Cognitive and emotional associations to positive schizotypy during adolescence

Relationship Between Schizotypal Traits, Emotion Regulation, and Negative Affect in Children: A Network Analysis

BACKGROUND AND HYPOTHESIS

Evidence suggests that emotion regulation is related to schizotypal traits and negative affect in adults. Few studies examined the interplay among these constructs in school-aged children. We examined the complex relationship between schizotypal traits, emotion regulation, and negative affect in children aged 9-12 years.

STUDY DESIGN

One-thousand-and-nineteen children completed the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire-children (SPQ-C), the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS-21), and the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire for Children and Adolescence (ERQ-CA). Using subscales of these measures as nodes, we estimated a partial correlation network. We estimated a Directed Acyclic Graph to explore the putative directional relationship between schizotypal traits, emotion regulation, and negative affect. Node and bridge centrality indices were estimated.

RESULTS

We found positive correlations between schizotypal dimensions and negative affect (depressed mood, anxiety, and stress) in the network. Emotion suppression was positively correlated with interpersonal and disorganized schizotypal dimensions, and negative affect. Emotion reappraisal was positively correlated with the cognitive-perceptual dimension and negatively correlated with interpersonal schizotypal traits, depressed mood, and stress. Stress showed higher strength than all nodes except depressed mood, and stress showed the highest expected influence (EI). The Bayesian network revealed that schizotypal traits appeared to be driven by stress. Network comparisons preliminarily showed higher EI for emotion reappraisal in girls' than boys' networks, and significant impacts of age and schizotypy levels on network patterns.

CONCLUSION

Children with higher levels of schizotypal traits may have more negative affect and suppression. Stress appears to drive schizotypal traits.

The Relationships Between Multidimensional Schizotypy and Metacognitive Beliefs

There has been a recent surge in schizotypy and metacognition research. Metacognition is an umbrella term for higher-order thought processes. Here, we focussed on maladaptive metacognitive beliefs, which are beliefs related to one's thought processes and often play an important role in the preponderance of psychological disorders. Despite the extensive literature, relatively less is known about metacognitive beliefs in the context of multidimensional schizotypy, which consists of positive, negative, and disorganised dimensions and represents the milder forms of schizophrenia symptoms and vulnerability to developing schizophrenia. This is the first study that examined the links not only with positive schizotypy, but also with negative and disorganised schizotypy. We also attempted to circumvent the limitations related to schizotypy assessment in the previous studies by using a newly developed measure, the Multidimensional Schizotypy Scale (MSS), which was based on the current operationalisations of the construct. We examined the links in a non-clinical sample, including first-year psychology students and members of the wider community of an Australian university (N = 68). Self-report data was collected by administering the Metacognitions Questionnaire-30, MSS, and Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale to control the self-report measures' social desirability biases. Results revealed positive correlations of maladaptive metacognitive beliefs not only with positive schizotypy, but also with negative and disorganised schizotypy. Our findings support the importance of examining schizotypy as a multidimensional construct. Further, our findings have implications for research and practice, including treatment modalities focusing on the modification of metacognitive beliefs for the prevention of schizophrenia and related conditions.

Metacognitive monitoring in schizotypy: Systematic literature review and new empirical data

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Deficits in metacognition, the ability to monitor one's own mental states, are key elements of the functional pathology of schizophrenia spectrum disorders. Little is known, however, about the integrity of metacognitive processes in subclinical schizotypy. The purpose of the present investigation was two-fold: First, we conducted a preregistered, systematic literature review to synthesize previous research efforts on the role of metacognition in schizotypy. Second, we investigated the relationship between self-reported dimensions of schizotypy and psychometric as well as behavioral measures of metacognition in a preregistered online study.

METHODS

A large sample (N = 330) completed a questionnaire battery and an episodic memory experiment; task-based metacognition was tapped via trial-by-trial confidence ratings.

RESULTS

In keeping with findings from our literature review, higher schizotypy was associated with diminished introspective insight and an overly self-referential and maladaptive metacognitive style in metacognition questionnaires. Importantly, low task-based metacognitive efficiency was predictive of high levels of cognitive disorganization, whereas task-related overconfidence (i.e., increased metacognitive bias) was linked with positive schizotypy.

LIMITATIONS

Due to the comparatively small number of k = 20 studies meeting our inclusion criteria, the systematic literature review provides only preliminary indications for potential conclusions. Furthermore, control over potential disturbing influences in the experimental study was limited due to its online format.

CONCLUSIONS

Overall, we provide evidence for specific metacognitive deficits in schizotypy and discuss a potential continuity of preserved and impaired aspects of metacognitive monitoring along the psychosis continuum.

Comparing two measures of schizotypy and their relationship with psychological distress in British university students

AIMS

Schizotypy reflects the vulnerability to schizophrenia in the general population. Different questionnaires have been developed to measure aspects of schizotypy. Higher schizotypy scores have also been linked with depression, anxiety, and stress sensitivity. Here we examine the associations of schizotypy with symptoms of depression and anxiety in a sample of university students, using two different measures (N = 271).

METHODS

A series of confirmatory factor analyses was used to examine two distinct and frequently employed measures of schizotypy: the Community Assessment of Psychic Experiences (CAPE), and the Schizotypy Personality Questionnaire (SPQ). We assessed their relationship with each other and their predictive validity for anxiety, depression, and stress sensitivity.

RESULTS

Our results indicated the brief 7-factor SPQ (SPQ-BR) factor solution for the SPQ and the 15-item and 3 factor solution for the CAPE (i.e., CAPE-P15) as best fitting models. Particularly the CAPE dimension of persecutory ideation was a strong predictor of anxiety, depression, and stress sensitivity, whereas the SPQ dimensions of no close friends and social anxiety predicted psychological distress and stress in our student sample.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings extend earlier work in general and patient samples and point to the importance of understanding the contribution of particularly positive schizotypy symptoms and different interpersonal aspects to psychological distress.

The relationship between technology addictions and schizotypal traits: mediating roles of depression, anxiety, and stress

BACKGROUND

The way how technology addiction relates to psychosis remains inconclusive and uncertain. The present study aimed to test the hypothesis of a mediating role of depression, anxiety and stress in the association between three technology (behavioral) addictions (i.e., Addiction to the Internet, smartphones and Facebook) and psychosis proneness as estimated through schizotypal traits in emerging adults.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was performed among non-clinical Tunisian university students (67.6% females, mean age of 21.5 ± 2.5 years) using a paper-and-pencil self-administered questionnaire.

