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Chirica MG, Zhu Y, Mu W, Zhou H, Gong J, Chan RCK, Kwapil TR, Berenbaum H. Exploring phenotypic overlap across schizotypy and autism spectrum conditions in American and Chinese young adults. Schizophr Res 2024; 267:359-366. [PMID: 38626663 DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2024.03.050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2023] [Revised: 03/25/2024] [Accepted: 03/31/2024] [Indexed: 04/18/2024]
Abstract
Competing theories have been proposed to explain the considerable overlap in social-cognitive features and risk factors across schizotypy and autism spectrum conditions (ASCs). Six previous factor analyses have been reported in the literature, yet all have major limitations; evidence for the clear superiority of any of the competing theories is insufficient and warrants further investigation. The primary aim of the present research was to identify dimensions that cut across schizotypy and ASCs while addressing limitations of past research. Data were collected from three independent samples (n = 1006, 544, and 2469) in the U.S. and China using the Autism-Spectrum Quotient, the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire, and the Wisconsin Schizotypy Scales. Exploratory factor analyses in Sample 1 identified an interpretable three-factor structure, which was replicated in Samples 2 and 3 using confirmatory factor analyses. We found consistent evidence for three dimensions (Aberrant Salience, Asociality, and Concrete Thinking) underlying schizotypy and ASCs. This three-dimension model is consistent with a common vulnerability model of schizotypy and ASCs. Implications of these findings for the schizotypy and ASCs literature are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marianne G Chirica
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University Bloomington, Bloomington, IN, United States of America
| | - Yiqin Zhu
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, United States of America
| | - Wenting Mu
- Department of Psychology, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.
| | - Hanyu Zhou
- School of Psychology and Cognitive Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Jingbo Gong
- Shanghai Changning Mental Health Center, Shanghai, China
| | - Raymond C K Chan
- Neuropsychology and Applied Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China; Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Thomas R Kwapil
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, Champaign, IL, United States of America
| | - Howard Berenbaum
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, Champaign, IL, United States of America
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Tarasi L, Martelli ME, Bortoletto M, di Pellegrino G, Romei V. Neural Signatures of Predictive Strategies Track Individuals Along the Autism-Schizophrenia Continuum. Schizophr Bull 2023; 49:1294-1304. [PMID: 37449308 PMCID: PMC10483460 DOI: 10.1093/schbul/sbad105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/18/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND HYPOTHESIS Humans develop a constellation of different representations of the external environment, even in the face of the same sensory exposure. According to the Bayesian framework, these differentiations could be grounded in a different weight assigned to prior knowledge vs. new external inputs in predictive inference. Since recent advances in computational psychiatry suggest that autism (ASD) and schizophrenia (SSD) lie on the two diametric poles of the same predictive continuum, the adoption of a specific inferential style could be routed by dispositional factors related to autistic and schizotypal traits. However, no studies have directly investigated the role of ASD-SSD dimension in shaping the neuro-behavioral markers underlying perceptual inference. STUDY DESIGN We used a probabilistic detection task while simultaneously recording EEG to investigate whether neurobehavioral signatures related to prior processing were diametrically shaped by ASD and SSD traits in the general population (n = 80). RESULTS We found that the position along the ASD-SSD continuum directed the predictive strategies adopted by the individuals in decision-making. While proximity to the positive schizotypy pole was associated with the adoption of the predictive approach associated to the hyper-weighting of prior knowledge, proximity to ASD pole was related to strategies that favored sensory evidence in decision-making. CONCLUSIONS These findings revealed that the weight assigned to prior knowledge is a marker of the ASD-SSD continuum, potentially useful for identifying individuals at-risk of developing mental disorders and for understanding the mechanisms contributing to the onset of symptoms observed in ASD and SSD clinical forms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luca Tarasi
- Dipartimento di Psicologia, Alma Mater Studiorum – Università di Bologna, Centro Studi e Ricerche in Neuroscienze Cognitive, Campus di Cesena, via Rasi e Spinelli, 176, 47521 Cesena, Italy
| | - Maria Eugenia Martelli
- Dipartimento di Psicologia, Alma Mater Studiorum – Università di Bologna, Centro Studi e Ricerche in Neuroscienze Cognitive, Campus di Cesena, via Rasi e Spinelli, 176, 47521 Cesena, Italy
| | - Marta Bortoletto
- Laboratorio di Neurofisiologia, IRCCS Istituto Centro San Giovanni di Dio Fatebenefratelli, via pilastroni, 4, 25125 Brescia, Italy
| | - Giuseppe di Pellegrino
- Dipartimento di Psicologia, Alma Mater Studiorum – Università di Bologna, Centro Studi e Ricerche in Neuroscienze Cognitive, Campus di Cesena, via Rasi e Spinelli, 176, 47521 Cesena, Italy
| | - Vincenzo Romei
- Dipartimento di Psicologia, Alma Mater Studiorum – Università di Bologna, Centro Studi e Ricerche in Neuroscienze Cognitive, Campus di Cesena, via Rasi e Spinelli, 176, 47521 Cesena, Italy
- Facultad de Lenguas y Educación, Universidad Antonio de Nebrija, Madrid, 28015, Spain
