Schizotypal Group Research Articles

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.

A comparison of taxon-like schizotypal clusters of non-clinical individuals on polygenic scores for schizophrenia and related phenotypes

IntroductionSchizotypy is conceptualized to be on the continuum of the risk for psychosis. However, previous studies that used the dimensional approach to schizotypy failed to confirm the expected relations between schizotypal traits and polygenic risk scores (PRS) for schizophrenia. A taxonic approach is an alternative way of looking at schizotypy, but to the best of our knowledge it has not been used to explore the genetic architecture of this construct.ObjectivesThe present study aimed to fill this gap by comparing groups with different profiles of schizotypal traits on PRS for schizophrenia and related phenotypes.MethodsTo find clusters with different combinations of schizotypal traits, we conducted data mining of an ethnically homogeneous cohort of 1377 healthy individuals completed the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire. Four clusters emerged, termed low, positive, negative, and high mixed schizotypy. Approximately equal groups from each cluster were selected for genotyping. After quality control, PRS for schizophrenia, depression, neuroticism, and educational attainment were calculated for 320 individuals (mean age = 31.74, SD 12.25 years, 59% women) based on the summary statistics of the largest genome-wide association studies of the respective traits. The groups from different clusters were then compared on PRS.ResultsThe schizotypy groups were similar in age and sex composition but differed in educational attainment and neuroticism (as measured by the Eysenck Personality Inventory), with the high mixed schizotypes having the lowest education and highest neuroticism scores among the schizotypy groups. There were no statistically significant differences between the groups in any PRS. However, the high mixed schizotypy group showed the largest PRS for schizophrenia, neuroticism, and depression. At a nominally significant level, it differed from negative and positive schizotypes in schizophrenia PRS and from low schizotypy in neuroticism PRS. The positive and negative schizotypal groups had non-significantly lower schizophrenia PRS than low schizotypy subjects.ConclusionsOur study showed no reliable difference between groups with different schizotypal profiles in PRS of schizophrenia and related phenotypes. At the same time, a number of trends were observed suggesting that only the high mixed schizotypy might be viewed as a condition with an elevated genetic risk of schizophrenia. This is in line with Meehl’s quasi-dimensional model of schizotypy and warrants further investigation in larger samples. This work was supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research under Grant 20-013-00230.Disclosure of InterestNone Declared

Longitudinal Changes in Brain Gyrification in Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders.

Previous magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies reported increased brain gyrification in schizophrenia and schizotypal disorder, a prototypic disorder within the schizophrenia spectrum. This may reflect deviations in early neurodevelopment; however, it currently remains unclear whether the gyrification pattern longitudinally changes over the course of the schizophrenia spectrum. The present MRI study using FreeSurfer compared longitudinal changes (mean inter-scan interval of 2.7 years) in the local gyrification index (LGI) in the entire cortex among 23 patients with first-episode schizophrenia, 14 with schizotypal disorder, and 39 healthy controls. Significant differences were observed in longitudinal LGI changes between these groups; the schizophrenia group exhibited a progressive decline in LGI, predominantly in the fronto-temporal regions, whereas LGI increased over time in several brain regions in the schizotypal and control groups. In the schizophrenia group, a greater reduction in LGI over time in the right precentral and post central regions correlated with smaller improvements in negative symptoms during the follow-up period. The cumulative medication dosage during follow-up negatively correlated with a longitudinal LGI increase in the right superior parietal area in the schizotypal group, but did not affect longitudinal LGI changes in the schizophrenia group. Collectively, these results suggest that gyrification patterns in the schizophrenia spectrum reflect both early neurodevelopmental abnormalities as a vulnerability factor and active brain pathology in the early stages of schizophrenia.