RESULTS

Results for the Pearson correlation revealed that higher smartphone, Internet, and Facebook addictions' scores were significantly and positively correlated with each of the depression, anxiety and stress subscores; whereas depression (r = 0.474), anxiety (r = 0.499) and stress (r = 0.461) scores were positively correlated with higher schizotypal traits. The results of the mediation analysis found a significant mediating effect for depressive, anxiety and stress symptoms on the cross-sectional relationship between each facet of the TA and schizotypal traits.

CONCLUSION

Our findings preliminarily suggest that an addictive use of smartphones, Internet and Facebook may act as a stressor that exacerbates psychosis proneness directly or indirectly through distress. Although future longitudinal research is needed to determine causality, we draw attention to the possibility that treating psychological distress may constitute an effective target of interventions to prevent psychosis in adolescents with technology addictions.

Affective Dysregulation Precedes Emergence of Psychosis-Like Experiences in a Community Sample of Young Adults

Affective dysregulation (AD) among persons with schizophrenia spectrum disorders, involving the tendency to exhibit sensitivity to minor stress and negative affective states, is an important diagnostic feature and relates to poorer functional and clinical outcomes. Studies of persons with elevated risk for psychosis demonstrate similar AD to those with schizophrenia, and literature suggest a potential influence of AD in the transition from psychosis-like symptoms (PLEs) to disorder. Cross-sectional investigations to date have supported the link between AD and psychosis, and longitudinal studies have mostly yielded mixed findings without demonstration of potential causal relationships between AD and psychosis. This study examined the concurrent and predictive relationships between AD and PLE in a community sample of youth (n = 630) with attention to distinct facets of AD as a latent construct, including low resiliency, low reactive control, and negative emotionality, using structural equation to estimate a longitudinal cross-lagged and autoregressive model across 3 study waves from 15 to 24 years of age. As hypothesized, AD in the mid-teen years predicted subsequent PLE 3 years later. In addition, we found that increasing PLE in the end of the teen years related to a subsequent increase in AD in the early 20s. A cross-sectional relationship between AD and PLE in the mid-teen years was also supported. Findings overall describe important relationships between AD and PLE that appear to vary with developmental stage, implicating various factors to inform approaches for identifying youth who may be at risk for subsequent PLE or other mental health conditions.

Exploring the Psychometric Properties and the Factor Structure of the Calgary Depression Scale for Schizophrenia Across the Schizotypy Continuum

This study evaluated the psychometric properties and factor structure of the Calgary Depression Scale for Schizophrenia (CDSS) across different levels of the schizotypy continuum. A combined sample of high-schizotypy, at-risk mental states, and patients with first-episode psychosis was assessed for depression and other clinical and functional outcomes. Additionally, experience sampling methodology was used to assess depressive and psychotic-like experiences in daily life. The CDSS exhibited solid internal consistency, validity, and discrimination between depressed and nondepressed participants. Confirmatory factor analyses and the associations of the resulting factors with clinical and functional measures supported a two-factor structure that included general depression and guilt factors. Furthermore, both factors of the CDSS were differentially related to positive and negative symptoms of psychosis in daily life. The CDSS appears to have two underlying psychopathological dimensions and to be a reliable and valid measure for assessing depression across the schizotypy continuum.

Applying network analysis to investigate the links between dimensional schizotypy and cognitive and affective empathy

BACKGROUND

Although impairment in empathy has been reported in schizophrenia spectrum disorders, little is known about the relationship between empathy and schizotypal traits. This study examines this relationship by applying network analysis to a large sample collected at 18-months follow-up in a longitudinal dataset.

METHODS

One thousand four hundred and eighty-six college students were recruited and completed a set of self-reported questionnaires on empathy, schizotypy, depression, anxiety and stress. Networks were constructed by taking the subscale scores of these measures as nodes and partial correlations between each pair of nodes as edges. Network Comparison Tests were performed to investigate the differences between individuals with high and low schizotypy.

RESULTS

Cognitive and affective empathy were strongly connected with negative schizotypy in the network. Physical and social anhedonia showed high centrality measured by strength, closeness and betweenness while anxiety and stress showed high expected influence. Predictability ranged from 22.4% (personal distress) to 79.9% (anxiety) with an average of 54.4%. Compared with the low schizotypy group, the high schizotypy group showed higher global strength (S = 0.813, p < 0.05) and significant differences in network structure (M = 0.531, p < 0.001) and strength of edges connecting empathy with schizotypy (adjusted ps < 0.05).

LIMITATIONS

Only self-rating scales were used, and disorganized schizotypy was not included.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings suggest that the cognitive and affective components of empathy and dimensions of schizotypy are closely related in the general population and their network interactions may play an important role in individuals with high schizotypy.

The path from schizotypy to depression and aggression and the role of family stress

Background.

Schizotypy is a multidimensional construct that is linked to the vulnerability for psychosis. Positive schizotypy includes having paranormal beliefs. Negative schizotypy includes social anhedonia. Disorganized schizotypy includes social anxiety and communication disorder. Schizotypy relates to depression and aggression. Family stress from high expressed emotion (EE; a rating of criticism, hostility, and emotional overinvolvement in a close relative toward a person showing signs of mental disorder) may mediate the link between schizotypy, depression and aggression. This study tested, using path analyses, the hypotheses that schizotypy predicts depression and aggression through high perceived EE as criticism and irritability (hypothesis 1) and praise and intrusiveness in a close relative (hypothesis 2).

Methods.

One hundred and four healthy participants listened to and rated the self-relevance of standard criticism and standard praise that denote EE. Participants rated their level of schizotypy, depression, aggression, and perceived EE in self-report questionnaires. Two path models tested the hypotheses.

Results.

Disorganized schizotypy, more than positive schizotypy, predicted the path to depression and aggression when perceived criticism and perceived EE-irritability were mediators. Disorganised schizotypy, more than negative schizotypy, predicted the path to depression and aggression when perceived praise and perceived EE-intrusiveness were mediators.

Conclusions.