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Demler VF, Sterner EF, Wilson M, Zimmer C, Knolle F. Association between increased anterior cingulate glutamate and psychotic-like experiences, but not autistic traits in healthy volunteers. Sci Rep 2023; 13:12792. [PMID: 37550354 PMCID: PMC10406950 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-39881-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2023] [Accepted: 08/01/2023] [Indexed: 08/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Despite many differences, autism spectrum disorder and schizophrenia spectrum disorder share environmental risk factors, genetic predispositions as well as neuronal abnormalities, and show similar cognitive deficits in working memory, perspective taking, or response inhibition. These shared abnormalities are already present in subclinical traits of these disorders. The literature proposes that changes in the inhibitory GABAergic and the excitatory glutamatergic system could explain underlying neuronal commonalities and differences. Using magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS), we investigated the associations between glutamate concentrations in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), the left/right putamen, and left/right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and psychotic-like experiences (Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire) and autistic traits (Autism Spectrum Quotient) in 53 healthy individuals (26 women). To investigate the contributions of glutamate concentrations in different cortical regions to symptom expression and their interactions, we used linear regression analyses. We found that only glutamate concentration in the ACC predicted psychotic-like experiences, but not autistic traits. Supporting this finding, a binomial logistic regression predicting median-split high and low risk groups for psychotic-like experiences revealed ACC glutamate levels as a significant predictor for group membership. Taken together, this study provides evidence that glutamate levels in the ACC are specifically linked to the expression of psychotic-like experiences, and may be a potential candidate in identifying early risk individuals prone to developing psychotic-like experiences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Verena F Demler
- Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Neuroradiology, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technical University of Munich, Ismaninger Straße 22, 81675, Munich, Germany
| | - Elisabeth F Sterner
- Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Neuroradiology, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technical University of Munich, Ismaninger Straße 22, 81675, Munich, Germany
| | - Martin Wilson
- Centre for Human Brain Health and School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Claus Zimmer
- Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Neuroradiology, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technical University of Munich, Ismaninger Straße 22, 81675, Munich, Germany
| | - Franziska Knolle
- Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Neuroradiology, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technical University of Munich, Ismaninger Straße 22, 81675, Munich, Germany.
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
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Tarasi L, Borgomaneri S, Romei V. Antivax attitude in the general population along the autism-schizophrenia continuum and the impact of socio-demographic factors. Front Psychol 2023; 14:1059676. [PMID: 37151316 PMCID: PMC10161933 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1059676] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2022] [Accepted: 01/27/2023] [Indexed: 05/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction One of the most important inventions in human history is vaccines. However, to date a consistent amount of people exhibit a hesitant approach toward them and mixed results have emerged in the attempt to characterize which factors may play a role in predicting such negative attitude. Here, we aimed at investigating how the individual scoring along the autism-schizophrenic continuum component and socio-cultural factors contribute toward vaccination attitudes in the general population. Methods To test whether individual position along the autism-schizophrenic continuum could predict vaccine attitude, we used principal component analysis (PCA) to extract the component showing diametric loading between the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire (SPQ) and Autistic Quotient (AQ) subscales. Then, we performed a series of multiple linear regression analyses to understand the relation between the ASD-SSD continuum component and Vax scores. We also included socio-demographic factors (i.e., gender, education level, and age) as predictors. Results Multiple regression analysis revealed that the closer the individual lied on the positive schizotypal pole, the higher was their negative attitude toward vaccines. A diametric, more favorable disposition was found for individuals closer to the autistic end of the continuum. Furthermore, we reported that among the socio-cultural factors, only age can be considered a significant predictor of vaccination attitudes, with younger participants showing a more positive attitudes toward vaccination, while the level of education is an important protective factor in mitigating the negative impact that the proximity to the SSD pole and age play against vaccination disposition. Discussion These findings are relevant to improve targeted public health interventions, highlighting the crucial role of demographic, psychological, and social correlates in predicting anti-vax beliefs, which have the devasting potential to increase the spread of infectious disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luca Tarasi
- Dipartimento di Psicologia, Università di Bologna and Centro studi e ricerche in Neuroscienze Cognitive, Università di Bologna, Cesena, Italy
| | - Sara Borgomaneri
