An investigation of the relationship between cortical connectivity and schizotypy in the general population.
Margaret T Nelson, Marc L. Seal, Lisa J Phillips, Antonia H Merritt, Rebecca Wilson, Christos Pantelis
The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease May 2011 DOI: 10.1097/nmd.0b013e318217514b (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Cross-sectional observational study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 21 |
| Population | Healthy control participants (12 women, 9 men) aged 18 to 58 years |
| Measures | Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire (SPQ), fractional anisotropy (FA), axial diffusivity, radial diffusivity |
| Key findings | Reduced fractional anisotropy in seven white matter tracts was significantly associated with higher scores on the cognitive-perceptual factor of the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire. The authors suggest this pattern is consistent with links between brain connectivity and positive symptoms of schizophrenia, supporting a continuum model in which schizotypal traits in healthy people share neurobiological features with schizophrenia spectrum disorders. |
Abstract
Recent neuroimaging investigations have identified a relationship between psychotic symptoms in schizophrenia and abnormal brain connectivity. On the basis of the continuum model of psychosis, it was hypothesized that schizotypal traits in healthy control participants would be associated with relatively impaired frontotemporal white matter health as assessed using diffusion tensor imaging. Twenty-one participants (12 women and 9 men aged 18 to 58 years) completed the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire (SPQ) and underwent diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging scanning as part of a larger study. White matter integrity for the major association fibre tracts was assessed using standard measures of diffusivity, specifically fractional anisotropy (FA) and axial and radial diffusivity. A series of negative binomial regressions yielded significant relationships between reduced FA in seven white matter tracts and increased scores on the SPQ cognitive-perceptual factor. These findings are consistent with research relating brain connectivity to the positive symptoms of schizophrenia, suggesting that the neurobiological bases of schizotypal personality in healthy controls may be analogous to the neurobiological bases of schizophrenia spectrum disorders.