Théorie de l’esprit et schizotypie : une revue de la littérature

ObjectivesSchizophrenia spectrum disorders are associated with incapacitating social impairments, mostly due to Theory of Mind (ToM) deficits. Theory of mind difficulties often precede the beginning of schizophrenia spectrum disorders and contribute highly to the social withdrawal of patients. They also predict bad outcome for individuals suffering from this condition. The use of samples of individuals presenting subclinical forms of schizophrenia spectrum disorders constitute an opportunity to study theory of mind capacities. Notably, the study of theory of mind deficits in schizotypy allows a better understanding of predictive markers of schizophrenia spectrum disorders. They also contribute to the identification of primary processes involved in social difficulties associated with these disorders. MethodsWe searched PubMed, Science Direct and Google Scholar databases for peer-reviewed articles studying the association between theory of mind performance and schizotypal traits up to the 1 April 2020. The following syntax was used: schizotypy AND (“theory of mind” OR “social cognition” OR “irony” OR “false belief” OR “social inference” OR “hinting task”). We also checked the references from these articles for additional papers. Only English and French written articles were considered. ResultsTwenty-three articles were included in the review. The majority of these studies (n=20) used behavioral measures of theory of mind (i.e. percentages of correct responses on a theory of mind task). Only a few (n=3) recent studies used brain imaging to study theory of mind in psychometric schizotypy. In those 23 studies, 18 report theory of mind difficulties in individuals with high schizotypal traits. Ten out of these 19 studies report an association between positive schizotypy and theory of mind deficits/hypomentalizing. The positive dimension was the most associated with theory of mind difficulties. The negative dimension was associated with theory of mind deficits in six studies out of 19 (33 %). The association between disorganization and theory of mind deficits was weak, mostly because of a lack of studies measuring this dimension (only one study out of 13 measured this particular trait). The association between hypermentalizing and schizotypy was poorly characterized, due to high heterogeneity in how this feature was conceptualized and measured. In summary, some authors consider good performance on a theory of mind task as a sign of hypermentalizing, while other authors consider that this feature relates to the production of erroneous interpretations of mental states. We advocate in favor of the second definition, and more studies using this framework should be conducted. Interestingly, the three studies using fMRI showed no significant behavioral differences between high and low schizotypal groups on theory of mind performance, while the patterns of brain activation differed. This shows that in individuals with schizotypy, theory of mind anomalies are not always captured just by behavioral performance. Brain imagery should be included in more studies to better understand theory of mind in schizotypy. In general, high heterogeneity in ways of assessing schizotypy, and in the tasks used to evaluate theory of mind, were found. Notably, some tasks require shallower theory of mind processing than others. It is a priority to design theory of mind tasks that allow for manipulating the difficulty of the items within one task, as well as the level of help that can be given, in order to allow for a better assessment of the impact of theory of mind difficulties and the ways to compensate for them. ConclusionsThe studies included in this review confirm the association between psychometric schizotypy and theory of mind. But the high heterogeneity in methods used in these studies, and notably the diversity in ways of assessing schizotypal traits and theory of mind, hinder a precise description of such an association. Additional studies are required. In particular, fMRI studies using tasks allowing for a precise description of altered and preserved theory of mind processes could be of great use in characterizing theory of mind difficulties associated with schizotypy.

Increased Heschl's Gyrus Duplication in Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders: A Cross-Sectional MRI Study.

Duplicated Heschl’s gyrus (HG) is prevalent in patients with schizophrenia and may reflect early neurodevelopmental anomalies. However, it currently remains unclear whether patients with schizotypal disorder, a prototypic disorder within the schizophrenia spectrum, exhibit a similar HG gyrification pattern. In this magnetic resonance imaging study, HG gyrification patterns were examined in 47 patients with schizotypal disorder, 111 with schizophrenia, and 88 age- and sex-matched healthy subjects. HG gyrification patterns were classified as single, common stem duplication (CSD), or complete posterior duplication (CPD). The prevalence of the duplicated HG patterns (CSD or CPD) bilaterally was higher in the schizophrenia and schizotypal groups than in healthy controls, whereas no significant difference was observed between the schizophrenia and schizotypal groups. Schizophrenia patients with the right CPD pattern had less severe positive symptoms, whereas the right single HG pattern was associated with higher doses of antipsychotic medication in schizotypal patients. The present study demonstrated shared HG gyrification patterns in schizophrenia spectrum disorders, which may reflect a common biological vulnerability factor. HG patterns may also be associated with susceptibility to psychopathology.

Cognitive Functioning and Schizotypy: A Four-Years Study.