- Dipartimento di Psicologia, Università di Bologna and Centro studi e ricerche in Neuroscienze Cognitive, Università di Bologna, Cesena, Italy
- IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome, Italy
| | - Vincenzo Romei
- Dipartimento di Psicologia, Università di Bologna and Centro studi e ricerche in Neuroscienze Cognitive, Università di Bologna, Cesena, Italy
- IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome, Italy
- *Correspondence: Vincenzo Romei,
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Salminen I, Read S, Crespi B. Do the diverse phenotypes of Prader-Willi syndrome reflect extremes of covariation in typical populations? Front Genet 2022; 13:1041943. [PMID: 36506301 PMCID: PMC9731222 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2022.1041943] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2022] [Accepted: 11/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The phenotypes of human imprinted neurogenetic disorders can be hypothesized as extreme alterations of typical human phenotypes. The imprinted neurogenetic disorder Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) features covarying phenotypes that centrally involve altered social behaviors, attachment, mood, circadian rhythms, and eating habits, that can be traced to altered functioning of the hypothalamus. Here, we conducted analyses to investigate the extent to which the behavioral variation shown in typical human populations for a set of PWAS-associated traits including autism spectrum cognition, schizotypal cognition, mood, eating, and sleeping phenotypes shows covariability that recapitulates the covariation observed in individuals with PWS. To this end, we collected data from 296 typical individuals for this set of phenotypes, and showed, using principal components analysis, evidence of a major axis reflecting key covarying PWS traits. We also reviewed the literature regarding neurogenetic syndromes that overlap in their affected traits with PWS, to determine their prevalence and properties. These findings demonstrate that a notable suite of syndromes shows phenotypic overlap with PWS, implicating a large set of imprinted and non-imprinted genes, some of which interact, in the phenotypes of this disorder. Considered together, these findings link variation in and among neurogenetic disorders with variation in typical populations, especially with regard to pleiotropic effects mediated by the hypothalamus. This work also implicates effects of imprinted gene variation on cognition and behavior in typical human populations.
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Andersen BP. Autistic-Like Traits and Positive Schizotypy as Diametric Specializations of the Predictive Mind. PERSPECTIVES ON PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE 2022; 17:1653-1672. [PMID: 35816687 DOI: 10.1177/17456916221075252] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
Abstract
According to the predictive-processing framework, only prediction errors (rather than all sensory inputs) are processed by an organism's perceptual system. Prediction errors can be weighted such that errors from more reliable sources will be more influential in updating prior beliefs. It has previously been argued that autism-spectrum conditions can be understood as resulting from a predictive-processing mechanism in which an inflexibly high weight is given to sensory-prediction errors that results in overfitting their predictive models to the world. Deficits in executive functioning, theory of mind, and central coherence are all argued to flow naturally from this core underlying mechanism. The diametric model of autism and psychosis suggests a simple extension of this hypothesis. If people on the autism spectrum give an inflexibly high weight to sensory input, could it be that people with a predisposition to psychosis (i.e., people high in positive schizotypy) give an inflexibly low weight to sensory input? In this article I argue that evidence strongly supports this hypothesis. An inflexibly low weight given to sensory input can explain such disparate features of positive schizotypy as increased exploratory behavior, apophenia, hyper theory of mind, hyperactive imagination, attentional differences, and having idiosyncratic worldviews.
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Klang A, Westerberg B, Humble MB, Bejerot S. The impact of schizotypy on quality of life among adults with autism spectrum disorder. BMC Psychiatry 2022; 22:205. [PMID: 35305592 PMCID: PMC8934003 DOI: 10.1186/s12888-022-03841-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2021] [Accepted: 03/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Autism 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. METHODS Participants 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). RESULTS Schizotypy 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. CONCLUSIONS There 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 REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT03570372 : Internet-based Treatment for Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder (MILAS).
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Affiliation(s)
- Albin Klang
- grid.15895.300000 0001 0738 8966School of Medical Sciences, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden
| | - Britta Westerberg
- grid.15895.300000 0001 0738 8966School of Medical Sciences, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden ,grid.15895.300000 0001 0738 8966University Health Care Research Centre, Region Örebro County, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Örebro University, P.O. Box 1613, University Hospital, S-701, Örebro, Sweden
| | - Mats B. Humble
- grid.15895.300000 0001 0738 8966School of Medical Sciences, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden
| | - Susanne Bejerot
- School of Medical Sciences, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden. .,University Health Care Research Centre, Region Örebro County, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Örebro University, P.O. Box 1613, University Hospital, S-701, Örebro, Sweden.
