizotypy. A significant interaction between PRS and childhood trauma was evident for the interpersonal and disorganised dimensions of schizotypy, as well as the total score, reflecting positive associations between childhood trauma severity and these two schizotypal dimensions, only for individuals with low or average PRS for schizophrenia. This suggests that trauma may be able to increase risk for psychosis independently of any genetic vulnerability. The present findings are consistent with the idea of several risk pathways for the development of psychotic disorders.

Social Connectedness in Schizotypy: The Role of Cognitive and Affective Empathy.

Social connectedness is increasingly understood to be a resilience factor that moderates vulnerability to poor physical and mental health. This study examines cognitive and affective processes that support normal socialization and social connectedness, and the impact of schizotypy, in well-functioning college students. In this study, a total of 824 college students completed a series of self-report questionnaires, and structural equation modeling was then employed to identify relationships between cognitive and affective empathy, alexithymia, distress tolerance, social connectedness, and schizotypy. Schizotypy is a trait-like condition, presumed to be genetic in origin, associated with the risk for schizophrenia. Like schizophrenia, schizotypy is thought to have three distinct dimensions or categories, termed positive, negative, and disorganized. Results indicate that the respective dimensions of schizotypy have different pathways to social connectedness, through both direct and indirect effects. Positive schizotypy exerts a counterintuitive positive influence on social connectedness, mediated by positive effects on cognitive empathy, but this is obscured by the high correlations between the schizotypal dimensions and the strong negative influences on empathy and social connectedness of the negative and disorganized dimensions, unless all those intercorrelations are taken into account. Overall, the pathways identified by structural equation modeling strongly support the role of empathy in mediating the impact of schizotypy on social connectedness. Implications for the etiology of social impairments in schizotypy, and for interventions to enhance social connectedness to improve quality of life and reduce health disparities in people at risk for severe mental illness, are discussed.

The Prediction Analysis of Autistic and Schizotypal Traits in Attentional Networks.

ObjectiveEmpirical findings confirmed that autistic and schizotypal traits are associated with attentional function as well as include various dimensions. So far, no study has reported which dimension of these traits relates to attentional networks. This study aimed to find out whether there are associations between attentional networks and autistic traits; and between attentional networks and schizotypal traits. MethodsA total of 449 volunteers was included in this study, and autism-spectrum quotient (AQ), schizotypal personality questionnaire (SPQ), and attention network test (ANT) were used to measure autistic traits and schizotypal traits. The three independent attentional networks, including alerting network, orienting network, and executive control network, were also measured. ResultsAutistic traits were associated with the orienting network, whereas schizotypal traits were associated with the orienting network and executive control network. Furthermore, attentional networks could be predicted by specific dimensions of autistic and schizotypal traits. AQ-attention switching [0.104 (-1.175– -0.025), p=0.041] and AQ-attention to detail [-0.097 (-0.798– -0.001), p=0.049] were significant predictors of orienting network and gender were significant predictor of executive network (Beta=0.107; 95% CI=-0.476–10.139; p=0.031). Whereas, schizotypal dimension “interpersonal” was a significant predictor of all three attentional networks [Alerting: 0.147 (-0.010–0.861), p=0.045; Orienting: 0.147 (0.018–0.733), p=0.040; Executive: 0.198 (0.215–1.309), p=0.006]. ConclusionThis study demonstrated that autistic and schizotypal traits were associated with attentional networks. The specific dimensions of autistic and schizotypal traits could predict attentional networks. Nevertheless, the attentional networks predicted with these two traits were different.

Self-perceived cognitive lapses and psychological well-being in schizotypy: Generalized and domain-specific associations.