Although there is ample evidence from cross-sectional studies indicating cognitive deficits in high schizotypal individuals that resemble the cognitive profile of schizophrenia-spectrum patients, there is still lack of evidence by longitudinal/follow-up studies. The present study included assessments of schizotypal traits and a wide range of cognitive functions at two time points (baseline and 4-years assessments) in order to examine (a) their stability over time, (b) the predictive value of baseline schizotypy on cognition at follow-up and (c) differences in cognition between the two time points in high negative schizotypal and control individuals. Only high negative schizotypal individuals were compared with controls due to the limited number of participants falling in the other schizotypal groups at follow-up. Seventy participants (mean age: 36.17; 70% females) were assessed at baseline and follow-up. Schizotypal traits were evaluated with the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire. We found that schizotypal traits decreased over time, except in a sub-group of participants (“schizotypy congruent”) that includes individuals who consistently meet normative criteria of inclusion in either a schizotypal or control group. In these individuals, negative schizotypy and aspects of cognitive-perceptual and disorganized schizotypy remained stable. The stability of cognitive functioning also varied over time: response inhibition, aspects of cued attention switching, set-shifting and phonemic/semantic verbal fluency improved at follow-up. High negative schizotypy at baseline predicted poorer response inhibition and semantic switching at follow-up while high disorganized schizotypy predicted poorer semantic processing and complex processing speed/set-shifting. The between-group analyses revealed that response inhibition, set-shifting and complex processing speed/set-shifting were poorer in negative schizotypals compared with controls at both time points, while maintaining set and semantic switching were poorer only at follow-up. Taken together, the findings show differential stability of the schizotypal traits over time and indicate that different aspects of schizotypy predict a different pattern of neuropsychological task performance during a 4-years time window. These results are of significant use in the formulation of targeted early-intervention strategies for high-risk populations.

Schizotypy and individual differences in peripersonal space plasticity

The space surrounding our body, defined as peripersonal space (PPS), is dynamically shaped by our motor experiences. For instance, PPS extends after using a tool to reach far objects. Several studies have demonstrated how PPS size varies across people, depending on different individual characteristics, including schizotypy. Coherently, narrower PPS boundaries have been reported among high schizotypal individuals and schizophrenia patients. However, little is known about the relationship between PPS plasticity and personality traits like schizotypy. To this purpose, the present study has investigated the individual PPS plasticity, after two different motor trainings, along the schizotypal continuum. Specifically, PPS plasticity was tested after using a tool (Experiment 1) and after the mere observation of another person using the same tool (Experiment 2). Indeed, previous evidence has shown that tool-use observation influences visual distance judgments, extending the representation of PPS. To date, however, there is no study investigating whether observation of tools action could also affect multisensory PPS tasks. Experiment 1 has shown that PPS boundaries extended after using the tool; on the other hand, Experiment 2 has revealed the absence of PPS expansion. Moreover, greater PPS expansion emerged in the relatively-low schizotypal group than in the relatively-high one, regardless of the type of motor training performed. The absence of PPS modulation after the observation task is discussed in relation to recent findings showing that intentional action and/or the goal of the action represent potentially crucial elements to trigger PPS plasticity. Finally, these new results extend previous evidence underlining a potential general functional alteration of PPS with the increase of schizotypal level.

Mild-to-moderate schizotypal traits relate to physiological arousal from social stress

Schizotypy denotes psychosis-like experiences, such as perceptual aberration, magical ideation, and social anxiety. Altered physiological arousal from social stress is found in people with high schizotypal traits. Two experiments aimed to determine the relationship of schizotypy to physiological arousal from social stress. Experiment 1 tested the hypotheses that heart rate from social stress would be greater in high, than mild-to-moderate, schizotypal traits, and disorganized schizotypy would explain this effect because of distress from disorganisation. Experiment 1 tested social stress in 16 participants with high schizotypal traits and 10 participants with mild-to-moderate schizotypal traits. The social stress test consisted of a public speech and an informal discussion with strangers. The high schizotypal group had a higher heart rate than the mild-to-moderate schizotypal group during the informal discussion with strangers, but not during the public speech. Disorganized schizotypy accounted for this group difference. Experiment 2 tested the hypothesis that mild-to-moderate schizotypal traits would have a linear relationship with physiological arousal from social stress. Experiment 2 tested 24 participants with mild-to-moderate schizotypal traits performing the abovementioned social stress test while their heart rate and skin conductance responses were measured. Mild-to-moderate schizotypal traits had a linear relationship with physiological arousal during the discussion with strangers. Distress in disorganized schizotypy may explain the heightened arousal from close social interaction with strangers in high schizotypy than mild-to-moderate schizotypy. Mild-to-moderate schizotypal traits may have a linear relationship with HR during close social interaction because of difficulty with acclimatizing to the social interaction.

Semantic Search in Psychosis: Modeling Local Exploitation and Global Exploration.