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Trofimova IN, Gaykalova AA. Emotionality vs. Other Biobehavioural Traits: A Look at Neurochemical Biomarkers for Their Differentiation. Front Psychol 2021; 12:781631. [PMID: 34987450 PMCID: PMC8720768 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.781631] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2021] [Accepted: 12/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
This review highlights the differential contributions of multiple neurochemical systems to temperament traits related and those that are unrelated to emotionality, even though these systems have a significant overlap. The difference in neurochemical biomarkers of these traits is analysed from the perspective of the neurochemical model, Functional Ensemble of Temperament (FET) that uses multi-marker and constructivism principles. Special attention is given to a differential contribution of hypothalamic-pituitary hormones and opioid neuropeptides implicated in both emotional and non-emotional regulation. The review highlights the role of the mu-opioid receptor system in dispositional emotional valence and the role of the kappa-opioid system in dispositional perceptual and behavioural alertness. These opioid receptor (OR) systems, microbiota and cytokines are produced in three neuroanatomically distinct complexes in the brain and the body, which all together integrate dispositional emotionality. In contrast, hormones could be seen as neurochemical biomarkers of non-emotional aspects of behavioural regulation related to the construction of behaviour in fast-changing and current situations. As examples of the role of hormones, the review summarised their contribution to temperament traits of Sensation Seeking (SS) and Empathy (EMP), which FET considers as non-emotionality traits related to behavioural orientation. SS is presented here as based on (higher) testosterone (fluctuating), adrenaline and (low) cortisol systems, and EMP, as based on (higher) oxytocin, reciprocally coupled with vasopressin and (lower) testosterone. Due to the involvement of gonadal hormones, there are sex and age differences in these traits that could be explained by evolutionary theory. There are, therefore, specific neurochemical biomarkers differentiating (OR-based) dispositional emotionality and (hormones-based) body's regulation in fast-changing events. Here we propose to consider dispositional emotionality associated with OR systems as emotionality in a true sense, whereas to consider hormonal ensembles regulating SS and EMP as systems of behavioural orientation and not emotionality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irina N. Trofimova
- Laboratory of Collective Intelligence, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
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Tarasi L, Trajkovic J, Diciotti S, di Pellegrino G, Ferri F, Ursino M, Romei V. Predictive waves in the autism-schizophrenia continuum: A novel biobehavioral model. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2021; 132:1-22. [PMID: 34774901 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.11.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2021] [Revised: 10/29/2021] [Accepted: 11/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
The brain is a predictive machine. Converging data suggests a diametric predictive strategy from autism spectrum disorders (ASD) to schizophrenic spectrum disorders (SSD). Whereas perceptual inference in ASD is rigidly shaped by incoming sensory information, the SSD population is prone to overestimate the precision of their priors' models. Growing evidence considers brain oscillations pivotal biomarkers to understand how top-down predictions integrate bottom-up input. Starting from the conceptualization of ASD and SSD as oscillopathies, we introduce an integrated perspective that ascribes the maladjustments of the predictive mechanism to dysregulation of neural synchronization. According to this proposal, disturbances in the oscillatory profile do not allow the appropriate trade-off between descending predictive signal, overweighted in SSD, and ascending prediction errors, overweighted in ASD. These opposing imbalances both result in an ill-adapted reaction to external challenges. This approach offers a neuro-computational model capable of linking predictive coding theories with electrophysiological findings, aiming to increase knowledge on the neuronal foundations of the two spectra features and stimulate hypothesis-driven rehabilitation/research perspectives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luca Tarasi
- Centro Studi e Ricerche in Neuroscienze Cognitive, Dipartimento di Psicologia, Alma Mater Studiorum - Università di Bologna, Campus di Cesena, 47521 Cesena, Italy.
| | - Jelena Trajkovic
- Centro Studi e Ricerche in Neuroscienze Cognitive, Dipartimento di Psicologia, Alma Mater Studiorum - Università di Bologna, Campus di Cesena, 47521 Cesena, Italy
| | - Stefano Diciotti
- Department of Electrical, Electronic, and Information Engineering "Guglielmo Marconi", University of Bologna, Cesena, Italy; Alma Mater Research Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Giuseppe di Pellegrino
- Centro Studi e Ricerche in Neuroscienze Cognitive, Dipartimento di Psicologia, Alma Mater Studiorum - Università di Bologna, Campus di Cesena, 47521 Cesena, Italy
| | - Francesca Ferri
- Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Sciences, "G. d'Annunzio" University of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy
| | - Mauro Ursino
- Department of Electrical, Electronic, and Information Engineering "Guglielmo Marconi", University of Bologna, Cesena, Italy
| | - Vincenzo Romei
- Centro Studi e Ricerche in Neuroscienze Cognitive, Dipartimento di Psicologia, Alma Mater Studiorum - Università di Bologna, Campus di Cesena, 47521 Cesena, Italy; IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, 00179 Rome, Italy.
