Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire Research Articles

Auditory acuity and musical ability in young adults with high schizotypal traits

BackgroundDespite auditory cognition dysfunction being consistently found in people with schizophrenia, the evidence from non-clinical individuals with schizotypy is rare and inconsistent. No studies thus far have comprehensively assessed the association among auditory perception, musical cognition, and schizotypy in non-clinical samples. AimWe aimed to explore abnormalities in auditory skills, from basic perception to musical ability, among individuals with schizotypal traits. MethodAn extreme-group design was adopted. Sixty-six participants from the schizotypy and control groups were screened from 1093 young adults using the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire (SPQ). Auditory acuity was assessed using four auditory discrimination threshold tests, and musical ability was evaluated through the Montreal Battery of Evaluation of Amusia (MBEA). Basic demographic information and musical backgrounds were assessed and matched, and depression, anxiety, and digit-span index were evaluated and controlled. ResultsElevated sensitivity in auditory perception and improved musical talent were found in young adults with high schizotypal traits. Auditory acuity and musical ability were positively correlated with schizotypy and its factors among participants across groups. A regression analysis in the control group showed that cognitive perceptual scores of SPQ positively predicted auditory temporal sensitivity. The mediation analysis revealed an indirect effect of pure tone duration discrimination between musical rhythmic ability and positive factor of schizotypy. DiscussionElevated sensitivity in auditory temporal perception and improved musical talent in young adults with high schizotypy may contribute to explaining the variation of auditory process in the development of schizophrenia-spectrum disorders. It can also help elucidate the association between psychopathology and creativity in auditory modality.

Examining subjective experience of aberrant salience in young individuals at ultra-high risk (UHR) of psychosis: A 1-year longitudinal study

Aberrant salience (AS) is considered as a predisposing factor in early psychosis. Although it has been frequently examined in the general population as a measure of vulnerability to psychotic disorder, empirical evidence on AS in prodromal phases of psychosis is still relatively scarce. Thus, the aims of this research were (1) to investigate any significant association of AS with functioning, psychopathology and treatment components of an “early intervention in psychosis” program in a sample of young community help-seekers at Ultra-High Risk (UHR) of psychosis along a 1-year follow-up period, and (2) to longitudinally monitor the stability of AS across the 1 year of follow-up. Participants (87 UHR), aged 13–35 years, completed the Aberrant Salience Inventory (ASI), the Comprehensive Assessment of At-Risk Mental States (CAARMS) and the brief version of the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire (SPQ-B) at baseline and after the 1 year of follow-up. Spearman correlation analyses among psychopathological parameters and specialized treatment components were performed. A multiple linear regression analysis was also carried out. After a 1-year follow-up period, UHR subjects had a statistically relevant decrease in ASI total scores. This was significantly related to the number of individual cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) sessions and the number of family psychoeducational sessions offered to UHR participants and their family members during the same 12-month period. In conclusion, AS is clinically relevant in UHR individuals. However, it seems to improve over time along with the delivery of tailored, specialized psychosocial interventions for early psychosis.

Latent inhibition, aberrant salience, and schizotypy traits in cannabis users

Aberrant salience processing may underlie the link between cannabis and psychosis, as posited in individuals with schizophrenia or high schizotypy. We investigated the relative effects of cannabis use, schizotypy status, and self-reported aberrant salience experiences on salience processing, measured using a latent inhibition (LI) task (Granger et al., 2016), in a non-clinical population.A university sample of 346 participants completed the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire (SPQ), Aberrant Salience Inventory (ASI) the modified Cannabis Experience Questionnaire (CEQmv) and the LI task. Regression models and parallel (Bayesian and frequentist) t-tests or ANOVA (or non-parametric equivalents) examined differences in LI based on lifetime or current cannabis use (frequent use during previous year), as well as frequency of use. Mann-Whitney U tests assessed differences in SPQ and ASI scores based on current cannabis use.Neither lifetime nor current cannabis use was associated with significant change in LI scores. Current cannabis use was associated with both higher ‘Disorganised’ and ‘Cognitive-perceptual’ SPQ dimension scores and higher total and sub-scale ASI scores. No association was observed between LI score and SPQ total and dimension scores. Higher scores on ‘Senses sharpening’ and the ‘Heightened cognition’ ASI subscales predicted decreased LI scores. These data support previous findings of no association between cannabis use and abnormality in other associative learning tasks in young non-clinical populations, and elaborate the previously demonstrated association between self-reported cannabis use, schizotypy and aberrant salience. The association between dimensions of ASI and LI performance suggests this task may have potential as an experimental measure of aberrant salience.