Impairments in category verbal fluency task (VFT) performance have been widely documented in psychosis. These deficits may be due to disturbed “cognitive foraging” in semantic space, in terms of altered salience of cues that influence individuals to search locally within a subcategory of semantically related responses (“clustering”) or globally between subcategories (“switching”). To test this, we conducted a study in which individuals with schizophrenia (n = 21), schizotypal personality traits (n = 25), and healthy controls (n = 40) performed VFT with “animals” as the category. Distributional semantic model Word2Vec computed cosine-based similarities between words according to their statistical usage in a large text corpus. We then applied a validated foraging-based search model to these similarity values to obtain salience indices of frequency-based global search cues and similarity-based local cues. Analyses examined whether diagnosis predicted VFT performance, search strategies, cue salience, and the time taken to switch between vs search within clusters. Compared to control and schizotypal groups, individuals with schizophrenia produced fewer words, switched less, and exhibited higher global cue salience, indicating a selection of more common words when switching to new clusters. Global cue salience negatively associated with vocabulary ability in controls and processing speed in schizophrenia. Lastly, individuals with schizophrenia took a similar amount of time to switch to new clusters compared to control and schizotypal groups but took longer to transition between words within clusters. Findings of altered local exploitation and global exploration through semantic memory provide preliminary evidence of aberrant cognitive foraging in schizophrenia.

High Schizotypal Individuals Are More Creative? The Mediation Roles of Overinclusive Thinking and Cognitive Inhibition.

Although a theoretical link between positive schizotypy and heightened creativity has been established in the literature, little empirical research has been conducted to examine the underlying cognitive processes that contribute to this association. In addition, previous studies found a negative relationship between positive schizotypy and cognitive inhibition; however, they often used the paradigm of latent inhibition. This study used the paradigm of prepotent response inhibition indicated by Stroop interference effect and examined the mediation effects of overinclusive thinking (OT) and cognitive inhibition on the creativity of schizotypal individuals. Two groups of low and high schizotypal individuals (N = 78) participated in the study. Each participant completed one OT task, one color-word Stroop task, three other executive functioning (EF) control tasks, and two creativity tasks. The results indicated that the high schizotypal group outperformed the low schizotypal group in the creativity tasks. They also exhibited higher OT as indicated by faster reaction time and higher cognitive inhibition as indicated by lower Stroop interference effect. Further, participant’s levels of OT and cognitive inhibition partially mediated the relationship between schizotypy and creativity. The results were discussed under the context of schizotypy and creativity research and implications for rehabitation were further provided.

T63. TOWARDS A COMPREHENSIVE SEMANTIC MEMORY NETWORK IN SCHIZOPHRENIA: PRELIMINARY RESULTS USING MAGNETOENCEPHALOGRAPHY (MEG) IN SCHIZOTYPY

BackgroundSemantic memory (memory for facts, concepts, and knowledge of the external world) abnormalities are predicted to underlie disturbances in thought and language, deficits in cognitive domains, and the development and maintenance of delusions in patients with schizophrenia. Electroencephalographic (EEG) recordings have successfully identified the neural time course for the processing of semantic information as an electrophysiological response between 300 and 500ms post stimulus (i.e., the N400). The N400 is a remarkably consistent and highly sensitive neural response to semantic relationships, and is thought to index the binding of current stimuli into context by detecting whether meaning is shared with recently processed stimuli or items in memory. To date, the N400 appears to be amodal: an index of semantic processing irrespective of stimulus type (e.g., word/picture stimuli alike), and has shown mixed findings in schizophrenia. However, existing literature has largely relied on EEG or functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) techniques, and these are constrained in spatial and temporal resolution, respectively. Comparatively, MEG provides excellent spatio-temporal resolution, not possible from other stand-alone neuroimaging techniques. We aimed to determine the neuromagnetic correlates of novel semantic triads in both lexical and picture form, and to determine N400m differences in high/low schizotypal samples.MethodsMEG was recorded (whole-head 306 channel Elekta Neuromag® TRIUX magnetometer system) in 35 nonclinical controls (18 male) while completing a novel explicit semantic association task. MEG data were continuously sampled at 1KHz (0.1Hz high pass filter). Following MaxFiltering, data was processed using MNE for Python. Data were filtered offline (40Hz lowpass) and epoched at -300ms to 800ms post- target stimulus onset. The largest peak was measured at sensor triplets at temporo-parietal sites in both hemispheres. High/low schizotypal samples were determined by a median split of the Oxford-Liverpool Inventory of Feelings and Experiences (cognitive disorganisation scale; high=17, low=18).ResultsPreliminary sensor level analyses demonstrated an N400m at temporo-parietal sites in response to both word and picture stimulus sets (with an earlier peak to pictures). Neither amplitude nor latency was significantly different between schizotypal samples, however a significant task x hemisphere x group interaction was found for N400m latency, F(1.00,33.00) = 6.18, p<.02.DiscussionAn N400m was confirmed in response to the novel lexical task. The earlier peak (~200ms) to picture stimuli suggests that pictorial semantic information may be processed more rapidly than lexical information. The significant schizotypal group latency interaction demonstrated that while individuals low in schizotypal traits process lexical stimuli first in the right hemisphere (followed by the left) and picture stimuli first in the left hemisphere (followed by the right), individuals high in schizotypal traits do not demonstrate hemispheric specificity/laterality according to stimulus type. The data is currently being analysed for (i) source localisation, (ii) deep source contributions (e.g., hippocampus), and (iii) de/synchronisation of neural oscillations (across six frequency bands; 1-8Hz, 8-30Hz, 30-50Hz, 70-120Hz, 120-200Hz, and 200-300Hz).