Greater perceived criticism and less perceived praise in family communication explain the path from disorganized schizotypy (more so than positive or negative schizotypy) to depression and aggression. These findings indicate a need to consider the thought disorder-EE link as a potential contributor to depression and aggression in people with schizophrenia.

Metacognitive Therapy for Individuals at High Risk of Developing Psychosis: A Pilot Study

Developing effective interventions for preventing first episode psychosis have been an important research focus in the last decade. Cognitive behavioral therapy is a currently indicated treatment for people at ultra-high risk of psychosis, however, access and resource issues limit its delivery within the NHS. Treatments which partial out potential active ingredients and are aimed at a range of psychological difficulties seen within this population have the potential to be more efficacious and efficient. We conducted a single-arm exploratory pilot trial, designed to investigate the feasibility and acceptability of Metacognitive therapy for individuals at ultra-high risk (UHR) of developing psychosis. Trial uptake was good, with 11 out of 12 referred individuals meeting for an eligibility assessment (one individual was excluded prior to the assessment). Of these, 10 individuals were eligible and included in the trial. Retention to treatment was high with 80% treatment adherence gained and an overall average of 8 sessions completed. All participants were offered follow-up assessments immediately post-treatment and at 6 months, which comprised measures of psychotic like experiences, anxiety and depression, and metacognitive processes implicated in the model. Retention to the post-treatment (12-week) follow-up was good, with 80% completion; however retention to the 6-month follow-up was lower at 60%. Clinically significant results were observed in psychotic like experiences, anxiety, depression and functioning with medium to large effect sizes. Measures related to beliefs and processes targeted within MCT showed clinically significant change with medium to large effect sizes. Our results suggest that MCT based upon a specific metacognitive model for individuals meeting ARMS criteria may be an important treatment target and warrants further attention. Limitations and possible focuses for future research are discussed. Registration: ISRCTN53190465 http://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN53190465.

The Metacognitions Questionnaire and Its Derivatives in Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review of Psychometric Properties

Background: The Metacognitions Questionnaire (MCQ) and its derivatives have been instrumental in research examining the Self-Regulatory Executive Function Model in adults. Studies testing whether findings are applicable to children and adolescents have been increasing and several different measures adapting the MCQ for younger populations have been developed. The current study aimed to systematically review the psychometric properties of MCQ measures or derivatives used in young people (aged 18 or less), to help assess current findings in this population and to guide future research in this growing area of investigation. Method: Systematic searches were carried out on PubMed and PsycINFO of studies published up to June 2018. Additional studies were identified through Google Scholar and article references. Validity, reliability, range and responsiveness of measures were examined as well as analyses of age and gender differences on scores. Results: Forty-five articles were identified. The total sample consisted of 7,803 children and adolescents (6,922 non-clinical, 881 clinical) aged 7-18. Studies used one of seven versions of the questionnaire, five adapted from the MCQ for younger populations: (1) The Metacognitions Questionnaire-Adolescent version; (2) The Metacognitions Questionnaire-Child version; (3) The Metacognitions Questionnaire-Child Version-Revised; (4) The Metacognitions Questionnaire-Child-30; and (5) The Metacognitions Questionnaire-65 Positive Beliefs Scale Revised; and two adult versions used without adaptation: (1) The Metacognitions Questionnaire-30 and (2) The Cognitive Self Consciousness Scale-Expanded. The validity and reliability of the Metacognitions Questionnaire-Adolescent version had the most extensive support. Other questionnaires had either mixed psychometrics or promising initial findings but more limited data. Conclusions: It is recommended that studies using adolescents (age 12-18) consider using the Metacognitions Questionnaire-Adolescent version. Based on initial data, it is suggested studies using younger populations should consider the Metacognitions Questionnaire-Child-30 but further psychometric research into this and other measures is needed.

A Mentalization-Informed Staging Approach to Clinical High Risk for Psychosis

The practice of diagnosis is fundamentally designed to orient treatment. In the case of early diagnosis for schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSP) risk, the empirical base for such a practice is still young, and many clinical questions arise in the everyday clinical application of risk algorithms and ensuing therapeutic options. One of the key questions that we will focus on is the following: in cases of SSP where symptoms are successfully treated, why does residual social functioning impairment remain the most serious obstacle to remission and reinsertion in society? We will present the evidence suggesting that the roots of residual social functioning impairment may, in many cases, come from thwarted or arrested development in the specialization of social cognition during adolescence and early adulthood. We will review the evidence suggesting that both during the premorbid phase and clinical high-risk phase, attenuated psychotic symptoms may impede the maturation of key social cognitive processes, particularly the suite of reflective thinking processes coming under the term of mentalization. From this evidence base, we will adapt the staging model of SSP progression in function of our mentalization-informed model, tailored to provide a coherent framework of care addressing the key clinical needs at every stage of psychosis progression.

Sensitivity to criticism and praise predicts schizotypy in the non-clinical population: The role of affect and perceived expressed emotion

BACKGROUND

Schizotypy represents a cluster of personality traits consisting of magical beliefs, perceptual aberrations, disorganisation, and anhedonia. Schizotypy denotes a vulnerability for psychosis, one reason being psychosocial stress. High expressed emotion (EE), a rating of high criticism, hostility, and emotional over-involvement from a close relative, denotes psychosocial stress and vulnerability to psychosis, and is associated with schizotypy. This study aimed to decipher the relationship of schizotypy to perceived criticism and perceived praise in terms of affect and perceived EE.

METHODS

Ninety-eight healthy participants listened to short audio-clips containing criticism, praise, and neutral comments from a stranger, and evaluated them in terms of the comments' arousal and personal relevance. Participants also answered self-report questionnaires of schizotypy, depression, mood, and perceived EE. Correlational analyses tested the relationship between schizotypy and the evaluations of criticism and praise. Mediation analyses then tested whether depression, positive mood, and perceived EE explained these relationships.

RESULTS

Greater relevance of standard criticism correlated with higher positive schizotypy. This association was fully mediated by high depression and perceived irritability from a close relative. Lower relevance of standard praise correlated with higher cognitive disorganisation (another schizotypal trait). This relationship was partially mediated by low positive mood and high perceived intrusiveness from a close relative.

CONCLUSION

Greater perceived criticism and lower perceived praise predict schizotypy in the healthy population. Affect and interpersonal sensitivity towards a close relative explain these relationships, such that depression increases perceived criticism, and positive mood increases perceived praise. Perceived EE defines the interpersonal nature of schizotypy.