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Georgiou N, Delfabbro P, Balzan R. Autistic traits as a potential confounding factor in the relationship between schizotypy and conspiracy beliefs. Cogn Neuropsychiatry 2021; 26:273-292. [PMID: 33970807 DOI: 10.1080/13546805.2021.1924650] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Conspiracy Theories (CT) are complex belief systems that view the world as being manipulated by multiple actors collaborating in the pursuit of malevolent goals. Although culture, education and sociological factors have been implicated in their development, psychological factors are recognized as important. Certain individual differences, including schizotypy and cognitive processing style, have been shown to make some individuals susceptible to CTs. However, the finding that schizotypy often co-occurs with autism spectrum disorder raises a question as to the relative and potentially confounding role of autistic traits in increasing vulnerability to CT beliefs. METHOD A total of 508 adults were recruited from an international online panel. The study included measures of conspiracy beliefs, schizotypy and autistic traits as well as measures of information searching and cognitive style. RESULTS The results confirmed that both autistic and schizotypy traits were positively associated with CT beliefs, but that schizotypy traits were the strongest predictor. Exploratory analyses of cognitive style measures indicated potential avenues for further investigation in relation in differences in cognitive processes that might underlie the development of CTs for in people with autistic traits as opposed to schizotypal traits. LIMITATIONS The study was based on a self-report methodology and did not utilise a clinical sample. CONCLUSION Both schizotypal and autistic traits are reliable predictors of conspiracy beliefs, but schizotypy appears to be the stronger predictor and that autistic traits are not a strong confounding factor in this relationship. However, autistic traits may pose an additional risk factor for CT beliefs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neophytos Georgiou
- Faculty of Health and Medical Science, School of Psychology, University of Adelaide
| | - Paul Delfabbro
- Faculty of Health and Medical Science, School of Psychology, University of Adelaide
| | - Ryan Balzan
- College of Education, Psychology and Social Work, Flinders University
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SHANK3 Genotype Mediates Speech and Language Phenotypes in a Nonclinical Population. AUTISM RESEARCH AND TREATMENT 2021; 2021:6634584. [PMID: 34188957 PMCID: PMC8195663 DOI: 10.1155/2021/6634584] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2020] [Revised: 04/13/2021] [Accepted: 05/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Mutations affecting the synaptic-scaffold gene SHANK3 represent the most common genetic causes of autism with intellectual disability, accounting for about 1-2% of cases. Rare variants of this gene have also been associated with schizophrenia, and its deletion results in the autistic condition known as Phelan–McDermid syndrome. Despite the importance of SHANK3 as a paradigmatic gene mediating neurodevelopmental disorders, its psychological effects in nonclinical populations have yet to be studied. We genotyped the nonsynonymous, functional SHANK3 SNP rs9616915 in a large population of typical individuals scored for autism spectrum traits (the Autism Quotient, AQ) and schizotypy spectrum traits (the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire, SPQ-BR). Males, but not females, showed significant genotypic effects for the SPQ-BR subscale associated with speech and language: Odd Speech. These findings, in conjunction with animal model studies showing vocalization and auditory effects of SHANK3 mutations, and studies indicating severe language alterations and speech-associated white matter tract abnormalities in Phelan–McDermid syndrome, suggest that SHANK3 differentially affects the development and expression of human language and speech. Imaging genetic and speech-language studies of typical individuals carrying different genotypes of rs9616915 should provide novel insights into the neurological and psychological bases of speech and language alterations among individuals with SHANK3 mutations and Phelan–McDermid syndrome.