S157. NEURAL CORRELATES OF SMOOTH PURSUIT EYE MOVEMENTS IN POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE SCHIZOTYPY

BackgroundBoth schizophrenia patients and highly schizotypal individuals are known to perform worse in smooth pursuit eye movements (SPEM) as compared to healthy controls with low levels of schizotypy. However, little is known about the neural correlates of SPEM deficits in subjects with high levels of schizotypy. In a previous study, individuals with high total schizotypy levels showed reduced activation in motion processing and other visual areas during SPEM than low schizotypal controls. Interestingly, reduced activation in these areas is also observed in schizophrenia patients. This suggests that schizotypy and schizophrenia overlap not only at the behavioral, but also at the neural level. In the present study, we followed up on these intriguing results by differentiating between negative and positive schizotypal groups. We expected to find lower SPEM performance in both highly negative and highly positive schizotypes (HNS and HPS) as compared to low schizotypal controls (LS). Moreover, in the schizotypy groups, activation in the SPEM network was expected to be reduced in a similar way as previously reported for schizophrenia patients and highly schizotypal individuals.MethodsIn this ongoing, bi-center study, 88 healthy subjects (28 HNS, 23 HPS, 37 LS) underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) at 3T during a smooth pursuit task with concurrent oculographic measurement. Sinusoidal targets with frequencies of 0.2 Hz and 0.4 Hz were presented in a block design, with pursuit blocks alternating with blocks of fixation.ResultsAt the level of performance, we found an interaction between target frequency and group for the root mean square error (RMSE) of eye position (p = .026). This result indicates greater performance detriments from low to high frequency in HPS, as compared to the other two groups. At the neural level, overall activations during pursuit across the entire sample were found in brain regions known to be part of the pursuit network, i.e. frontal and supplementary eye fields, lateral geniculate nucleus, and visual cortex including V5. However, none of these regions displayed activation differences between groups. With multiple regression analyses for each of the groups, we investigated associations between cluster peak voxel activations and performance. For the low target frequency, a negative association was found between visual area V5 in the left hemisphere and the total saccade frequency for HPS (β = –.462, p = .03). For the high target frequency, activation in left V5 was negatively associated with RMSE in the LS group (β = –.411, p = .01).DiscussionWe replicated previous findings of reduced SPEM performance in highly schizotypal individuals. In addition, a negative association between activation in area V5 and RMSE was only found among LS, but not for the two schizotypy groups. This is in line with previous findings of SPEM impairments in schizophrenia patients being associated to alterations in motion sensitive area V5 and underlines the importance of motion processing for SPEM deficits in the schizophrenia spectrum. However, we also found an association between activation in V5 and total saccade rate during pursuit in HPS, suggesting that V5 abnormalities may be restricted to negative schizotypy. Given the relatively small number of participants in this analysis, we expect to find broader and clearer group differences of neural mechanisms during pursuit with larger sample sizes.