Clinical features of schizotypal disorder in childhood and adolescence

To identify psychopathological features, patterns of formation and course of schizotypal disorder (STD) in childhood and adolescence, to develop criteria for differential diagnosis. A total of 151 patients, aged 7 to 16 years (mean age 12.3 years), with a diagnosis of schizotypal disorder were included in the study. Of these, 48 (31.8%) were women and 103 (68.2%) were men. Psychopathological, pathopsychological, psychometric and statistical methods were used. The Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire (SPQ) was used as a formalized tool for assessing the clinical symptoms of STD. Based on the prevailing symptoms, the clinical sample of patients was divided into 3 groups. The 1st group consisted of 56 (32.5%) patients with a predominance of neurosis-like disorders, the 2nd group - 50 (37.7%) patients with a predominance of behavioral disorders, the 3rd group included 45 (29.8%) patients with the dominance of stable personality anomalies. Significant differences between the groups were found in the frequency and severity of psychopathological symptoms, the structure of deficient (negative disorders), the age of onset of disorders, the characteristics of social activity and adaptation. According to the SPQ scale, positive disorders prevailed in group 1 compared to group 3: ideas of attitude (3.3 and 2.7 points respectively), unusual sensations and perceptions (3, 1 and 1.7 points respectively). STD is a spectrum of disorders, on one end of which there are variants with a predominance of positive disorders, on the other negative ones. The predominance of certain psychopathological symptoms is due to the age of onset of psychopathological disorders, age at the time of the current exacerbation, and the duration of persistence of the disease. The predominance of neurosis-like, psychopathic-like disorders and persistent personality anomalies makes it possible to classify STD as one of the identified types, which allows us to substantiate differentiated therapy and prognosis.

Ошибки эпизодической вербальной памяти у больных шизофренией и в группе здоровых людей с разными профилями шизотипических черт

The aim of the study was to provide a fine grain analysis of errors generated on word list learning tasks by schizophrenia patients and healthy controls with different profiles of schizotypal traits, since it can shed light on the cognitive mechanisms of memory impairment in these cohorts. 511 patients (mean age 33.40±11.53 years; 57% women) and 307 healthy controls (mean age 25.20±7.64 years; 73% women) completed the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (A. Rey, 1964). The healthy subjects were assigned to groups with low, high, positive and negative schizotypy based on the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire adapted by A.G. Efremov and S.N. Enikolopov (2002). In patients, symptomatology was assessed with the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale adapted by S.N. Mosolov (2001). We analyzed the number of extra-list intrusions, their perseverations, frequency and strength of the associations with stimuli, as well as phonetic intrusions, intrusions from interference trails, and false recognition of semantic and phonetic lures. The results showed that patients are characterized by an increase in the number of extra-list intrusions and their perseverations, proactive interference and recognition of semantic lures; similar trends regarding extra-list intrusions and false recognitions were observed in the high schizotypy group. The data can be interpreted in favor of the idea of impairment of reality monitoring and insufficient encoding of stimulus’s surface features as inherent deficits of information processing in schizophrenia.

A Developmental Study of Mirror-Gazing-Induced Anomalous Self-Experiences and Self-Reported Schizotypy from 7 to 28 Years of Age