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Sampson KN, Upthegrove R, Abu-Akel A, Haque S, Wood SJ, Reniers R. Co-occurrence of autistic and psychotic traits: implications for depression, self-harm and suicidality. Psychol Med 2021; 51:1364-1372. [PMID: 32081111 DOI: 10.1017/s0033291720000124] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND There is increasing interest in the clinical and aetiological overlap between autism spectrum disorders and schizophrenia spectrum disorders, reported to co-occur at both diagnostic and trait levels. Individually, sub-clinical autistic and psychotic traits are associated with poor clinical outcomes, including increased depressive symptomatology, self-harming behaviour and suicidality. However, the implications when both traits co-occur remain poorly understood. The study aimed to (1) examine the relationship between autistic and psychotic traits and (2) determine if their co-occurrence increases depressive symptomatology, self-harm and suicidality. METHODS Cross-sectional data from a self-selecting (online and poster advertising) sample of the adult UK population (n = 653) were collected using an online survey. Validated self-report measures were used to assess sub-clinical autistic and psychotic traits, depressive symptomatology, self-harming behaviour and suicidality. Correlation and regression analyses were performed. RESULTS A positive correlation between sub-clinical autistic and positive psychotic traits was confirmed (rs = 0.509, p < 0.001). Overall, autistic traits and psychotic traits were, independently, significant predictors of depression, self-harm and suicidality. Intriguingly, however, depression was associated with a negative interaction between the autistic domain attention to detail and psychotic traits. CONCLUSIONS This study supports previous findings that sub-clinical autistic and psychotic traits are largely independently associated with depression, self-harm and suicidality, and is novel in finding that their combined presence has no additional effect on depression, self-harm or suicidality. These findings highlight the importance of considering both autistic and psychotic traits and their symptom domains in research and when developing population-based depression prevention and intervention strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katie N Sampson
- College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Rachel Upthegrove
- Institute of Clinical Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
- Institute for Mental Health, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
- School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Ahmad Abu-Akel
- Institute of Psychology, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Sayeed Haque
- Institute of Clinical Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Stephen J Wood
- School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
- Orygen, the National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health, Melbourne, Australia
- Centre for Youth Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia
| | - Renate Reniers
- Institute of Clinical Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
- Institute for Mental Health, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
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14
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Nenadić I, Meller T, Evermann U, Schmitt S, Pfarr JK, Abu-Akel A, Grezellschak S. Subclinical schizotypal vs. autistic traits show overlapping and diametrically opposed facets in a non-clinical population. Schizophr Res 2021; 231:32-41. [PMID: 33744683 DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2021.02.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2020] [Revised: 02/03/2021] [Accepted: 02/27/2021] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The overlap of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and psychosis or schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSD) has exposed problems central to conceptualising and understanding co-morbidity in psychiatric disorders. METHODS In the present study, we demonstrate that a deep phenotyping approach aids clarification of both overlapping and diametrically opposed features of ASD and SSD on the level of trait facets. RESULTS We first show overlap of negative and disorganised (but not positive) features of schizotypy with autistic traits in a sample of n = 376 German non-clinical subjects using multiple psychometric measures of schizotypy (MSS multidimensional schizotypy scale, OLIFE Oxford-Liverpool Inventory of Feelings and Experiences, and SPQ-B schizotypal personality questionnaire - brief) and the AQ autism spectrum quotient, with control measures for affective spectrum pathology (BDI). Findings were then replicated in a French-Swiss sample (n = 264) using MSS, OLIFE, AQ, and in addition the Community Assessment of Psychic Experiences (CAPE). Additional principal component analysis confirmed our finding of the co-existence of both overlapping (loss of function, social communication deficit, and negative schizotypy) as well as diametrically opposed features (AQ attention to detail, positive schizotypy) across the two spectra. Results were validated with Horn's parallel analyses, affirming two component solutions, and PCA using sample-specific, factor-analysis-derived schizotypy scores. CONCLUSIONS Providing a framework for multi-dimensional transdiagnostic characterisation of ASD vs. SSD phenotypes we point out overlapping vs. discriminating facets. In addition to the use of novel multidimensional schizotypy scales, it also shows transcultural consistency of findings, and highlights a particular role for the attention to detail AQ subscale.
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Affiliation(s)
- Igor Nenadić
- Cognitive Neuropsychiatry Lab, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Philipps Universität Marburg, Marburg, Germany; Center for Mind, Brain, and Behavior (CMBB), University of Marburg and Justus Liebig University Giessen, Germany; Marburg University Hospital - UKGM, Marburg, Germany.
| | - Tina Meller
- Cognitive Neuropsychiatry Lab, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Philipps Universität Marburg, Marburg, Germany; Center for Mind, Brain, and Behavior (CMBB), University of Marburg and Justus Liebig University Giessen, Germany
| | - Ulrika Evermann
- Cognitive Neuropsychiatry Lab, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Philipps Universität Marburg, Marburg, Germany; Center for Mind, Brain, and Behavior (CMBB), University of Marburg and Justus Liebig University Giessen, Germany
| | - Simon Schmitt
- Cognitive Neuropsychiatry Lab, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Philipps Universität Marburg, Marburg, Germany; Center for Mind, Brain, and Behavior (CMBB), University of Marburg and Justus Liebig University Giessen, Germany