Is there a burden attached to synaesthesia? Health screening of synaesthetes in the general population

Synaesthesia has long been considered a benign alternative form of perception most often associated with positive rather than negative outcomes. The condition has been associated with a variety of cognitive and perceptual advantages, including benefits in memory, processing speed, and creativity. It is not currently recognized in the DSM-IV. Recently, however, several studies have raised the question of a possible link between synaesthesia and clinical conditions. Here, we present the first large-scale screening of the general population in which we (1) objectively identified grapheme-colour synaesthetes and (2) elicited information from our participants about a range of clinical conditions. We compared the prevalence rates of these conditions in synaesthetes versus non-synaesthetes to establish whether any conditions were found at a higher rate among synaesthetes. In our initial study, screening 3,742 people (95 synaesthetes and 3,647 controls), we found initially that grapheme-colour was significantly comorbid with two conditions (anxiety disorder and obsessive compulsive disorder). In our second study, screening a new population of 120 synaesthetes and 166 non-synaesthetes, we replicated our finding that grapheme-colour synaesthesia is comorbid with anxiety disorder. At the same time, we also addressed a methodological concern that likely elevated rates of OCD in Study 1. We consider the aetiology of synaesthesia to determine whether there may be a shared genetic or neurological basis with anxiety disorder, and we question the status of synaesthesia within a mental health framework.

Do people with psychosis engage in unhelpful metacognitive coping strategies? A test of the validity of the Cognitive Attentional Syndrome (CAS) in a clinical sample

The Self-Regulatory Executive Function (S-REF) model assumes that unhelpful metacognitive coping strategies characterised by worry, rumination, threat monitoring and attempts to control thoughts, have a central role in psychological disorders and prolonged negative affect. Collectively, these strategies constitute the Cognitive Attentional Syndrome (CAS). This research aims to test whether a questionnaire designed to capture these responses (the CAS-1: Wells, 2009, p. 268) is a valid assessment tool in clinical psychosis, and to test whether activation of the CAS is associated with positive and negative outcomes. A sample of 60 people with psychosis completed a semi-structured interview about psychotic symptoms, the CAS-1 self-report measure and validated self-report measures of metacognitive beliefs, negative affect, quality of life and recovery. The CAS-1 demonstrated good internal consistency, concurrent validity and predictive validity. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses revealed that negative metacognitive beliefs predict negative affect, perceptions of recovery and quality of life in people with psychosis over and above psychotic symptoms. CAS-1 scores did not contribute additional variance in the final regression models. Implications for theory and clinical practice are discussed.

The role of unhelpful metacognitive beliefs in psychosis: Relationships with positive symptoms and negative affect

The Self-Regulatory Executive Function (s-REF) model assumes that a common set of unhelpful metacognitive beliefs have a central role in predisposition to psychological disorder and the maintenance of symptoms and distress. This research aims to test whether the five unhelpful metacognitive beliefs implicated in the model are associated with positive symptoms of psychosis and whether they are a better predictor of negative affect than topological characteristics of positive symptoms. A sample of people with psychosis completed a semi-structured interview about psychotic symptoms and self-report measures of metacognitive beliefs (MCQ-30), anxiety and depression. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses suggested that unhelpful metacognitive beliefs predict negative affect in people with psychosis over and above symptom frequency and other topological characteristics of symptoms captured by the Psychotic Symptoms Rating Scale (PSYRATS). The findings support the application of the metacognitive model to emotional distress in people with psychosis.

Attachment, Neurobiology, and Mentalizing along the Psychosis Continuum

In this review article, we outline the evidence linking attachment adversity to psychosis, from the premorbid stages of the disorder to its clinical forms. To better understand the neurobiological mechanisms through which insecure attachment may contribute to psychosis, we identify at least five neurobiological pathways linking attachment to risk for developing psychosis. Besides its well documented influence on the hypothalamic-pituary-adrenal (HPA) axis, insecure attachment may also contribute to neurodevelopmental risk through the dopaminergic and oxytonergic systems, as well as bear influence on neuroinflammation and oxidative stress responses. We further consider the neuroscientific and behavioral studies that underpin mentalization as a suite of processes potentially moderating the risk to transition to psychotic disorders. In particular, mentalization may help the individual compensate for endophenotypical impairments in the integration of sensory and metacognitive information. We propose a model where embodied mentalization would lie at the core of a protective, resilience response mitigating the adverse and potentially pathological influence of the neurodevelopmental cascade of risk for psychosis.

Covariance and specificity in adolescent schizotypal and borderline trait expression

AIMS

The first aim of the present study is to assess the overlap between borderline and schizotypal traits during adolescence. The second objective is to examine whether some psychological factors (i.e. cognitive coping mechanisms, impulsivity and encoding style) are differentially related to borderline and schizotypal traits and may therefore improve the efficiency of clinical assessments.

METHODS

One hundred nineteen community adolescents (57 male) aged from 12 to 19 years completed a set of questionnaires evaluating the expression of borderline and schizotypal traits as well as cognitive emotion regulation (CER), impulsivity and encoding style.

RESULTS

Our data first yielded a strong correlation between borderline and schizotypal scores (r = 0.70, P < 0.001). Secondly, linear regression models indicated that the 'catastrophizing' CER strategy and the 'lack of premeditation' impulsivity facet accounted for the level of borderline traits, whereas an internal encoding style predominantly explained schizotypal traits.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results support the abundant literature showing that borderline and schizotypal traits frequently co-occur. Moreover, we provide original data indicating that borderline and schizotypal traits during adolescence are linked to different specific psychological mechanisms. Thus, we underline the importance of considering these mechanisms in clinical assessments, in particular to help disentangle personality disorder traits in youths.

Overlap between autistic and schizotypal personality traits is not accounted for by anxiety and depression

Autism spectrum and schizophrenia spectrum disorders are classified separately in the DSM-5, yet research indicates that these two disorders share overlapping features. The aim of the present study was to examine the overlap between autistic and schizotypal personality traits and whether anxiety and depression act as confounding variables in this relationship within a non-clinical population. One hundred and forty-four adults completed the Autism Spectrum Quotient and the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire and the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales-21. A number of associations were seen between autistic and schizotypal personality traits. However, negative traits were the only schizotypal feature to uniquely predict global autistic traits, thus highlighting the importance of interpersonal qualities in the overlap of autistic and schizotypal characteristics. The inclusion of anxiety and depression did not alter relationships between autistic and schizotypal traits, indicating that anxiety and depression are not confounders of this relationship. These findings have important implications for the conceptualisation of both disorders.