Introduction: The mirror-gazing task (MGT) is an experimental paradigm inducing anomalous perceptions and anomalous experiences of self-face (ASEs) in the general population, ranging from changes in light and color, to face deformation, to experiencing one’s specular image as another identity. Subclinical ASEs have been related to the emergence of the risk for developing psychotic disorders, and inducing such states in the general population could shed light on the factors underlying interindividual differences in proneness to these phenomena. We aimed to examine the influence of schizotypal personality traits on proneness to experiencing induced ASEs from a developmental perspective, from childhood to adulthood. Methods: Two hundred and sixteen children, adolescents, and young adults participated in the MGT, and their schizotypal personality traits were assessed with the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire. Statistical analyses assessed the relationship between schizotypy dimensions and induced ASEs, and we further tested their dynamic relationship as function of age (from childhood to adulthood). Results: Results confirmed the developmental trajectory of the different schizotypy dimensions, with scores peaking during adolescence, and proneness to induced ASEs seemed to follow a similar developmental trajectory. Moreover, positive (p = 0.001) and disorganized (p = 0.004) dimensions were found to contribute to the proneness to experiencing induced ASEs. Finally, the developmental model showed that positive schizotypy (p = 0.035) uniquely distinguished between experiencing other-identity phenomena between childhood and adulthood. Conclusion: This study has the potential to inform research on early detection of psychosis through a developmental approach and links the concept of schizotypy with processes of perceptual self-distortions.

Schizotypal personality traits and the social learning of fear

Schizotypy can be defined as a combination of traits qualitatively similar to those found in schizophrenia, but milder in their expression, that can be found in clinical and non-clinical populations. In this research, we explore, to our knowledge, for the first time, whether schizotypal personality traits may affect the acquisition of conditioned fear by social means only. Apart from being an essential capacity to ensure learning in safe environments, social fear learning shares important characteristics with direct fear acquisition, which also makes it a great candidate for developing successful extinction procedures. Undergraduate students (n = 72) performed a task of social fear learning. In this task, participants watched a video of a person that simulated to receive electric shocks (unconditioned stimulus; US) paired with a coloured square (conditioned stimulus plus; CS+), while another coloured square was never paired (conditioned stimulus minus; CS−) with the shock. After that, they were presented with a similar sequence of coloured screens. Their Skin Conductance Responses (SCRs) were registered during the whole process. Once they finished, they completed the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire (SPQ). Our results revealed that participants with a low score in the Cognitive-Perceptual factor of the SPQ exhibited higher SCRs when they saw the US than when they saw the CS− (all ps < 0.01) during the learning phase. Nevertheless, those with higher scores did not present any difference in their SCRs toward both stimuli (all ps > 0.05), a pattern that has been similarly found in schizophrenia. During the final trials of the test phase, participants with the highest scores in the Disorganized factor were the only ones that maintained a higher SCR towards the CS+ than towards the CS− (p = 0.006), which could be associated with an impairment in their extinction processes.

Cumulative sociodemographic disadvantage partially mediates associations between childhood trauma and schizotypy.

Risk for psychosis in the general population is characterized by a set of multidimensional traits that are referred to as schizotypy. Higher levels of schizotypy are associated with socioeconomic disadvantage and childhood trauma, just as these risk factors are associated with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Here, we set out to investigate whether cumulative sociodemographic disadvantage mediates associations between childhood trauma and schizotypy in adulthood. A sociodemographic cumulative risk (SDCR) score was derived from six risk indices spanning employment, education, income, socioeconomic status, marital, and living circumstances for 197 participants that included both healthy (n = 57) and clinical samples with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder (n = 65) or bipolar disorder (n = 75). A series of multiple linear regressions was used to examine the direct and indirect associations among childhood trauma (measured with the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire), the SDCR index, and levels of schizotypy (measured with the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire). Schizotypy was independently associated with trauma and the SDCR index. In addition, the SDCR index partially mediated associations between trauma and schizotypy. These findings in a mixed sample of healthy and clinical participants represent the full spectrum of schizotypy across health and illness and suggest that effects of childhood trauma on schizotypal personality organization may operate via cumulative socioeconomic disadvantage in adulthood. The strong associations between trauma and schizotypy suggest that systematic health screening of children exposed to early life trauma may assist to identify those at risk of developing psychosis. Clinicians should pay attention to various indicators of sociodemographic disadvantage in patients prone to psychosis, in addition to any exposure to trauma during childhood.