Olfactory identification ability is associated to emotional states and expression in individuals with schizotypy

Previous studies have provided compelling support for the olfactory dysfunction and emotion deficits in schizophrenia spectrum disorders. The present research aimed to study whether olfactory function is associated with emotional states and emotional expression in individuals with schizotypy. Thirty individuals with schizotypy and 30 controls were recruited for this study. The Sniffin' sticks test was used to evaluate olfactory function. The Emotional Expressivity Scale (EES) was used to assess the expression of emotion. The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) were used to assess depression and anxiety symptoms, respectively. Compared with the controls, individuals in schizotypal group had weaker emotional expression and more severe emotional states (including depression and anxiety). The results showed that odor identification scores were positively correlated with emotional expression scores and negatively correlated with depression, state anxiety, and trait anxiety in the schizotypal group. Emotional expression was inversely related to the olfactory threshold in the controls, but not in the schizotypal group. Odor identification showed a positive correlation with emotional expression and negative correlations with emotional states in individuals with schizotypy, which may provide new insight for the exploration of the sensory perception impairments and emotional deficits in schizophrenia spectrum disorders.

Attentional set-shifting and social abilities in children with schizotypal and comorbid autism spectrum disorders.

While diagnostically independent, autism and schizotypal disorders can co-occur. Their concurrent impact on outcomes and phenotypes has not been investigated. We investigated the impact of comorbid autism and schizotypal disorders in children on executive functioning and socio-pragmatic skills - core features of both disorders. Executive functioning (assessed with the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery) and socio-pragmatic skills (assessed using the Melbourne Assessment of Schizotypy in Kids) were investigated in a total of 67 (6-12 year old) children with autism ( n = 15; M/F = 10/5), schizotypal disorder ( n = 8; M/F = 5/3) and comorbid autism and schizotypal disorder ( n = 12; M/F = 5/7) and typically developing children ( n = 32; M/F = 17/15). Both the autism and schizotypal disorder groups performed more poorly than the typically developing group on socio-pragmatic skills and overall performance (i.e. number of stages completed) of the intra-/extra-dimensional set-shifting task (all ps < 0.001). Clear distinctions between the autism and schizotypal groups were present in the intra-/extra-dimensional task relative to the typically developing group - the autism group had difficulties with extra-dimensional shifts ( p < 0.001), and the schizotypal disorder group with intra-dimensional shifts ( p = 0.08). Interestingly, the overall performance of the comorbid group on the intra-/extra-dimensional task was not significantly different from the typically developing group, and they were superior to both the autism ( p = 0.019) and schizotypal disorder ( p = 0.042) groups on socio-pragmatic skills. The phenotypical overlap between autism and schizotypal disorders may be precipitated by different cognitive styles and/or mechanisms associated with attention and information processing. We propose that sustaining and switching attention represent two poles of irregularities across the autism and schizotypal spectra, which appear to converge in a compensatory manner in the comorbid group. Our findings highlight the importance of investigating children with a dual diagnosis of autism and schizotypal disorders, and raise intriguing questions about possible mechanisms to explain the attenuated impairment observed in the group of children with comorbid autism and schizotpyal disorders.

Autistic and schizotypal traits and global functioning in bipolar I disorder

ObjectiveTo determine the expression of autistic and positive schizotypal traits in a large sample of adults with bipolar I disorder (BD I), and the effect of co-occurring autistic and positive schizotypal traits on global functioning in BD I. MethodAutistic and positive schizotypal traits were self-assessed in 797 individuals with BD-I recruited by the Bipolar Disorder Research Network. Differences in global functioning (rated using the Global Assessment Scale) during lifetime worst depressive and manic episodes (GASD and GASM respectively) were calculated in groups with high/low autistic and positive schizotypal traits. Regression analyses assessed the interactive effect of autistic and positive schizotypal traits on global functioning. Results47.2% (CI=43.7–50.7%) showed clinically significant levels of autistic traits, and 23.22% (95% CI=20.29–26.14) showed clinically significant levels of positive schizotypal traits. In the worst episode of mania, the high autistic, high positive schizotypal group had better global functioning compared to the other groups. Individual differences analyses showed that high levels of both traits were associated with better global functioning in both mood states. LimitationsAutistic and schizotypal traits were assessed using self-rated questionnaires. ConclusionsExpression of autistic and schizotypal traits in adults with BD I is prevalent, and may be important to predict illness aetiology, prognosis, and diagnostic practices in this population. Future work should focus on replicating these findings in independent samples, and on the biological and/or psychosocial mechanisms underlying better global functioning in those who have high levels of both autistic and positive schizotypal traits.

