Schizotypal Traits Research Articles

Negative schizotypal traits predict the reduction of reward motivation in effort-reward imbalance.

The schizotypy construct is useful for studying the effects of environmental stress on development of subclinical negative symptoms. The relationship among self-report motivation, effort-reward imbalance (ERI), and schizotypal features has seldom been studied. We aimed to examine the possible moderation effect of schizotypal traits on ERI and reward motivation. Eight-hundred-and-forty-three college students were recruited online to complete a set of self-reported measures capturing schizotypal traits, effort-reward imbalance and reward motivation, namely the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire (SPQ), the Effort-Reward Imbalance-School Version Questionnaire (C-ERI-S) and the Motivation and Pleasure Scale-Self Report (MAP-SR). We conducted multiple linear regression to construct models to investigate the moderating effects of schizotypal traits on the relationship between ERI and reward motivation. Stressful ERI situation predicted the reduction of reward motivation. Negative schizotypal traits showed a significant negative moderating effect on the relationship between ERI and reward motivation, while positive and disorganized schizotypal traits had significant positive moderating effects. Schizotypal traits subtypes differently moderate the relationship between ERI and reward motivation. Only negative schizotypal traits and stressful ERI situation together have negative impact on reward motivation.

Positive schizotypy is associated with amplified mnemonic discrimination and attenuated generalization

Tendency to experience inaccurate beliefs alongside perceptual anomalies constitutes positive schizotypal traits in the general population and shows continuity with the positive symptoms of schizophrenia. It has been hypothesized that the positive symptomatology of schizophrenia, and by extension, the odd beliefs and unusual perceptual experiences in the general population, are associated with specific alterations in memory functions. An imbalance between memory generalization and episodic memory specificity has been proposed on several counts; however, the direction of the imbalance is currently unclear. Here, we evaluated the association between positive schizotypy, and memory alterations related to hippocampal computations in a general population sample enriched for positive schizotypy. We found that memory generalization is attenuated while memory specificity is elevated in participants with more pronounced positive schizotypal traits. Our findings show that people who are prone to irrational beliefs and unusual experiences also show measurable alterations in memory and likely have difficulty grasping the global picture and rather be overpowered by fragments of information.

A network analysis on the relationship between loneliness and schizotypy

BackgroundSchizotypy is a multidimensional personality trait related to the heightened risk for the development of schizophrenia spectrum disorders. While it has been suggested that loneliness may be associated with schizotypy in general, whether it relates to the specific schizotypal traits differentially remains unknown. Besides, as loneliness often co-occurs with depression and anxiety, it is important to delineate its relationship with schizotypy in consideration of these co-occurring emotional disturbances. MethodsA demographically diverse sample of young people was obtained from multiple sources. The validated sample consisted of 2089 participants (68.4% female, age range: 18–30). The structural relationship between loneliness and schizotypy was modelled using a network analytic approach. The Gaussian graphical model with loneliness and nine schizotypal traits as nodes was first estimated without, and then with adjustment for the levels of depressive and anxiety symptoms. Edges were estimated as unique associations between nodes. Results‘Suspiciousness’, ‘odd beliefs or magical thinking’, ‘no close friends’, ‘constricted affect’ and ‘excessive social anxiety’ were linked to loneliness directly. Loneliness was found to be more strongly associated with ‘suspiciousness’ and ‘no close friends’ than other schizotypal traits. After adjustment for the levels of depressive and anxiety symptoms, the above direct edges remained robust. LimitationsThe use of cross-sectional data indicated only undirected associations between variables. ConclusionsLoneliness was more strongly linked to some schizotypal traits than others, with the relationships maintaining above and beyond the effects of anxiety and depression. These findings warrant further investigation of the specific relationships between loneliness and individual schizotypal traits.

The Relationship Among Mentalization, Mindfulness, Working Memory, and Schizotypal Personality Traits in the General Population.

Individuals with high schizotypal traits are less able to observe, describe, and monitor inner feelings, thoughts, and experiences, commonly referred to as mindfulness and mentalization. High schizotypy is also associated with impaired working memory (WM). However, the relationship among mindfulness, mentalization, WM, and schizotypal traits is unknown. Three hundred individuals from the community (mean age: 38.0 years, SD = 10.5; 49.3% women) completed questionnaires examining schizotypal traits, mindfulness, and mentalization and performed working memory tasks. Results revealed that mentalization was a general predictor of schizotypal traits, including unusual experiences, cognitive disorganization, introverted anhedonia, and impulsive nonconformity, when the effect of mindfulness and working memory was controlled. We also found a positive correlation between mindfulness and mentalization. Low mindfulness and mentalization performances were associated with high schizotypy. However, poor working memory was only weakly linked to cognitive disorganization and introverted anhedonia. These findings suggest that weak mentalization is a core feature of schizotypy independent of mindfulness and working memory.