Cannabis Use, Schizotypy and Kamin Blocking Performance

Cannabis use has been associated with increased risk for a first episode of psychosis and inappropriate assignment of salience to extraneous stimuli has been proposed as a mechanism underlying this association. Psychosis-prone (especially schizotypal) personality traits are associated with deficits in associative learning tasks that measure salience allocation. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between history of cannabis use and Kamin blocking (KB), a form of selective associative learning, in a non-clinical sample. Additionally, KB was examined in relation to self-reported schizotypy and aberrant salience scale profiles. A cross-sectional study was conducted in 307 healthy participants with no previous psychiatric or neurological history. Participants were recruited and tested using the Testable Minds behavioural testing platform. KB was calculated using Oades' “mouse in the house task”, performance of which is disrupted in schizophrenia patients. Schizotypy was measured using the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire (SPQ), and the Aberrant Salience Inventory (ASI) was used to assess self-reported unusual or inappropriate salience. The modified Cannabis Experience Questionnaire (CEQm) was used to collect detailed history of use of cannabis and other recreational drugs. Regression models and Bayesian t-tests or ANOVA (or non-parametric equivalents) examined differences in KB based on lifetime or current cannabis use (frequent use during previous year), as well as frequency of use among those who had previously used cannabis. Neither lifetime nor current cannabis use was associated with any significant change in total or trial-specific KB scores. Current cannabis use was associated with higher Disorganised SPQ dimension scores and higher total and sub-scale values for the ASI. A modest positive association was observed between total KB score and Disorganised SPQ dimension scores, but no relationships were found between KB and other SPQ measures. Higher scores on “Senses Sharpening” ASI sub-scale predicted decreased KB score only in participants who have not engaged in recent cannabis use. These results are discussed in the context of our understanding of the effects of long-term cannabis exposure on salience attribution, as well as inconsistencies in the literature with respect to both the relationship between KB and schizotypy and the measurement of KB associative learning phenomena.

Dyslexia: Links with schizotypy and neurological soft signs.

Abnormalities in language processing, psychological distress, and subtle neurodevelopmental features called neurological soft signs (NSS) are expressed by people with dyslexia and those scoring highly on schizotypy. We investigated whether the expression of NSS, distress, and schizotypy predicted dyslexia status. Participants (N=96, 48 dyslexic) selected to be age and sex matched, completed the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire, General Health Questionnaire, Neurological Evaluation Scale, and the National Adult Reading Test (NART; a measure of verbal intelligence). Dyslexia status was predicted by higher total NSS and disorganized schizotypy scores in the absence of NART. However, even with the inclusion of NART, disorganized schizotypy remained a significant predictor. The findings suggest that disorganized features of schizotypy could be a significant factor for those with dyslexia. Conversely, more attention needs to be given to developmental language disorders in those who score highly on schizotypy.

Schizotypy, childhood trauma and brain morphometry

BackgroundChildhood trauma confers risk for psychosis and is associated with increased ‘schizotypy’ (a multi-dimensional construct reflecting risk for psychosis in the general population). Structural brain alterations are associated with both childhood trauma and schizotypy, but the potential role of trauma exposure in moderating associations between schizotypy and brain morphology has yet to be determined. MethodsParticipants were 160 healthy individuals (mean age: 40.08 years, SD = 13.64, range 18–64; 52.5% female). Childhood trauma exposure was assessed using the Childhood Adversity Questionnaire, and schizotypy was assessed using the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire. Univariate voxel-based morphometry and multivariate analyses of grey matter volume covariation (GMC; derived from independent component analysis) were performed to determine the main effects of schizotypy, trauma exposure and their interaction on these indices of grey matter volume. Moderation analyses were performed following significant interaction. ResultsLevels of schizotypy, in particular the Cognitive-Perceptual and Interpersonal dimensions, were negatively associated with GMC in the striatum, the hippocampus/parahippocampal gyrus, thalamus and insulae. Trauma exposure was negatively associated with GMC of the middle frontal gyrus and parietal lobule, while negatively associated with GMC in the cerebellum. Levels of schizotypy (total scores, and the cognitive-perceptual dimension) were negatively associated with striatal GMC in individuals not exposed to trauma, but not in those exposed to trauma. ConclusionsSchizotypy and childhood trauma were independently associated with changes of grey matter in brain regions critical for cognition and social cognition. In individuals not exposed to trauma, increased schizotypy was associated with decreased striatal and limbic grey matter.