A critical link between schizotypy and schizophrenia is impoverished cognitive functioning. In the majority of studies, though: (1) cognition is examined with standard neuropsychological tasks; and (2) high-schizotypal individuals are defined according to criteria applied in the respective study sample. Taking these considerations into account, the aims of the present study were to examine: (1) differences between four pre-defined, according to normative criteria, schizotypal (paranoid, negative, disorganized and cognitive-perceptual) and one control groups in self-perceived cognitive lapses; and (2) associations between schizotypal dimensions, self-perceived cognitive lapses and psychological well-being. Two hundred and sixty-one participants were administered the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire, the Cognitive Failures Questionnaire (CFQ) and the Flourishing Scale, which assesses psychological well-being. Negative schizotypals reported higher scores in almost all CFQ measures compared with the control group (all p values<0.01) along with poorer psychological well-being compared with the control and the cognitive-perceptual groups (both p values<0.001). The disorganized group had higher scores in distractibility, blunders and total CFQ scores compared with the control group (all p values<0.001). High psychological well-being was significantly associated with low negative schizotypy and CFQ blunders along with high cognitive-perceptual schizotypy (all p values<0.05). To summarize, negative schizotypy is associated with a profile of "generalized" self-perceived cognitive lapses while disorganized schizotypy is characterized by self-perceived cognitive slips that have previously been shown to be mediated by a fronto-parietal network. Although psychological well-being is negatively associated with social-context specific cognitive failures and negative schizotypy, it is positively associated with cognitive-perceptual schizotypy.

Psychosocial deficits across autism and schizotypal spectra are interactively modulated by excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmission.

Continued human and animal research has strengthened evidence for aberrant excitatory-inhibitory neural processes underlying autism and schizophrenia spectrum disorder psychopathology, particularly psychosocial functioning, in clinical and nonclinical populations. We investigated the extent to which autistic traits and schizotypal dimensions were modulated by the interactive relationship between excitatory glutamate and inhibitory GABA neurotransmitter concentrations in the social processing area of the superior temporal cortex using proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy. In total, 38 non-clinical participants (20 females; age range = 18-35 years, mean (standard deviation) = 23.22 (5.52)) completed the autism spectrum quotient and schizotypal personality questionnaire, and underwent proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy to quantify glutamate and GABA concentrations in the right and left superior temporal cortex. Regression analyses revealed that glutamate and GABA interactively modulated autistic social skills and schizotypal interpersonal features (pcorr < 0.05), such that those with high right superior temporal cortex glutamate but low GABA concentrations exhibited poorer social and interpersonal skills. These findings evidence an excitation-inhibition imbalance that is specific to psychosocial features across the autism and schizophrenia spectra.

High delusional ideation is associated with false pictorial memory

Background and objectivesTo assess the relationship between false memories and schizotypal experiences in healthy volunteers. Previous research has examined a number of schizotypal dimensions and experiences and found a variety of results. Our aim was to determine the specificity of these associations by giving participants a schizotypy measure which tapped positive, negative and disorganised dimensions (O-LIFE) and another which focused on delusional ideation (PDI). MethodsA new memory task was used consisting of images of everyday items, separated into categories. At test participants were presented with pictures which had been seen in the study phase, related lures (additional items from the same categories but which were new) and new items which were not from these categories. ResultsPositive correlations were found between scores on the positive dimension of schizotypy/delusional ideation and proportion of false memories. Moreover, these participants also had a greater tendency to respond with the highest confidence old response, regardless of the status of the item. No significant correlations were found with the other dimensions of schizotypy. LimitationsThe confidence finding differs somewhat from previous research, which has found more confidence in memory errors and less confidence in correct responses in schizophrenia. It is unclear the reason(s) for this discrepancy. ConclusionsIncreased false memory is associated with the positive dimension of schizotypy and delusional ideation and not the disorganised or negative dimensions. Furthermore, our results suggest that those high in positive schizotypy/delusional ideation require less evidence before they are willing to call an item old.

Schizotypy-Independent and Schizotypy-Modulated Cognitive Impairments in Unaffected First-Degree Relatives of Schizophrenia-spectrum Patients.