Odor Identification Ability as a Mediator of Schizotypal Traits and Odor Hedonic Capacity in Non-Clinical Children and Adolescents.

Background: Previous studies have investigated the relationship between schizotypal traits and odor identification ability as well as the relationship between schizotypal traits and odor hedonic capacity in adults. However, very little is known about the relationship among these three factors, especially in children and adolescents. The current study aimed to explore the relationship among these three factors in children and adolescents as well as the potential role of odor identification ability. Method: A total of 355 non-clinical children and adolescents (aged 9–16 years) were recruited in the study. They were asked to complete the Universal Sniff Test (U-Sniff), the Chemosensory Pleasure Scale for Children (CPS-C), and the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire—Child (SPQ-C). Results: The SPQ-C scores were negatively correlated with both the odor identification scores and the odor hedonic scores (p = 0.022 and p < 0.001, respectively). Only the interpersonal–affective factor of the SPQ-C was negatively correlated with the odor identification scores (p = 0.031). The odor identification scores were significantly positively associated with the odor hedonic scores (p < 0.001). Moreover, the relationship between odor hedonic capacity and schizotypal traits, especially the interpersonal–affective factor, was mediated by odor identification ability. Conclusions: Schizotypal traits were negatively correlated with both odor identification ability and odor hedonic capacity in children and adolescents, while odor identification ability was found to mediate the relationship between odor hedonic capacity and schizotypal traits, especially the interpersonal–affective factor. Our study indicated that improving odor identification ability through olfactory training may have a positive influence on odor hedonic capacity in individuals with schizotypal traits.

The Relationship Between Affective Visual Mismatch Negativity and Interpersonal Difficulties Across Autism and Schizotypal Traits.

Sensory deficits are a feature of autism and schizophrenia, as well as the upper end of their non-clinical spectra. The mismatch negativity (MMN), an index of pre-attentive auditory processing, is particularly sensitive in detecting such deficits; however, little is known about the relationship between the visual MMN (vMMN) to facial emotions and autism and schizophrenia spectrum symptom domains. We probed the vMMN to happy, sad, and neutral faces in 61 healthy adults (18–40 years, 32 female), and evaluated their degree of autism and schizophrenia spectrum traits using the Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ) and Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire (SPQ). The vMMN to happy faces was significantly larger than the vMMNs to sad and neutral faces. The vMMN to happy faces was associated with interpersonal difficulties as indexed by AQ Communication and Attention to Detail subscales, and SPQ associated with more interpersonal difficulties. These data suggest that pre-attentive processing of positive affect might be more specific to the interpersonal features associated with autism and schizophrenia. These findings add valuable insights into the growing body of literature investigating symptom-specific neurobiological markers of autism and schizophrenia spectrum conditions.

The impact of schizotypy on quality of life among adults with autism spectrum disorder

BackgroundAutism spectrum disorder (ASD) and schizotypal personality disorder can be difficult to distinguish. Deficits in social relationships and social interaction, present in both conditions, are known to impair quality of life. The aim of the present study was to investigate if schizotypal symptoms affect quality of life among adults diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and to study the association between schizotypy and autistic traits among them.MethodsParticipants diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (n = 110) completed questionnaires exploring schizotypy (Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire – Brief Revised (SPQ-BR)), autistic traits (The Ritvo Autism, Asperger Diagnostic Scale-Revised Screen 14 items), anxiety and depression (The Hospital Anxiety and Depression scale) and quality of life (Brunnsviken Brief Quality of Life Scale and the European quality of life index version 5D).ResultsSchizotypy was found to be associated with anxiety, depressive and autistic symptoms, and poor quality of life. Although schizotypy was a predictor for impaired quality of life, this relationship was mediated by symptoms of anxiety and depression, plausibly inherent to autism. Autistic traits were positively associated with all higher order constructs of the SPQ-BR, i.e. positive and negative schizotypy, disorganization and social anxiety, as well as with poor quality of life.ConclusionsThere is considerable overlap between schizotypy and autism that needs to be considered in research. Prominent schizotypal traits in people with ASD may constitute an endophenotype coinciding with a particularly poor quality of life.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT03570372: Internet-based Treatment for Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder (MILAS).