Clinical features and psychiatric comorbidities in military veterans with schizophrenia with or without suicidality

Suicide is currently among the leading causes of death among individuals with schizophrenia. Reducing mortality from suicide remains a major clinical challenge in the care of veterans with schizophrenia. There is a need to increase our understanding of what elevates suicide risk in veterans with schizophrenia as a first step towards the future development of suicide prevention interventions. This study compared demographic and clinical features of military veterans with schizophrenia with vs. without suicidality to determine specific risk factors for suicidality. The sample consisted of two groups of veterans with schizophrenia: suicide ideators and/or attempters (SIA) and individuals without a history of suicidal ideation or attempts (no-SIA). Participants were interviewed using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-5 Axis I disorders (SCID-I), Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale for Schizophrenia (PANSS), Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS), and Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire (SPQ). In bivariate analyses, the PANSS-Positive Symptom scores, PANSS-General Psychopathology scores, HDRS total score, HDRS-Paranoid symptoms item score, and SPQ total scores were higher among SIA compared with no-SIA patients. In this unique clinical sample of veterans with schizophrenia, SIA patients were more likely to have mood disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and/or alcohol use disorder in comparison to the no-SIA group. Logistic regression analysis indicated that the HDRS total score and presence/absence of comorbid mood disorder drive the difference between the groups. These results indicate that suicide risk assessment in veterans with schizophrenia should include identifying individuals with comorbid mood disorders/symptoms, PTSD, alcohol use disorder, marked positive symptoms, and schizotypal features.

Suicidal ideation, suicide literacy and stigma, disclosure expectations and attitudes toward help-seeking among university students: The impact of schizotypal personality traits.

Similarly to patients with schizophrenia, non-clinical individuals with schizotypal traits have been reported to show an increased risk for suicide-related outcomes. We aimed to assess suicidal ideation, and to determine factors that may have associations with help-seeking attitudes in high schizotypal individuals as compared to low schizotypal individuals. We carried out a cross-sectional survey. The Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire, the attitudes toward seeking professional psychological help scale-short form, the disclosure expectations scale, the scale of suicide ideation, the stigma of suicide scale-short form, the literacy of suicide scale, and the depression anxiety stress scales were administered to 504 college students. A total of 51 students were classified in the high-schizotypy group, and 50 were classified in the low-schizotypy group. High-schizotypal students experienced significantly more suicidal ideation, had greater literacy of suicide, had more glorification of suicide, had higher anticipated risks of disclosure and more negative help-seeking attitudes than low-schizotypal students. After controlling for sociodemographic (age, gender, income and tobacco use) and psychosocial variables (personal psychiatric history, family history of suicide, personal history of suicide attempt[s]), depression and suicide ideation), disclosure expectations had both a significant negative independent effect through anticipated risks, and a positive independent effect through anticipated benefits, on high-schizotypal students' help-seeking attitudes. The apprehension and reluctance to seek help found in high-schizotypal students highlight an urgent need to further understand barriers to help-seeking among at-risk adolescents, and what may motivate them to reach out for support when they are more at-risk for suicide.

The impact of lifetime interpersonal and intentional trauma on cognition and vulnerability to psychosis in bipolar disorder

Background Studies have shown that over half of individuals with bipolar disorder experience early-life trauma, which may influence clinical outcomes, including suicidality and presence of psychotic features. However, studies report inconsistent findings regarding the effect of trauma on cognitive outcomes in bipolar disorder. Aims Our study explores the effect of lifetime trauma on the level of vulnerability to psychosis and cognitive performance in participants with bipolar disorder. Method We evaluated lifetime trauma history in 236 participants with a diagnosis of bipolar disorder type 1 or 2, using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV and the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire. We classified trauma types based on the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's concept of trauma, which characterises the type of experienced trauma (e.g. interpersonal and intentional, accidental or naturally occurring). Our primary outcome measures of interest were vulnerability to psychosis (Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire), cognitive performance (MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery) and social functioning (Social Adjustment Scale Self-Report). Results Multivariate analysis of covariance showed a significant effect of trauma type on the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire cognitive–perceptual domain (F(3) = 6.7, P &lt; 0.001). The no-trauma group had lower cognitive–perceptual schizotypal features compared with the accidental and intentional trauma (P &lt; 0.001) and interpersonal and intentional trauma (P = 0.01) groups. Conclusions Our results highlight the need for careful trauma inquiry in patients with bipolar disorder, and consideration of how trauma-focused or -informed treatments may be an integral part of treatment planning to improve outcomes in bipolar disorder.