The aim of the study was to compare the neurocognitive profile of unaffected first-degree relatives of schizophrenia patients with control individuals, controlling for different schizotypal traits. One hundred and fifteen adult unaffected first-degree relatives of schizophrenia-spectrum patients and 122 controls were tested for schizotypy with the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire. They also underwent a thorough neurocognitive assessment with a range of tasks covering several aspects of executive functioning. Between-group differences in cognition were examined first with multivariate analysis of variance and then with a series of multivariate analyses of covariance, including the schizotypal dimensions as covariates. The relatives had higher scores on all schizotypal dimensions compared with controls and poorer planning, problem solving, strategy formation and working memory, irrespective of schizotypal traits. They also scored lower in executive working memory and verbal fluency. The difference in executive working memory was sensitive to the effects of paranoid and negative schizotypy (both dimensions abolished the between-group difference) whereas the difference in verbal fluency was sensitive only to the effects of paranoid schizotypy. Neither cognitive-perceptual nor disorganized schizotypy accounted for any differences in neurocognition between relatives and the controls. Impairments in planning, problem solving, strategy formation and working memory are "core" impairments in the schizophrenia-spectrum, possibly due to high heritability effects in these functions. Impairments in executive working memory and verbal fluency are associated with paranoid and negative schizotypy, possibly due to alterations in a common fronto-temporo-parietal neural network.

A latent profile analysis of schizotypal dimensions: Associations with psychopathology and personality

The main goal of the present study was to explore the latent structure of schizotypal traits in non-clinical young adults, and compare the latent profiles in clinical and personality characteristics: mental distress, psychosis-proneness, hypomanic experiences, and anticipatory and consummatory pleasure. A large sample of college students (N =1002; mean age =21.11 years; SD =3.92) were administered the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire-Brief Revised, the Mood Disorder Questionnaire, the short version of the Oxford-Liverpool Inventory of Feelings and Experiences, the General Health Questionnaire-12, and the Temporal Experience of Pleasure Scale. Using latent profile analysis, four latent classes (LC) were identified: “low schizotypy” (62.4%), “average schizotypy” (17.6%), “interpersonal schizotypy” (17.1%), and “high schizotypy” (2.9%). The “high schizotypy” class scored higher on most psychometric indicators of psychopathology and personality (i.e., mental distress, schizotypy, hypomanic experiences, and anticipatory and consummatory pleasure) relative to other three latent classes. The other three schizotypal latent profiles also varied in terms of these psychopathology and personality factors. The identification of homogeneous subgroups of individuals potentially at-risk for psychosis based on schizotypal latent profiles may improve early identification and prevention efforts aimed at reducing the burden associated with psychotic-spectrum disorders and mental health problems.

The Biological Rhythms Interview of Assessment in Neuropsychiatry in patients with bipolar disorder: correlation with affective temperaments and schizotypy.

Objective:To assess the relationship of biological rhythms, evaluated by the Biological Rhythms Interview of Assessment in Neuropsychiatry (BRIAN), with affective temperaments and schizotypy.Methods:The BRIAN assessment, along with the Temperament Evaluation of Memphis, Pisa, Paris, and San Diego-Autoquestionnaire (TEMPS-A) and the Oxford-Liverpool Inventory for Feelings and Experiences (O-LIFE), was administered to 54 patients with remitted bipolar disorder (BD) and 54 healthy control (HC) subjects.Results:The TEMPS-A cyclothymic temperament correlated positively and the hyperthymic temperament correlated negatively with BRIAN scores in both the BD and HC groups, although the correlation was stronger in BD subjects. Depressive temperament was associated with BRIAN scores in BD but not in HC; conversely, the irritable temperament was associated with BRIAN scores in HC, but not in BD. Several positive correlations between BRIAN scores and the schizotypal dimensions of the O-LIFE were observed in both BD and HC subjects, especially with cognitive disorganization and less so with unusual experiences and impulsive nonconformity. A correlation with introversion/anhedonia was found only in BD subjects.Conclusion:Cyclothymic and depressive temperaments predispose to disturbances of biological rhythms in BD, while a hyperthymic temperament can be protective. Similar predispositions were also found for all schizotypal dimensions, mostly for cognitive disorganization.