Auditory false perceptions are mediated by psychosis risk factors

INTRODUCTION

Auditory hallucinations exist in psychotic disorders as well as the general population. Proneness to hallucinations, as measured by positive schizotypy, predicts false perceptions during an auditory signal detection task (Barkus, Stirling, Hopkins, McKie, & Lewis, 2007). Our aim was to replicate this result and extend it by examining effects of age and sex, both important demographic predictors of psychosis.

METHOD

A sample of 76 healthy volunteers split into 15-17 years (n=46) and 19 years plus (n=30) underwent a signal detection task designed to detect propensity towards false perceptions under ambiguous auditory conditions. Scores on the Unusual Experiences subscale (UE) of the O-LIFE schizotypy scale, IQ, and a measure of working memory were also assessed.

RESULTS

We replicated our initial finding (Barkus et al., 2007): High scores on positive schizotypy were associated with false perceptions. Younger participants who scored highly on positive schizotypy reported significantly more false perceptions compared to other groups (p=.04). Older participants who had had an imaginary friend reported more false perceptions during the signal detection task (p<.01).

CONCLUSIONS

Younger participants seem most vulnerable to the effects of positive schizotypal traits in terms of a signal detection deficit that underlies auditory hallucinations. Schizotypy may have greatest impact closer to the risk period for development of psychotic disorders.

Different combinations of perceptual, emotional, and cognitive factors predict three different types of delusional ideation during adolescence

Although adolescence is a particularly sensitive period for the development of schizotypy (Walker and Bollini [Schizophr Res 54:17-23, 2002]), there has been relatively limited research on the psychological factors that specifically predict delusional beliefs during adolescence. We studied 392 school students aged 11 to 16 years with a battery of behavioral and psychometric measures. Anxiety and negative-other schemas mediated the relationship between hallucinatory experiences and paranoid beliefs; anxiety mediated the relationship between hallucinatory experiences and grandiose beliefs; anxiety and self-negative schemas mediated the relationship between hallucinatory experiences and "other delusions" (Schneiderian/reference/misidentification). Furthermore, a jump-to-conclusions (JTC) bias moderated the relation between anxiety and other delusions: scores in the other delusions category were highest in adolescents who had both high anxiety and a JTC bias. Sex and age had only weak effects upon delusional belief. Our findings provide novel data by highlighting the different factors that underpin three delusional subtypes during the vulnerable period of adolescence.

Longitudinal associations between adolescent psychotic experiences and depressive symptoms

Background

Psychotic experiences are prevalent in community samples and are highly correlated with depressive symptoms. This study aimed to investigate the longitudinal associations between psychotic experiences and depressive symptoms between adolescence and young adulthood.

Method

Prospective cohort study with a 6 year follow-up in a community sample of 7632 adolescents and young adults. Depressive symptoms were assessed with the Short Moods and Feelings Questionnaire and psychotic experiences with a semi-structured clinical interview at 12 and 18 years. Longitudinal and cross-sectional associations were investigated with regression and structural equation models.

Results

Depressive symptoms and psychotic experiences were associated at each time-point (12 years r = 0.486 [95% CI 0.457, 0.515]; 18 years r = 0.286 [95% CI 0.233, 0.339]) and there were longitudinal within-phenotype associations (depressive symptoms r = 0.252 [95% CI 0.205, 0.299]; psychotic experiences r = 0.662 [95% CI 0.595, 0.729]). There was an across-phenotype association between psychotic experiences at 12 and depressive symptoms at 18 r = 0.139 [95% CI 0.086, 0.192; p<0.001], but no association between depressive symptoms at 12 and psychotic experiences at 18 r = −0.022 [95% CI −0.032, 0.077; p = 0.891].

Conclusions

Longitudinal across-phenotype associations were substantially weaker than cross-sectional associations or within-phenotype longitudinal associations. Whilst psychotic experiences at 12 years were associated with a small increase in depression at 18 years, depression at 12 years was not associated with psychotic experiences at 18 years once across-phenotype cross-sectional and within-phenotype longitudinal associations were accounted for. This suggests that the biological mechanisms underlying depression at this age do not increase subsequent risk of psychotic experiences once they resolve.

The relationship between schizotypal ideation and subjective cognition reflects more than just cognitive disorganisation: introducing the Brief Cognitive Schizotypy Index

INTRODUCTION

Internet surveys of psychometric schizotypy can usefully explore the relationship between the schizophrenia spectrum and cognition, but significant participant drop-out can be a difficulty. We aimed to identify the aspects of schizotypal thinking associated with self-reported cognitive difficulties with a view to developing a brief index of schizotypy that is maximally sensitive to subjective cognitive complaints.

METHOD

Two online surveys were launched over two years. One explored schizotypal personality and subjective cognition. The other provided data for principal components analyses. The OLIFE was used in both surveys alongside other more specific measures of schizotypal features and a measure of affect.

RESULTS

Fifteen OLIFE cognitive disorganisation items, seven OLIFE unusual experiences items and three OLIFE introvertive anhedonia items were reliably associated with a range of self-reported cognitive difficulties as measured by the Cognitive Failures Questionnaire. The 25 items of the new Brief Cognitive Schizotypy Index (BCSI) loaded on three factors, labelled Unusual experiences, Affect and Cognition. The BCSI correlated strongly with a propensity to hallucinations scale, a persecutory ideation scale and two other measures of everyday cognition. These correlations survived correction for the role of prevailing negative affect.

CONCLUSIONS

Particular aspects of schizotypal ideation, reflecting the full range of such experiences, are related to reports of day-to-day cognitive difficulties. Future work should replicate these findings in a wider sample and explore relationships with objective cognitive measures.