Association between schizotypal traits and food neophobia: Mediating effect of chemosensory hedonic capacity

AbstractFood neophobia, the reluctance to try novel food, is associated with numerous personality traits. Schizotypy, a subclinical phenotype of schizophrenia, consists of reduced severity of symptoms or traits of schizophrenia, which have been shown to consume a poor diet. However, there is no study directly examining the relationship between food neophobia and schizotypal traits. In addition, chemosensory hedonic capacity, the ability to experience pleasure simulated by smell or taste, is considered to be related to both schizotypal traits and food neophobia. Nevertheless, little is known about the role of chemosensory hedonic capacity on the relationship between schizotypal traits and food neophobia. In the present study, 2,581 college students completed the Food Neophobia Scale, Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire, and Chemosensory Pleasure Scale to examine food neophobia traits, schizotypal traits, and chemosensory hedonic capacity, respectively. Correlation analysis revealed that schizotypal traits were significantly positively correlated with food neophobia. Mediation analysis revealed that chemosensory hedonic capacity partially mediated the relationship between schizotypal traits, especially negative schizotypal traits and food neophobia. In conclusion, schizotypal traits were associated with food neophobia, and the relationship between schizotypal traits and food neophobia was mediated by chemosensory hedonic capacity.Practical ApplicationsThe present study is among the first to reveal that food neophobia was associated with schizotypal traits, which was mediated by chemosensory hedonic capacity. Therefore, our results might provide a new perspective of alleviating food neophobia by improving chemosensory hedonic capacity such as olfactory and gustatory training in the schizophrenia spectrum disorder.

Schizotypal traits across the amyotrophic lateral sclerosis–frontotemporal dementia spectrum: pathomechanistic insights

BackgroundPsychiatric presentations similar to that observed in primary psychiatric disorders are well described across the amyotrophic lateral sclerosis–frontotemporal dementia (ALS–FTD) spectrum. Despite this, schizotypal personality traits associated with increased risks of clinical psychosis development and poor psychosocial outcomes have never been examined. The current study aimed to provide the first exploration of schizotypal traits and its neural underpinnings in the ALS–FTD spectrum to gain insights into a broader spectrum of psychiatric overlap with psychiatric disorders.MethodsSchizotypal traits were assessed using the targeted Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire in 99 participants (35 behavioural variant FTD, 10 ALS–FTD and 37 ALS patients, and 17 age-, sex- and education-matched healthy controls). Voxel-based morphometry analysis of whole-brain grey matter volume was conducted.ResultsRelative to controls, pervasive schizotypal personality traits across positive and negative schizotypy and disorganised thought disorders were identified in behavioural variant FTD, ALS (with the exception of negative schizotypy) and ALS–FTDALS–FTD patients (all p < .013), suggesting the presence of a wide spectrum of subclinical schizotypal symptoms beyond classic psychotic symptoms. Atrophy in frontal, anterior cingulate and insular cortices, and caudate and thalamus was involved in positive schizotypy, while integrity of the cerebellum was associated with disorganised thought disorder traits.ConclusionsThe frontal–striatal–limbic regions underpinning manifestation of schizotypy in the ALS–FTDALS–FTD spectrum are similar to that established in previous schizophrenia research. This finding expands the concept of a psychiatric overlap in ALS–FTD and schizophrenia, and suggests potentially common underlying mechanisms involving disruptions to frontal-striatal-limbic networks, warranting a transdiagnostic approach for future investigations.

Personality Traits, Dimensions, and Suicidal Behavior in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: Results From a Cross-Sectional Study in a Mexican Hospital.

IntroductionPosttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may develop after exposure to stressful or life-threatening events and is linked to suicidal behavior. Personality is hypothesized to be a mediator of this risk though assessing factors influencing such findings has been difficult due to the psychiatric comorbidities of the disorder.ObjectiveThe aim of the study was to examine the relationship between personality and suicidal behavior in people with PTSD.MethodThis was a cross-sectional study with 67 participants diagnosed with PTSD who completed a structured interview (SCID-II), and an inventory (NEO-FFI) to gather personality characteristics. Data were collected and analyzed through statistical software, and the investigation period ranged from August 2020 to July 2021.ResultsExtraversion was correlated with suicide attempts, borderline traits predicted the number of these, and a negative relationship was found between conscientiousness and the same variable. Schizotypal traits were also positively correlated to self-harm. Extraversion, schizoid, borderline, and obsessive-compulsive traits were more likely to be diagnosed with either depressive and/or anxious disorders. Extraversion’s association with suicidal attempts is inconsistent with previous studies, although the correlation of borderline traits with the same variable complies with existing knowledge. Schizotypal traits and their link with self-harm may be a novelty for this line of research, although the connection between extraversion, schizoid, borderline, and obsessive-compulsive traits along with depressive and anxious disorders echoes current literature.ConclusionCertain characteristics of personality are related to suicidal behavior in individuals with PTSD.

The relationship between schizotypal traits and satisfaction with life among Chinese young adults: The mediating effect of trait anxiety and mind wandering

Schizotypal traits have been found to be negatively associated with satisfaction with life but the underlying mechanisms are not well understood. This study investigated the association between schizotypal traits and satisfaction with life and explored the mediating role of trait anxiety and mind wandering in the relationship between those two variables in a sample of Chinese young adults. One hundred and two individuals with high schizotypal traits and 104 individuals with low schizotypal traits were screened using the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire. They completed a series of questionnaires including the Satisfaction with Life Scale, Trait Anxiety Inventory, and Mind Wandering Questionnaire. Results showed that: First, the high schizotypal trait group showed lower satisfaction with life, and higher trait anxiety and mind wandering frequency than the low schizotypal trait group. Second, the high schizotypal trait group, trait anxiety, and mind wandering negatively predicted satisfaction with life. Third, mediation analyses showed that all indirect effect paths in the mediation model were significant, that is, trait anxiety and mind wandering alone and together mediated the relationship between schizotypal trait group and satisfaction with life. In conclusion, high schizotypal trait is a risk factor for low satisfaction with life. The association between schizotypal traits and satisfaction with life was mediated by the combination of trait anxiety and mind wandering. This study has implications for improving life satisfaction in individuals with high schizotypal traits.

Association of positive, negative, and disorganized schizotypy with cluster a, borderline, and avoidant personality disorders and traits.

The present study examined the associations of positive, negative, and disorganized schizotypy dimensions assessed by the Multidimensional Schizotypy Scale with 5 interview-rated personality disorder diagnoses and traits in 151 young adults. As hypothesized, all 3 schizotypy dimensions were associated with impaired functioning. Positive schizotypy was associated with schizotypal and borderline personality traits; negative schizotypy was associated with schizotypal, schizoid, paranoid, and avoidant personality traits; and disorganized schizotypy was associated with paranoid, borderline, and avoidant personality disorder traits. Negative schizotypy predicted broad diagnoses of Cluster A personality disorders. Both negative and disorganized schizotypy predicted the broad diagnosis of any of the 5 personality disorders. The study further examined the association of the schizotypy dimensions with the individual personality disorder criteria to better understand the overall associations. Given the common origins and high comorbidity, we examined whether the schizotypy dimensions explained the association of borderline and schizotypal personality disorder traits. Positive and disorganized schizotypy fully mediated the association between borderline and schizotypal traits. In summary, the study replicated and extended previous findings that the schizotypy dimensions are uniquely associated with personality disorders and traits, as well as impaired functioning, in young adults. The study also provided additional support for the construct validity of the Multidimensional Schizotypy Scale and for the use of psychometric assessment of schizotypy. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

N400 Peculiarities During Intentional Inferences Production in Subjects With Schizotypal Traits

Abstract. A deficit in context processing may underlie theory of mind (ToM) difficulties in schizophrenia, although few studies to date have explored the impact of contextual processing on ToM performances within the same task. We used electroencephalography to investigate the production of intentional inferences from highly versus weakly structured sentences in healthy participants with schizotypal traits. Thirty-four participants were divided into two groups according to their scores on the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire (SPQ). The participants listened to stories that required a degree of understanding in order to produce an inference about the main character’s intention. Each story was followed by a target word that could either be highly predictable (HP), weakly predictable (WP), or incompatible with the context. The results indicate that the N400 component for WP targets was stronger in the high-SPQ group. This increase correlated with the negative dimension of schizotypy. This may reflect difficulties with generating intentional inferences when the context is insufficiently structured for high schizotypy participants.