Analyse de la structure factorielle de la version brève du questionnaire de personnalité schizotypique (SPQ-B) – format Likert – en population générale en France

IntroductionThe main objective of the study was to explore the factorial structure of the French version of the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire-Brief (SPQ-B) in a Likert format, in a representative sample of the general population. In addition, differences in the dimensional scores of schizotypy according to gender and age were analyzed. As the study in the general population of schizotypal traits and its determinants has been recently proposed as a way toward the understanding of aetiology and pathophysiology of schizophrenia, consistent self-report tools are crucial to measure psychometric schizotypy. A shorter version of the widely used Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire (SPQ-Brief) has been extensively investigated in different countries, particularly in samples of students or clinical adolescents, and more recently, a few studies used a Likert-type scale format which allows partial endorsement of items and reduces the risk of defensive answers. MethodA sample of 233 subjects representative of the adult population from an urban area near Paris (Créteil) was recruited using the “itinerary method”. They completed the French version of the SPQ-B with a 5-point Likert-type response format (1=completely disagree; 5=completely agree). We examined the dimensional structure of the French version of the SPQ-B with a Principal Components Analysis (PCA) followed by a promax rotation. Factor selection was based on Eigenvalues over 1.0 (Kaiser's criterion), Cattell's Scree-plot test, and interpretability of the factors. Items with loadings greater than 0.4 were retained for each dimension. The internal consistency estimate of the dimensions was calculated with Cronbach's α. In order to study the influence of age and gender, we carried out a simple linear regression with the subscales as dependent variables. ResultsOur sample was composed of 131 women (mean age=52.5±18.2 years) and 102 men (mean age=53±18.1 years). SPQ-B Likert total scores ranged from 22 to 84 points (mean=43.6±13). Factor analysis resulted in a 3-factor solution that explained 47.7% of the variance. Factor 1 (disorganized; 10 items) included items related to “odd behavior”, “odd speech”, as well as “social anxiety”, one item of “constricted affect” and one item of “ideas of reference”. Factor 2 (interpersonal; 7 items) included items related to “no close friends”, “constricted affect”, and three of the items of “suspiciousness”. Factor 3 (cognitive-perceptual; 5 items) included items related to “ideas of reference”, “magical thinking”, “unusual perceptual experiences” and one item of “suspiciousness”. Coefficient α for the three subscales and total scale were respectively 0.81, 0.81, 0.77 and 0.88. We found no differences in total schizotypy and the three dimensions scores according to age and sex. ConclusionFactor analysis of the French version of the SPQ-B in a Likert format confirmed the three-factor structure of schizotypy. We found a pure cognitive perceptual dimension including the most representative positive features. As expected, “Suspiciousness” subscale is included in both positive and negative dimensions, but mainly in the negative dimension. Surprisingly, “social anxiety” subscale is included in the disorganized dimension in our analysis. The SPQ-B in a Likert format demonstrated good internal reliability for both total and subscales scores. Unlike previous published results, we did not find any influence of age or gender on schizotypal dimensions.

Associations of differential schizotypal dimensions with executive working memory: A moderated-mediation analysis