Where are patients who have co-occurring mental and physical diseases located?

Patients with a psychiatric illness have a higher prevalence of physical diseases and thus a higher morbidity and mortality. The main aim was to investigate where patients with co-occurring physical diseases and mental disorders (psychotic spectrum or mood) in the health and social service system are identified most frequently before admission into psychiatry. The second aim was to compare the differences in the treatment routes taken by the patients before entry into psychiatric services in all the participating countries (Denmark, Germany, Japan, Nigeria and Switzerland). On admission to a psychiatric service, patients diagnosed with schizophrenia, schizotypal or delusional disorders (International Classification of Diseases-10 (ICD-10) group F2) or mood (affective) disorders (ICD-10 group F3) and a co-morbid physical condition (cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus and overweight) were asked with which institutions or persons they had been in contact with in the previous 6 months. Patients from Denmark, Germany and Switzerland with mental disorders had almost the same contact pattern. Their primary contact was to public or private psychiatry, with a contact percentage of 46%-91%; in addition, general practice was a common contact, with a margin of 41%-93%. Similar tendencies are seen in Japan despite the small sample size. With regard to general practice, this is also the case with Nigerian patients. However, religious guidance or healing was rarely sought by patients in Europe and Japan, while in Nigeria about 80% of patients with mental disorders had contacted this type of service. Promoting prophylactic work between psychiatry and the general practice sector may be beneficial in diminishing physical conditions such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus and overweight in patients with mental disorders in European countries and Japan. In Nigeria (a low-to-middle-income country), religious guides or healers, along with general practitioners, are the most frequently contacted, and they therefore seem to be the most obvious partner to collaborate with.

Is there an inverted-U relationship between creativity and psychopathology?

GENERAL COMMENTARY article Front. Psychol., 28 July 2014Sec. Psychopathology https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00750

The behavioural assessment of savouring in schizotypal anhedonia: The Verbal Fluency Test of Enjoyable Experiences (VFTEE)

Hedonic response is abnormal in negative schizotypy. Using self-report methods, Applegate, El-Deredy, and Bentall (2009) reported that schizotypal anhedonia was associated with a poor capacity to savour, where savouring is the ability to mentally rehearse past, present and future pleasant experiences. A behavioural measure of savouring, the Verbal Fluency Test of Enjoyable Experiences (VFTEE), was developed, and reliability and validity were assessed. The VFTEE elicits memories and predictions of positive experiences, using ease of generation as an index of savouring ability.Sixty-seven students, who scored high and low on measures of negative schizotypy and hypomania, completed questionnaire measures of hedonic functioning. Evoked affect was assessed on four trials of the VFTEE and an incentivised card-sorting task. The VFTEE demonstrated good internal reliability. Correlation and regression analyses revealed stylistically different abnormalities in how hypomanic and negatively schizotypal groups savour behaviourally.

Analyzing Characteristics of Schizotypal Personality Proneness Using the Chinese Soldier Personality Questionnaire

This was conducted in order to explore the characteristics of schizotypal personality proneness using the Chinese Soldier Personality Questionnaire (CSPQ; Xiao, Miao, Xiao, Wu, &amp; Li, 2007). Analysis was conducted comparing CSPQ scores from 426 individuals who were schizotypal personality prone and 411 individuals who were not. The results suggested that compared with the scores of individuals in the nonschizotypal personality prone group, those in the schizotypal personality prone group had significantly lower scores on the defence scale but significantly higher scores on the dissociative, neurotic, sensitive, and difference seeking scales, with significant differences when the scores exceeded 70.

Explicit and implicit memory in female college students with schizotypal traits: An event-related potential study

The explicit and implicit memory of nonclinical individuals with schizotypal traits was investigated using event-related potentials. Explicit and implicit memory was measured with continuous recognition and categorization tasks, respectively. On the recognition task, the control group demonstrated a greater old/new effect in response to the old than to the new words during the 250–750 ms post-stimulus period, whereas schizotypal trait group did not exhibit an old/new effect during the 550–650 ms period. The control group demonstrated faster response times to the old than to the new words, whereas the schizotypal group demonstrated longer response times to the old than to the new words. On the categorization task, both groups showed old/new effects during the 250–550 ms after stimulus onset and responded more rapidly and with fewer errors to the old than to the new words. These results suggest that individuals with schizotypal traits have impaired explicit but preserved implicit memory.