| | - Julia-Katharina Pfarr
- Cognitive Neuropsychiatry Lab, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Philipps Universität Marburg, Marburg, Germany; Center for Mind, Brain, and Behavior (CMBB), University of Marburg and Justus Liebig University Giessen, Germany
| | - Ahmad Abu-Akel
- Institute of Psychology, University of Lausanne, Quartier UNIL-Mouline, Géopolis, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Sarah Grezellschak
- Cognitive Neuropsychiatry Lab, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Philipps Universität Marburg, Marburg, Germany; Center for Mind, Brain, and Behavior (CMBB), University of Marburg and Justus Liebig University Giessen, Germany; Marburg University Hospital - UKGM, Marburg, Germany
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15
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Nahal P, Hurd PL, Read S, Crespi B. Cognitive Empathy as Imagination: Evidence From Reading the Mind in the Eyes in Autism and Schizotypy. Front Psychiatry 2021; 12:665721. [PMID: 33868063 PMCID: PMC8047060 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2021.665721] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2021] [Accepted: 03/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
How is cognitive empathy related to sociality, imagination, and other psychological constructs? How is it altered in disorders of human social cognition? We leveraged a large data set (1,168 students, 62% female) on the Reading the Mind in the Eyes test (RMET), the Autism Quotient (AQ), and the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire (SPQ-BR) to test the hypotheses that the RMET, as a metric of cognitive empathy, reflects mainly social abilities, imagination, or both. RMET showed the expected female bias in performance, though only for eyes that expressed emotions and not for neutral expressions. RMET performance was significantly, and more strongly, associated with the AQ and SPQ subscales that reflect aspects of imagination (AQ-Imagination and SPQ-Magical Ideation) than aspects of social abilities (AQ-Social, AQ-Communication, and SPQ-Interpersonal subscales). These results were confirmed with multiple regression analysis, which also implicated increased attention (AQ-Attention Switching and, marginally non-significantly, AQ-Attention to Detail) in RMET performance. The two imagination-related correlates of RMET performance also show the strongest sex biases for the AQ and SPQ: male biased in AQ-Imagination, and female biased in SPQ-Magical Ideation, with small to medium effect sizes. Taken together, these findings suggest that cognitive empathy, as quantified by the RMET, centrally involves imagination, which is underdeveloped (with a male bias) on the autism spectrum and overdeveloped (with a female bias) on the schizotypy spectrum, with optimal emotion-recognition performance intermediate between the two. The results, in conjunction with previous studies, implicate a combination of optimal imagination and focused attention in enhanced RMET performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Priya Nahal
- Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada
| | - Peter L Hurd
- Centre for Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Silven Read
- Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada
| | - Bernard Crespi
- Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada
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16
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Larson FV, Wagner AP, Chisholm K, Reniers RLEP, Wood SJ. Adding a Dimension to the Dichotomy: Affective Processes Are Implicated in the Relationship Between Autistic and Schizotypal Traits. Front Psychiatry 2020; 11:712. [PMID: 32793003 PMCID: PMC7393992 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2020.00712] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2020] [Accepted: 07/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION There is a recognized increase in vulnerability to psychosis in autistic people (AP). However, the construct of psychosis (particularly schizophrenia) contains several distinct factors, making understanding the relationship between autism and psychosis complex. Previous research has suggested that affective lability may be particularly related to psychotic experiences for AP who have experienced psychosis (AP-P). There is also a suggestion that psychosis might be a state of extreme (over)empathizing, perhaps related to emotional processes. METHOD We recruited three groups: AP-P (N = 23), a group of AP who had not experienced psychosis (AP-NP; N = 59) and a neurotypical control group (NC, N = 41). Participants completed measures of autistic traits, schizotypal traits (as a proxy for psychosis-proneness), emotional processes, and perspective taking (as a proxy for the type of empathizing most theoretically likely to be linked to psychosis). As well as comparisons between groups, regression analyses were used to understand the influence of dependent variables on schizotypal traits. RESULTS We found that AP-P had significantly higher rates of schizotypy (positive and disorganized), as well as higher rates of emotional difficulties. Across all groups, affective lability had a positive and significant association with positive and disorganized schizotypal traits. Differences in perspective taking between groups were small and generally non-significant, particularly in adjusted comparisons; additionally, its impact on schizotypy was small and non-significant. DISCUSSION Our findings suggest that positive and disorganized schizotypy, in particular, have a relationship with affective lability. This, in turn, supports the idea of emotional processes as related to the development of schizotypal traits and psychosis across all individuals, regardless of autism diagnostic status. We found no evidence of empathy relating to any subscale of schizotypy, or the total schizotypy score. We contend that emotional processes should be considered in exploration of the relationship between autism and schizotypy in future. This may help to explain some of the findings of overlap between these constructs in previous research. Factors known to affect neurodevelopment of emotion systems such as history of early trauma, challenges during pregnancy and birth, and early childhood experiences of adversity during critical windows of development need further consideration in future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Felicity V. Larson
- Department of Paediatric Psychology, Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust, Leicester, United Kingdom
| | - Adam P. Wagner
- Norwich Medical School, University of East Anglia, Norwich, United Kingdom
- National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Applied Research Collaboration East of England (EoE), Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Katharine Chisholm