BackgroundIncreased schizotypal traits are observed in a percentage of the general population and in the schizophrenia-spectrum and have been associated with impairments in working memory. In this study we examined the effects of four schizotypal dimensions [Negative (NegS), Paranoid (ParS), Cognitive-Perceptual (CPS), Disorganized (DiS)] on executive working memory (EWM), as mediated by set-shifting, planning and control inhibition. We also examined whether these associations are moderated by family-history of psychosis. MethodsOur sample consisted of 110 unaffected first-degree relatives of schizophrenia-spectrum patients and 120 control individuals. Schizotypy was assessed with the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire. Participants were also tested with the Letter–Number Sequencing, Wisconsin Card Sorting, Stroop Color–Word and Stockings of Cambridge tasks. The effects of set-shifting, control inhibition and planning on the relationship between schizotypy and EWM were examined with mediation analyses. Moderated-mediation analyses examined potential moderating effects of group membership (unaffected relative/community participant). ResultsAll mediators were significant in the relationship between NegS and EWM. The effects of ParS were mediated only by set-shifting and planning. Planning and control inhibition were the only significant mediators on the effects of CPS and DiS on EWM, respectively. The moderated-mediation analyses revealed that these findings apply only in the community group. ConclusionsWe found that the effects of different schizotypal dimensions on EWM are mediated by other cognitive processes in individuals without personal/family history of psychosis. This is probably due to either more severe impairments in the cognitive processes of the relatives or restrictions in our sample and study-design.

Cognitive profiles of schizotypal dimensions in a community cohort: Common properties of differential manifestations

ABSTRACTIntroduction: Studies assessing the effects of schizotypal dimensions (i.e., positive, negative, and disorganized) on cognitive functions have yielded mixed findings. In the present study, we administered an extensive battery of cognitive tasks to a community sample and defined the schizotypal dimensions according to a more analytical four-factor model, whereby positive schizotypy is further divided into cognitive–perceptual and paranoid. Method: Two hundred healthy community participants were assessed for schizotypy with the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire; assessment of cognitive functions included set shifting, working memory, processing speed, verbal fluency, attention switching, planning/problem solving, strategy formation, and abstract reasoning. Associations between cognitive tasks and schizotypy were examined with hierarchical multiple linear regressions. We also divided our subjects into groups based on whether or not their scores in the negative, positive, and cognitive–perceptual factors fell in the upper 10% of the scores of a large community normative sample in Greece and examined between-group differences. Results: Applying both dimensional and categorical approaches, we showed that (a) attention-switching impairment is a “core” deficit of both negative and paranoid schizotypy, (b) impaired working memory and set shifting are associated mainly with negative and to a lesser extent paranoid schizotypy, (c) paranoid schizotypy is associated with reduced performance in tasks requiring intact frontotemporal connectivity, and (d) cognitive–perceptual and disorganized schizotypy are not associated with any cognitive functions. Conclusions: Our findings further support the more analytical four-factor categorization of schizotypy and suggest that the discrepancies in the findings so far might be due to a more “generalized” definition of the schizotypal dimensions. They also add further in the early formulation of the profile of the high-schizotypal individuals seeking psychiatric help so that their overall management is directed towards a more targeted approach.

Psychopathological traits in college students from top-ranking french schools: Do autistic features impair success in science when associated with schizotypal traits?

The link between personality and the interest of individuals for science has not been thoroughly explored. In this report, we studied psychopathological traits in students studying science in French top-ranking institutions. Three hundred and forty seven individuals answered questionnaires assessing autistic and schizotypal dimensions, as well as anxiety, depression symptomatology and attachment quality. A cluster analysis based on autistic and schizotypal traits led to the identification of 4 distinct profiles: a “low trait cluster”, a “moderate autistic trait cluster”, a “moderate schizotypal trait cluster” and a “high trait cluster” (HTC) composed of individuals with high scores on both autistic and schizotypal scales. Each cluster represented 20.1–27.1% of participants and was clearly different from the three others, both on autistic and on schizotypal dimensions. These groups could be also typified by their level of anxiety, depression or degraded attachment, which are proportional to the extent of psychopathological traits. Moreover, students from the HTC cluster displayed lower academic results, thus implying that autistic traits might impair success in science when they are associated with moderate schizotypal personality features. This study also suggests that depression and anxiety might mediate performance inhibition in the HTC group.