Self-reflection and positive schizotypy in the adolescent brain

Clinical and phenomenological accounts of schizophrenia suggest that impairments in self-reflective processes significantly contribute to psychopathological expression. Recent imaging studies observe atypical cerebral activation patterns during self-reflection, especially around the cortical midline structures, both in psychosis-prone adults and individuals with schizophrenia. Given that self-reflection processes consolidate during adolescence, and that early transient expression of psychosis (positive schizotypy) also arises during this period, the present study sought to examine whether atypical cerebral activation during self-reflection task could be associated with early schizotypic expression during adolescence. Forty-two neurotypical adolescent participants (19 females) aged from 12 to 19 (15.92±1.9) underwent a self-reflection task using functional neuroimaging (fMRI), where they had to evaluate trait adjectives (1 to 4 ratings) about themselves or their same sex best friend. The Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire (SPQ) was employed to assess positive schizotypic expression. Results showed that positive schizotypy in adolescents significantly correlated with cortical midline activation patterns in the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC) and the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC), as well as the dorsolateral PFC and the lingual gyrus. The results are consistent with previous imaging literature on self-reflection and schizophrenia. They further highlight that the relationship between self-reflection processes and positive schizotypy operates at the trait level of expression and can be observed as early as adolescence.

Encoding style and its relationships with schizotypal traits and impulsivity during adolescence

This study intends to explore how individual differences in encoding style (i.e. how encoding is implicitly affected by pre-existing schemata, so called an internal style, versus by cues from the outside world, so called an external style) are associated with schizotypal traits and impulsivity expression during adolescence. Moreover, we aim to provide first evidence reliability for the encoding style questionnaire with an adolescent sample. 101 French-speaking community adolescents (Mage=16.06, S.D.age=2.01; 57 girls; primarily Caucasian) participated in a cross-sectional study. The whole sample filled out a battery of self-report questionnaires. Our data supports a positive association between a predominant internal encoding style, the level of positive and disorganized schizotypal traits, and a higher degree of urgency and sensation seeking impulsivity components. On the one hand, these results have clinical implications in the sense that a low level in implicit processing, namely encoding style, is involved in positive and disorganized schizotypal traits as well as in impulsivity. Schizotypal traits and impulsivity are two sets of traits that put youth at risk for the development of severe psychopathological states in adulthood. On the other hand, this research enables an increased understanding of encoding style by providing the first reliable assessment tool for French-speaking adolescents.

Anxiety and depression in psychosis: a systematic review of associations with positive psychotic symptoms

OBJECTIVE

This review explores the influence of anxiety and depression on the experience of positive psychotic symptoms, and investigates the possibility of a causal role for anxiety and depression in the emergence and persistence of psychosis.

METHOD

A systematic literature search was undertaken, producing a number of papers which comment on the links between anxiety and depression, and the experience of delusions and hallucinations. In addition, evidence which could contribute to our understanding of the causal role of anxiety and depression was highlighted.

RESULTS

The findings show that both anxiety and depression are associated in meaningful ways with the severity of delusions and hallucinations, the distress they elicit and their content. However, the cross-sectional nature of the majority of studies and the focus on certain symptom subtypes tempers the validity of the findings. Data from non-clinical samples, studies which track the longitudinal course of psychosis and those which examine the impact of anxiety and depression on the prognosis for people experiencing psychosis, offer some support for the possibility of an influential role for anxiety and depression.

CONCLUSION

We conclude that anxiety and depression are related to psychotic symptom severity, distress and content and are also linked with sub-clinical experiences, symptom development, prognosis and relapse. These links may imply that anxiety and depression could be targets for therapeutic intervention. The article concludes with suggestions for further research, highlighting avenues which may circumvent the limitations of the body of work as it stands.

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

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

Schizotypy and hemispheric asymmetry: Results from two Chapman scales, the O-LIFE questionnaire, and two laterality measures

Schizotypy is a multidimensional personality construct representing the extension of psychosis-like traits into the general population. Schizotypy has been associated with attenuated expressions of many of the same neuropsychological abnormalities as schizophrenia, including atypical pattern of functional hemispheric asymmetry. Unfortunately the previous literature on links between schizotypy and hemispheric asymmetry is inconsistent, with some research indicating that elevated schizotypy is associated with relative right over left hemisphere shifts, left over right hemisphere shifts, bilateral impairments, or with no hemispheric differences at all. This inconsistency may result from different methodologies, scales, and/or sex proportions between studies. In a within-participant design we tested for the four possible links between laterality and schizotypy by comparing the relationship between two common self-report measures of multidimensional schizotypy (the O-LIFE questionnaire, and two Chapman scales, magical ideation and physical anhedonia) and performance in two computerised lateralised hemifield paradigms (lexical decision, chimeric face processing) in 80 men and 79 women. Results for the two scales and two tasks did not unequivocally support any of the four possible links. We discuss the possibilities that a link between schizotypy and laterality (1) exists but is subtle, probably fluctuating, unable to be assessed by traditional methodologies used here; (2) does not exist, or (3) is indirect, mediated by other factors (e.g., stress-responsiveness, handedness, drug use) whose influences need further exploration.

Comparison of children with autism spectrum disorder with and without schizophrenia spectrum traits: gender, season of birth, and mental health risk factors

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) with and without co-occurring schizophrenia spectrum traits (SST) were examined for differences in co-occurring psychiatric symptoms, background characteristics, and mental health risk factors. Participating mothers and teachers completed a DSM-IV-referenced rating scale and a background questionnaire (mothers only) describing 147 children (6-12 years) with ASD. There was a clear pattern of group differences in co-occurring psychiatric symptom severity (+SST > SST-) and background characteristics. Children with impairing SST had more mental health risk factors. Girls were more likely to be classified SST according to mothers' ratings. Children born in spring-summer were more likely to be classified non-SST by teachers' ratings. Findings provide tentative evidence that SST may be a useful marker of behavioral heterogeneity within the ASD clinical phenotype.

Associations among metacognitive beliefs, anxiety and positive schizotypy during adolescence

The expression of early delusion and hallucination-like symptoms, known as positive schizotypy (PS), holds predictive power for later development of psychotic disorders. However, little is known about the psychological and emotional processes promoting the expression of PS during adolescent development. Our study's objective was to examine the nature of the relationships between adolescent PS and two dimensions previously identified to contribute to adult positive symptoms of psychosis, metacognitive beliefs and anxiety. Using a structural equation modeling design, data from self-report questionnaires measuring anxiety, metacognitive beliefs, and PS were collected from 179 adolescents aged 12 to 19 years. Our results indicate that although metacognitive beliefs significantly influence adolescent PS and anxiety, maladaptive contradictory metacognitive beliefs specifically potentiate positive schizotypal expression in hallucination-prone adolescents. Furthermore, we observe that PS and anxiety entertain reciprocal relationships. These findings suggest that relationships between metacognitive beliefs, anxiety, and PS can already be observed during adolescence.