Why iPlay: The Relationships of Autistic and Schizotypal Traits With Patterns of Video Game Use.

Video games are popular and ubiquitous aspects of human culture, but their relationships to psychological and neurophysiological traits have yet to be analyzed in social-evolutionary frameworks. We examined the relationships of video game usage, motivations, and preferences with autistic and schizotypal traits and two aspects of neurophysiology, reaction time and targeting time. Participants completed the Autism Quotient, Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire, a Video Game Usage Questionnaire, and two neurophysiological tasks. We tested in particular the hypotheses, motivated by theory and previous work, that: (1) participants with higher autism scores would play video games more, and participants with higher schizotypy scores would play video games less; and (2) autism and positive schizotypy would be associated with opposite patterns of video game use, preferences and motivations. Females, but not males, with higher autism scores played more video games, and exhibited evidence of relatively male-typical video game genre preferences and motivations. By contrast, positive schizotypy was associated with reduced video game use in both genders, for several measures of game use frequency. In line with previous findings, males played video game more than females did overall, preferred action video games, and exhibited faster reaction and targeting times. Females preferred Puzzle and Social Simulation games. Faster reaction and targeting times were associated with gaming motives related to skill development and building behavior. These findings show that gaming use and patterns reflect aspects of psychology, and gender, related to social cognition and imagination, as well as aspects of neurophysiology. More generally, the results suggest that video game use is notably affected by levels of autistic and schizotypal traits, and that video games may provide an evolutionarily novel medium for imaginative play in which immersive play experiences can be decoupled from social interaction.

Lower multisensory temporal acuity in individuals with high schizotypal traits: a web-based study

Natural events are often multisensory, requiring the brain to combine information from the same spatial location and timing, across different senses. The importance of temporal coincidence has led to the introduction of the temporal binding window (TBW) construct, defined as the time range within which multisensory inputs are highly likely to be perceptually bound into a single entity. Anomalies in TBWs have been linked to confused perceptual experiences and inaccurate filtering of sensory inputs coming from different environmental sources. Indeed, larger TBWs have been associated with disorders such as schizophrenia and autism and are also correlated to a higher level of subclinical traits of these conditions in the general population. Here, we tested the feasibility of using a web-based version of a classic audio-visual simultaneity judgment (SJ) task with simple flash-beep stimuli in order to measure multisensory temporal acuity and its relationship with schizotypal traits as measured in the general population. Results show that: (i) the response distribution obtained in the web-based SJ task was strongly similar to those reported by studies carried out in controlled laboratory settings, and (ii) lower multisensory temporal acuity was associated with higher schizotypal traits in the “cognitive-perceptual” domains. Our findings reveal the possibility of adequately using a web-based audio-visual SJ task outside a controlled laboratory setting, available to a more diverse and representative pool of participants. These results provide additional evidence for a close relationship between lower multisensory acuity and the expression of schizotypal traits in the general population.

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.

Subclinical psychopathology and affective forecasting: Role of in-the-moment feelings.

It is important for positive well-being and social engagement to understand how people predict future emotions, an ability known as affective forecasting. However, mechanisms underpinning the change to affective forecasting are not well understood in people with subclinical psychiatric symptoms. The current study differentiated components that comprise affective forecasting and investigated how non-clinical features relate to these. We recruited 319 participants to complete the social affective forecasting task and respond to questionnaires that captured schizotypal and autistic traits as well as depressive symptoms. Associations between affective forecasting and subclinical features were investigated using correlations, regression, and structure equation modeling. Results showed that interpersonal features of schizotypal traits negatively predicted anticipated emotions in positive social conditions via in-the-moment feelings but not via mental simulation. Findings highlight that in-the-moment feelings may be an intervention target to help people who have difficulties with social interactions to anticipate more pleasure for future social events.