Associations of Schizotypy with Prefrontal Function and Psychopathology: “positive” or “negative”? Findings From the Premes Cohort

Introduction Although Positive (PS) and Negative Schizotypy (NS) are considered distinct entities, prefrontal dysfunction seems to be a common underlying mechanism. According to recent evidence, PS can be divided into Paranoid (ParS) and Cognitive-Perceptual (CPS). Objectives To explore NS’, ParS’ and CPS’ profiles of prefrontal function/psychopathology/stressful childhood experiences. Aims To examine associations between NS, ParS and CPS with the above phenotype in a community sample. Methods 140 healthy adults completed the Schizotypal-Personality Questionnaire (SPQ), Symptom-Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90R), Wisconsin Card-Sorting Test (WCST), CANTAB Spatial Working Memory (SWM), Parental-Bonding Instrument (PBI) and Child Abuse/Trauma Scale (CAT). Associations between schizotypal dimensions and outcome variables were examined with separate forward regression-analyses (confounders: age, smoking). Results High ParS and NS but not CPS were predicted by high CAT score and low parental-care respectively (Ps 2 :0.155 and 0.243) while high ParS also predicted fewer WCST-completed categories and increased total errors (Ps 2 :0.138 and 0.174). All schizotypal dimensions along with reduced parental-care predicted high SCL-90 psychopathology in all dimensions (Ps 2 range:0.211-0.426), ParS predicted mostly obsessive-compulsive symptomatology, anxiety, paranoid ideation and psychoticism (R 2 range:0.257-0.373) and CPS predicted mostly somatization and anger/hostility (R 2 :0.240 and 0.213). Conclusions ParS and NS were similar in terms of prefrontal dysfunction and childhood life experiences although they differed in their clinical psychopathology patterns. CPS seems to be a 'less severe” form of schizotypy in terms of prefrontal dysfunction and childhood experiences with minimal impact on current psychopathology.

Schizotypy and impaired basic face recognition? Another non-confirmatory study.

Although schizotypy has been found to be reliably associated with a reduced recognition of facial affect, the few studies that have tested the association between basic face recognition abilities and schizotypy have found mixed results. This study formally tested the association in a large non-clinical sample with established neurological measures of face recognition. Two hundred and twenty-seven participants completed the Oxford-Liverpool Inventory of Feelings and Experiences schizotypy scale and completed the Famous Faces Test and the Cardiff Repeated Recognition Test for Faces. No association between any schizotypal dimension and performance on either of the facial recognition and learning tests was found. The null results can be accepted with a high degree of confidence. Further additional evidence is provided for a lack of association between schizotypy and basic face recognition deficits.

Broadly defined risk mental states during adolescence: Disorganization mediates positive schizotypal expression

While schizotypal features are common during adolescence, they can also signal increased risk for the onset of schizophreniform disorders. Most studies with adolescents find that hallucination and delusion-like symptoms (positive schizotypal features) best predict future psychopathology. Still, the developmental process of positive schizotypy remains elusive, specifically with regards to 1) its relationships to negative and disorganization schizotypal dimensions; 2) its associations to maladaptive functioning during adolescence. This longitudinal study aimed to further characterize these relationships, thereby delineating “early and broadly defined psychosis risk mental states” (Keshavan et al., 2011).The current study presents the 3-year course of schizotypal trait expression in 34 clinical adolescents aged 12 to 18years consulting for non-psychotic difficulties. Schizotypal expression was assessed twice using the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire, accompanied by an examination of internalizing/externalizing problems using the Achenbach scales. Cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses were conducted to assess the expression and course of schizotypal dimensions; mediation analyses were further employed to highlight the developmental interactions promoting the maintenance of positive schizotypal expression.The results reveal that positive schizotypy, and more specifically unusual perceptual experiences, significantly declined during the study interval. Disorganization features were found to mediate the relationships between the negative and positive dimensions of schizotypy within and across evaluations. Somatic complaints and attentional difficulties further strengthened the expression of positive schizotypy during the study interval. These results suggest that the relationship between disorganization features and positive schizotypy may play a central role in establishing risk for psychosis during adolescence.