Obsessive-compulsive symptoms in schizophrenia patients and their first-degree relatives and the association with subclinical psychotic symptoms

Objective This study aimed to investigate the presence of obsessive-compulsive symptoms (OCS) in patients being followed for schizophrenia and their first-degree relatives (mother, father, siblings, and children) and the relationship between OCS and clinical/subclinical psychotic symptoms. Materials and methods The study included 110 schizophrenia patients followed up in a community mental health center and their first-degree relatives. Patients and relatives were evaluated using the SCID-I (Structured Clinical Interview Form for DSM-IV Axis-I Disorders) to ascertain their diagnosis and exclude other axis-I diagnoses. The Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale was used to measure OCS severity. Psychotic symptom severity was evaluated in patients using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) and subthreshold psychotic symptoms and psychosis proneness were assessed in relatives using the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire. Results The prevalence of clinically significant OCS was 41.8% in schizophrenia patients and 28.2% in their relatives. PANSS positive and general psychopathology subscale scores were higher in patients with OCS. Suspiciousness and interpersonal schizotypy scores were significantly higher in relatives with OCS compared to those without. The first-degree relatives of patients with OCS did not exhibit a higher prevalence of OCS or psychotic symptoms compared to the relatives of patients without OCS. Conclusion Our study demonstrates that obsessive-compulsive phenomena are common in schizophrenia patients and their relatives. Although there seems to be a positive association between OCS and psychotic symptoms in patients and their first-degree relatives, the intergenerational transmission of these two symptom groups may occur independently.

Sensory gating is related to positive and disorganised schizotypy in contrast to smooth pursuit eye movements and latent inhibition

Since the characteristics and symptoms of both schizophrenia and schizotypy are manifested heterogeneously, it is possible that different endophenotypes and neurophysiological measures (sensory gating and smooth pursuit eye movement errors) represent different clusters of symptoms. Participants (N = 205) underwent a standard conditioned-pairing paradigm to establish their sensory gating ratio, a smooth-pursuit eye-movement task, a latent inhibition task, and completed the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire. A Multidimensional Scaling analysis revealed that sensory gating was related to positive and disorganised dimensions of schizotypy. Latent inhibition and prepulse inhibition were not related to any dimension of schizotypy. Smooth pursuit eye movement error was unrelated to sensory gating and latent inhibition, but was related to negative dimensions of schizotypy. Our findings suggest that the symptom clusters associated with two main endophenotypes are largely independent. To fully understand symptomology and outcomes of schizotypal traits, the different subtypes of schizotypy (and potentially, schizophrenia) ought to be considered separately rather than together.

Subjective Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Schizotypy and General Mental Health in Germany and the United Kingdom, for Independent Samples in May and in October 2020.

Studies reported a strong impact on mental health during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in March–June, 2020. In this study, we assessed the impact of the pandemic on mental health in general and on schizotypal traits in two independent general population samples of the United Kingdom (May sample N: 239, October sample N: 126; participation at both timepoints: 21) and in two independent general population samples of Germany (May sample N: 543, October sample N: 401; participation at both timepoints: 100) using online surveys. Whereas general psychological symptoms (global symptom index, GSI) and percentage of responders above clinical cut-off for further psychological investigation were higher in the May sample compared to the October sample, schizotypy scores (Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire) were higher in the October sample. We investigated potential associations, using general linear regression models (GLM). For schizotypy scores, we found that loneliness, use of drugs, and financial burden were more strongly corrected with schizotypy in the October compared to the May sample. We identified similar associations for GSI, as for schizotypy scores, in the May and October samples. We furthermore found that living in the United Kingdom was related to higher schizotypal scores or GSI. However, individual estimates of the GLM are highly comparable between the two countries. In conclusion, this study shows that while the general psychological impact is lower in the October than the May sample, potentially showing a normative response to an exceptional situation; schizotypy scores are higher at the second timepoint, which may be due to a stronger impact of estimates of loneliness, drug use, and financial burden. The ongoing, exceptional circumstances within this pandemic might increase the risk for developing psychosis in some individuals. The development of general psychological symptoms and schizotypy scores over time requires further attention and investigation.