Associations between cognitive biases and domains of schizotypy in a non-clinical sample

Schizotypy is a non-clinical manifestation of the same underlying biological factors that give rise to psychotic disorders (Claridge and Beech, 1995). Research on normative populations scoring high on schizotypy is valuable because it may help elucidate the predisposition to schizophrenia (Jahshan and Sergi, 2007) and because performance is not confounded by issues present in schizophrenia samples. In the current study, a Confirmatory Factor Analysis was conducted using several comprehensive measures of schizotypy. As expected and replicating prior research, a four-factor model of schizotypy emerged including a positive, a negative, a cognitive disorganization, and an impulsive nonconformity factor. We also evaluated how each factor related to distinct cognitive biases. In support of hypotheses, increased self-certainty, decreased theory of mind, and decreased source memory were associated with higher scores on the positive factor; decreased theory of mind was associated with higher scores on the negative factor; and increased self-certainty was associated with greater impulsive nonconformity. Unexpectedly, decreased self-certainty and increased theory of mind were associated with greater cognitive disorganization, and decreased source memory was associated with greater impulsive nonconformity. These findings offer new insights by highlighting cognitive biases that may be risk factors for psychosis.

Self-monitoring as a familial vulnerability marker for psychosis: an analysis of patients, unaffected siblings and healthy controls

BACKGROUND

Alterations in self-monitoring have been reported in patients with psychotic disorders, but it remains unclear to what degree they represent true indicators of familial vulnerability for psychosis.

METHOD

An error-correction action-monitoring task was used to examine self-monitoring in 42 patients with schizophrenia, 32 of their unaffected siblings and 41 healthy controls.

RESULTS

Significant between-group differences in self-monitoring accuracy were found (χ2=29.3, p<0.0001), patients performing worst and unaffected siblings performing at an intermediate level compared to controls (all between-group differences p<0.05). In the combined group of healthy controls and unaffected siblings, detection accuracy was associated with positive schizotypy as measured by the Structured Interview for Schizotypy - Revised (SIS-R) (β=-0.16, s.e.=0.07, p=0.026), but not with negative schizotypy (β=-0.05, s.e.=0.12, p=0.694). In patients, psychotic symptoms were not robustly associated with detection accuracy (β=-0.01, s.e.=0.01, p=0.094), although stratified analysis revealed suggestive evidence for association in patients not currently using antipsychotic medication (β=-0.03, s.e.=0.01, p=0.052), whereas no association was found in patients on antipsychotic medication (β=-0.01, s.e.=0.01, p=0.426). A similar pattern of associations was found for negative symptoms.

CONCLUSIONS

Alterations in self-monitoring may be associated with familial risk and expression of psychosis. The association between psychotic symptoms and self-monitoring in patients may be affected by antipsychotic medication, which may explain previous inconsistencies in the literature.

Schizotypy and emotional memory

BACKGROUND

Emotional dysfunction is a core feature of psychotic disorders. One expression of such dysfunction is a reduction of the emotion-induced enhancement of memory which is normally found in healthy individuals. Less severe disruption of emotional processing may also be present in individuals prone to 'unusual' psychosis-like experiences. In this study we investigate voluntary declarative (i.e. explicit or episodic) emotional memory performance, primarily in relation to positive schizotypy (as measured by the unusual experiences scale of the O-LIFE). The effect of negative schizotypy (introvertive anhedonia scale of the O-LIFE) was also explored. We hypothesized that schizotypal individuals (scoring highly on Unusual Experiences) would show reduced memory enhancement.

METHODS

One hundred and two healthy participants viewed a narrated slide-show containing neutral and negative emotional content. They rated the story on a number of affective dimensions and completed a variety of trait measures, including a multi-dimensional measure of schizotypy. Seven days later, a memory test was performed and frequency of involuntary memories related to the slide-show assessed.

RESULTS

The voluntary declarative emotional memory advantage in recall seen in low scorers (25%ile) on unusual experiences was absent in high scorers (75%ile), despite greater subjective fearfulness and emotionality in that group. However, the high scoring group did report experiencing more involuntary memories related to the story. There was no effect of negative schizotypy on declarative emotional memory.

CONCLUSIONS

The emotional memory difficulties seen in studies of schizophrenia may extend to those with a vulnerability to positive psychosis-like experiences. This vulnerability may be expressed in both voluntary declarative - as well as involuntary - emotional memory performance.

Affective dysregulation and reality distortion: a 10-year prospective study of their association and clinical relevance

Evidence from clinical patient populations indicates that affective dysregulation is strongly associated with reality distortion, suggesting that a process of misassignment of emotional salience may underlie this connection. To examine this in more detail without clinical confounds, affective regulation-reality distortion relationships, and their clinical relevance, were examined in a German prospective cohort community study. A cohort of 2524 adolescents and young adults aged 14-24 years at baseline was examined by experienced psychologists. Presence of psychotic experiences and (hypo)manic and depressive symptoms was assessed at 2 time points (3.5 and up to 10 years after baseline) using the Munich-Composite International Diagnostic Interview. Associations were tested between level of affective dysregulation on the one hand and incidence of psychotic experiences, persistence of these experiences, and psychotic Impairment on the other. Most psychotic experiences occurred in a context of affective dysregulation, and bidirectional dose-response was apparent with greater level of both affective dysregulation and psychotic experiences. Persistence of psychotic experiences was progressively more likely with greater level of (hypo)manic symptoms (odds ratio [OR] trend=1.51, P<.001) and depressive symptoms (OR trend=1.15, P=.012). Similarly, psychotic experiences of clinical relevance were progressively more likely to occur with greater level of affective dysregulation (depressive symptoms: OR trend=1.28, P=.002; (hypo)manic symptoms: OR trend=1.37, P=.036). Correlated genetic liabilities underlying affective and nonaffective psychotic syndromes may be expressed as correlated dimensions in the general population. Also, affective dysregulation may contribute causally to the persistence and clinical relevance of reality distortion, possibly by facilitating a mechanism of aberrant salience attribution.