Does childhood trauma predict schizotypal traits? A path modelling approach in a cohort of help-seeking subjects

Schizotypy constitutes a susceptibility to beneficial and deleterious schizotypal traits, ranging from coping mechanisms to schizotypal personality disorder on a psychosis continuum. Growing evidence indicates a relationship between childhood adversity and trauma and schizotypy. However, the exact influence of childhood adversity and trauma on schizotypy and its relation to sex is not sufficiently understood. Therefore, we investigated sex-adjusted connections between childhood adversity and trauma subdomains (emotional/physical/sexual abuse, emotional/physical neglect) and positive (magical ideation, perceptual aberration) as well as negative schizotypy (physical/social anhedonia). In total, 240 outpatients of the Early Detection and Intervention Centre of the University Hospital Cologne were assessed with the Trauma and Distress Scale for childhood adversity and trauma and the Wisconsin Schizotypy Scales for schizotypy. Path analyses were performed to investigate sex-adjusted correlations. The well-fitting path model of the total sample linked emotional abuse to magical ideation (p = 0.03; SE = 0.20) and emotional neglect to social anhedonia (p = 0.01; SE = 0.26). In females, physical abuse predicted magical ideation (p = 0.01; SE = 0.33), while emotional neglect forecasted physical anhedonia (p = 0.03; SE = 0.34) and social anhedonia (p = 0.03; SE = 0.32). In males, sexual abuse predicted perceptive aberration (p = 0.04; SE = 0.19) and emotional abuse forecasted magical ideation (p = 0.03; SE = 0.27). Overall, the significance of sex-specific interrelations between trauma and schizotypy were highlighted. Magical ideation and perceptive aberration occurred prominently in the absence of negative and disorganized schizotypy, thus positive schizotypy could be discussed as a beneficial expression of coping with emotional, physical and sexual abuse. Furthermore, emotional neglect should be addressed particularly to prevent deleterious negative schizotypy in females.Trial registration number (20-1243), date of registration (May 19th 2020), retrospectively registered.

A three-timepoint network analysis of Covid-19’s impact on schizotypal traits, paranoia and mental health through loneliness

The 2019 coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic has impacted people's mental wellbeing. Studies to date have examined the prevalence of mental health symptoms (anxiety and depression), yet fewer longitudinal studies have compared across background factors and other psychological variables to identify vulnerable subgroups in the general population. This study tests to what extent higher levels of schizotypal traits and paranoia are associated with mental health variables 6- and 12-months since April 2020. Over 2300 adult volunteers (18-89 years, female = 74.9%) with access to the study link online were recruited from the UK, the USA, Greece and Italy. Self-reported levels of schizotypy, paranoia, anxiety, depression, aggression, loneliness and stress from three timepoints (17 April to 13 July 2020, N1 = 1599; 17 October to 31 January 2021, N2 = 774; and 17 April to 31 July 2021, N3 = 586) were mapped using network analysis and compared across time and background variables (sex, age, income, country). Schizotypal traits and paranoia were positively associated with poorer mental health through loneliness, with no effect of age, sex, income levels, countries and timepoints. Loneliness was the most influential variable across all networks, despite overall reductions in levels of loneliness, schizotypy, paranoia and aggression during the easing of lockdown (time 3). Individuals with higher levels of schizotypal traits/paranoia reported poorer mental health outcomes than individuals in the low-trait groups. Schizotypal traits and paranoia are associated with poor mental health outcomes through self-perceived feelings of loneliness, suggesting that increasing social/community cohesion may improve individuals' mental wellbeing in the long run.

Neural Correlates of Smooth Pursuit Eye Movements in Schizotypy and Recent Onset Psychosis: A Multivariate Pattern Classification Approach.

Schizotypy refers to a set of personality traits that bear resemblance, at subclinical level, to psychosis. Despite evidence of similarity at multiple levels of analysis, direct comparisons of schizotypy and clinical psychotic disorders are rare. Therefore, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to examine the neural correlates and task-based functional connectivity (psychophysiological interactions; PPI) of smooth pursuit eye movements (SPEM) in patients with recent onset psychosis (ROP; n = 34), participants with high levels of negative (HNS; n = 46) or positive (HPS; n = 41) schizotypal traits, and low-schizotypy control participants (LS; n = 61) using machine-learning. Despite strong previous evidence that SPEM is a highly reliable marker of psychosis, patients and controls could not be significantly distinguished based on SPEM performance or blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) signal during SPEM. Classification was, however, significant for the right frontal eye field (FEF) seed region in the PPI analyses but not for seed regions in other key areas of the SPEM network. Applying the right FEF classifier to the schizotypal samples yielded decision scores between the LS and ROP groups, suggesting similarities and dissimilarities of the HNS and HPS samples with the LS and ROP groups. The very small difference between groups is inconsistent with previous studies that showed significant differences between patients with ROP and controls in both SPEM performance and underlying neural mechanisms with large effect sizes. As the current study had sufficient power to detect such differences, other reasons are discussed.