Schizotypal personality traits and multisensory integration: An investigation using the McGurk effect

Multisensory integration, the process by which sensory information from different sensory modalities are bound together, is hypothesized to contribute to perceptual symptomatology in schizophrenia, in whom multisensory integration differences have been consistently found. Evidence is emerging that these differences extend across the schizophrenia spectrum, including individuals in the general population with higher levels of schizotypal traits. In the current study, we used the McGurk task as a measure of multisensory integration. We measured schizotypal traits using the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire (SPQ), hypothesizing that higher levels of schizotypal traits, specifically Unusual Perceptual Experiences and Odd Speech subscales, would be associated with decreased multisensory integration of speech. Surprisingly, Unusual Perceptual Experiences were not associated with multisensory integration. However, Odd Speech was associated with multisensory integration, and this association extended more broadly across the Disorganized factor of the SPQ, including Odd or Eccentric Behaviour. Individuals with higher levels of Odd or Eccentric Behaviour scores also demonstrated poorer lip-reading abilities, which partially explained performance in the McGurk task. This suggests that aberrant perceptual processes affecting individuals across the schizophrenia spectrum may relate to disorganized symptomatology.

Subjective experience of aberrant salience in young people at Ultra-High Risk (UHR) for psychosis: a cross-sectional study

Purpose Aberrant salience (AS) is conceptualized as a potential predisposing factor for psychotic states of mind. Despite several studies in the general population, research on AS in the early phases of psychosis is still relatively scarce. The aim of this cross-sectional study is (1) to evaluate the AS subjective experience in Ultra-High Risk (UHR) adolescents and young adults compared to help-seeking peers with First Episode Psychosis (FEP) and (2) to assess any significant association of baseline AS with psychopathology and functioning in UHR participants. Materials and methods Participants (87 UHR and 139 FEP), aged 13–35 years, completed the Comprehensive Assessment of At-Risk Mental States (CAARMS), the Aberrant Salience Inventory (ASI) and the brief version of the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire (SPQ-B). Within the UHR subgroup, Spearman correlation and multiple linear regression analyses among psychopathological parameters were performed. Results No difference in baseline AS subjective levels was found between UHR and FEP participants (median [interquartile range]: 14.50 [7–19] vs 14 [9–21]; z = −1.576; p = 0.115). In UHR individuals, the ASI total score was significantly associated with attenuated positive symptoms (ρ = 0.284, p = 0.008), depression (ρ = 0.256; p = 0.018) and specific schizotypal personality traits (i.e. cognitive-perceptual deficits and disorganization [respectively, ρ = 0.487, p = 0.001, and ρ = 0.295, p = 0.008]). Conclusions AS is clinically relevant in UHR subjects, comparable to FEP patients. Moreover, it seems to mutually interact with schizotypy in the clinical manifestation of attenuated positive psychopathology.

Reduced cortical GABA and glutamate in high schizotypy

RationaleAbnormal functioning of the inhibitory gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and excitatory (glutamate) systems is proposed to play a role in the development of schizophrenia spectrum disorder. Although results are mixed, previous 1H-magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) studies in schizophrenia and clinical high-risk samples report these metabolites are altered in comparison to healthy controls. Currently, however, there are few studies of these metabolites in schizotypy samples, a personality dimension associated with the experience of schizophrenia and psychosis-like symptoms.ObjectivesWe investigated if GABA and glutamate metabolite concentrations are altered in people with high schizotypy. We also explored the relationship between resilience to stress, GABA metabolite concentrations and schizotypy.MethodsWe used MRS to examine GABA and glutamate levels in the medial prefrontal cortex in people with low and high schizotypy traits as assessed with the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire. Resilience to stress was assessed using the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale.ResultsCompared to individuals with low schizotypy traits, high schizotypy individuals showed lower cortical prefrontal GABA (F (1,38) = 5.18, p = 0.03, η2 = 0.09) and glutamate metabolite levels (F (1, 49) = 6.25, p = 0.02, η2 = 0.02). Furthermore, participants with high GABA and high resilience levels were significantly more likely to be in the low schizotypy group than participants with low GABA and high resilience or high GABA and low resilience (95% CI 1.07–1.34, p < .001).ConclusionsThese findings demonstrate that subclinical schizotypal traits are associated with abnormal functioning of both inhibitory and excitatory systems and suggest that these transmitters are implicated in a personality trait believed to be on a continuum with psychosis.