Schizotypal traits and depressive symptoms in nonclinical adolescents

The main goal of this study was to examine the relationship between schizotypal personality traits and depressive symptoms in a sample of nonclinical adolescents. The Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire-Brief (J Personal Disord 1995;9:346-355) and the Reynolds Depression Adolescent Scale (Reynolds WM. Reynolds Adolescent Depression Scale. Professional Manual. Odessa: Psychological Assessment Resources, Inc; 1987) were administered. The sample was made up of 1384 adolescents (48.6% boys), with a mean (SD) age of 15.7 (1.0) years. The results of the study indicate a high degree of overlap between schizotypal experiences and depressive symptoms at a nonclinical level. Canonical correlation between the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire-Brief scales and the Reynolds Adolescent Depression Scale scales was 0.63, which represents 39.69% of the associated variance between the 2 sets of variables. Confirmatory factor analysis showed that the 4-dimensional model made up of the Positive, Interpersonal, Disorganized, and Depressive dimensions was that which best fit the data. Moreover, the dimensional structure underlying the schizotypal traits and depressive symptoms was found to be invariant across sex and age. These findings converge with data found in previous studies of both patients with schizophrenia and nonclinical adults and suggest that affective dysregulation is also present at a subclinical level. Future research should continue to make progress in the early detection of participants at risk of developing schizophrenia-spectrum disorders based on the early identification of these types of subclinical traits.

Neural correlates of reality monitoring during adolescence

BACKGROUND

Reality monitoring processes serve the critical function of discriminating between externally derived information and self-generated information. Several reality monitoring studies with healthy adult participants have identified the anterior prefrontal cortex (PFC) as consistently engaged during the recollection of self-generated contextual cues. Furthermore, reduced activity of medial PFC has been linked with schizotypal trait expression of delusion and hallucination-like symptoms in healthy adults undergoing fMRI reality-monitoring tasks. The present study seeks to examine the cerebral underpinnings of reality monitoring during adolescence, a developmental stage where the expression of schizotypal traits may increase risk for psychosis.

METHOD

A group of 33 adolescents, assessed using the Schizotypal Personality Scale (SPQ), underwent fMRI while performing a reality monitoring task. After an encoding session where the subject or the experimenter read out a series of complete or incomplete word pairs, subjects were presented with the first word of studied word pairs and asked whether the corresponding word had been: (1) perceived or produced (context monitoring), or (2) read by the subject or by the experimenter (origin monitoring).

RESULTS

Analyses revealed a common set of activated brain areas during both context and origin monitoring conditions. When compared to context monitoring, origin monitoring was associated with greater activation in anterior PFC within Brodmann area 10 (BA 10). Correlation analyses revealed that reduced signal change in BA 10 during origin monitoring was associated with greater schizotypal trait expression.

CONCLUSION

Much like adults performing a similar reality monitoring task, adolescents exhibit a common pattern of brain activity during origin and context monitoring, with functional specialization within the prefrontal cortex involving preferential activation of BA 10 during origin monitoring. Greater schizotypal trait expression appears to be significantly associated to reduced BA 10 activity during origin monitoring trials. Results are discussed in relation to cortical specialization within the PFC and trait expression during adolescence.

The metacognitive beliefs account of hallucinatory experiences: a literature review and meta-analysis

An influential model of hallucinations proposed by Morrison et al. (1995. Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy, 23(3), 265-280) assumes that dysfunctional metacognitive beliefs lead to the misattribution of intrusive thoughts to external sources, therefore generating hallucinatory experiences. Following a comprehensive review of the literature, a series of meta-analyses was carried out to summarize the empirical findings on the association between hallucination-proneness and different metacognitive beliefs. The results of this research synthesis found little support for the existence of specific associations between hallucinations and dysfunctional metacognitive beliefs. While metacognitive beliefs are robustly associated with hallucination-proneness in non-clinical studies, they were only moderately associated with hallucinations in clinical samples. Additional analyses revealed that, after controlling for the effect of comorbid symptoms, hallucination-proneness was only weakly associated with metacognitive beliefs, suggesting that the large associations observed in previous research might stem from the failure to consider the covariation between different symptoms. These findings have important implications in relation to the role of metacognitive factors in psychopathological symptoms, as well as for the implementation of metacognitive-focused cognitive behavioural techniques for the treatment of psychosis.

Adolescent resting state networks and their associations with schizotypal trait expression

The rising interest in temporally coherent brain networks during baseline adult cerebral activity finds convergent evidence for an identifiable set of resting state networks (RSNs). To date, little is know concerning the earlier developmental stages of functional connectivity in RSNs. This study's main objective is to characterize the RSNs in a sample of adolescents. We further examine our data from a developmental psychopathology perspective of psychosis-proneness, by testing the hypothesis that early schizotypal symptoms are linked to disconnection in RSNs. In this perspective, this study examines the expression of adolescent schizotypal traits and their potential associations to dysfunctional RSNs. Thirty-nine adolescents aged between 12 and 20 years old underwent an 8-min functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) “resting state” session. In order to explore schizotypal trait manifestations, the entire population was assessed by the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire (SPQ). After conventional processing of the fMRI data, we applied group-level independent component analysis (ICA). Twenty ICA maps and associated time courses were obtained, among which there were RSNs that are consistent with findings in the literature. We applied a regression analysis at group level between the energy of RSN-associated time courses in different temporal frequency bins and the clinical measures (3 in total). Our results highlight the engagement of six relevant RSNs; (1) a default-mode network (DMN); (2) a dorso-lateral attention network; (3) a visual network (VN); (4) an auditory network (AN); (5) a sensory motor network (SMN); (6) a self-referential network (SRN). The regression analysis reveals a statistically significant correlation between the clinical measures and some of the RSNs, specifically the visual and the AN. In particular, a positive correlation is obtained for the VN in the low frequency range (0.05 Hz) with SPQ measures, while the AN correlates negatively in the high frequency range (0.16–0.19 Hz). Trend-like significance for the SRN may hint to its implication in disorganized thoughts and behaviors during adolescence. Unlike DMN activity in schizophrenic patients, adolescent DMN was unrelated to schizotypal trait expression. This suggests that relationships between the DMN and schizotypy may be modified in later developmental stages of both functional connectivity and psychotic expression. These results are discussed in light of RSNs literature involving children, adults, and individuals with schizophrenia.