- Department of Psychology, Aston University, Birmingham, United Kingdom
- Institute for Mental Health, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Renate L. E. P. Reniers
- Institute for Mental Health, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
- Institute of Clinical Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Stephen J. Wood
- Institute for Mental Health, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
- Orygen, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- The Centre for Youth Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
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17
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Kondo HM, Lin IF. Excitation-inhibition balance and auditory multistable perception are correlated with autistic traits and schizotypy in a non-clinical population. Sci Rep 2020; 10:8171. [PMID: 32424307 PMCID: PMC7234986 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-65126-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2019] [Accepted: 04/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Individuals with autism spectrum disorder and individuals with schizophrenia have impaired social and communication skills. They also have altered auditory perception. This study investigated autistic traits and schizotypy in a non-clinical population as well as the excitation-inhibition (EI) balance in different brain regions and their auditory multistable perception. Thirty-four healthy participants were assessed by the Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ) and Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire (SPQ). The EI balance was evaluated by measuring the resting-state concentrations of glutamate-glutamine (Glx) and ϒ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in vivo by using magnetic resonance spectroscopy. To observe the correlation between their traits and perception, we conducted an auditory streaming task and a verbal transformation task, in which participants reported spontaneous perceptual switching while listening to a sound sequence. Their AQ and SPQ scores were positively correlated with the Glx/GABA ratio in the auditory cortex but not in the frontal areas. These scores were negatively correlated with the number of perceptual switches in the verbal transformation task but not in the auditory streaming task. Our results suggest that the EI balance in the auditory cortex and the perceptual formation of speech are involved in autistic traits and schizotypy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hirohito M Kondo
- School of Psychology, Chukyo University, Nagoya, Aichi, 466-8666, Japan. .,Human Information Science Laboratory, NTT Communication Science Laboratories, NTT Corporation, Atsugi, Kanagawa, 243-0198, Japan.
| | - I-Fan Lin
- Department of Occupational Medicine, Shuang Ho Hospital, New Taipei City, 235, Taiwan.,Department of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, 110, Taiwan
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18
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Sijtsma H, Lee NC, Hollarek M, Walsh RJ, van Buuren M, Braams BR, Krabbendam L. Social Cognition and Friendships in Adolescents With Autistic-Like Experiences and Psychotic-Like Experiences. Front Psychiatry 2020; 11:589824. [PMID: 33519546 PMCID: PMC7843702 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2020.589824] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2020] [Accepted: 12/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Autism spectrum conditions (ASC) and schizophrenia spectrum conditions (SSC) are both characterized by changes in social-cognitive functioning. Less is known about the overlap and the differences in social-cognitive functioning when comparing individuals with subclinical levels of ASC and SSC, while studies in non-clinical samples have the benefit of avoiding confounds that are present in clinical groups. Therefore, we first examined how autistic-like experiences, positive psychotic-like experiences and the co-occurrence of both correlated with the performance on an extensive battery of social cognition tasks in young adolescents. Second, we examined the effect of autistic-like experiences, psychotic-like experiences and their co-occurrence on friendships in daily life. A total of 305 adolescents (Mage = 12.6, sd = 0.4, 147 boys) participated in the current study. A battery of social cognition tasks, comprising the Reading the Mind in the Eyes task, Dot perspective task and trust game were individually administered in a classroom setting, along with a friendship peer nomination questionnaire. Results indicated no evidence for a relationship between the performance on the social cognition battery and subclinical experiences of autism and/or psychosis. However, results did show that the amount of autistic-like experiences of adolescents were associated with being less often selected as a friend by their peers. By contrast, no relationship between self-reported friendships and autistic-like experiences was found. Neither a relationship between friendships and psychotic-like experiences was reported. This study provides initial evidence that information provided by peers may shed light on (altered) social behavior associated with autistic-like experiences that is not apparent on performance measures, as well as elucidate possible differences between autistic- and psychotic-like experiences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hester Sijtsma
- Section of Clinical Developmental Psychology, Faculty of Behavioral and Movement Sciences, Research Institute LEARN!, Institute of Brain and Behavior, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Nikki C Lee
- Section of Clinical Developmental Psychology, Faculty of Behavioral and Movement Sciences, Research Institute LEARN!, Institute of Brain and Behavior, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Miriam Hollarek
- Section of Clinical Developmental Psychology, Faculty of Behavioral and Movement Sciences, Research Institute LEARN!, Institute of Brain and Behavior, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Reubs J Walsh
- Section of Clinical Developmental Psychology, Faculty of Behavioral and Movement Sciences, Research Institute LEARN!, Institute of Brain and Behavior, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Mariët van Buuren
- Section of Clinical Developmental Psychology, Faculty of Behavioral and Movement Sciences, Research Institute LEARN!, Institute of Brain and Behavior, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Barbara R Braams
- Section of Clinical Developmental Psychology, Faculty of Behavioral and Movement Sciences, Research Institute LEARN!, Institute of Brain and Behavior, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Lydia Krabbendam
- Section of Clinical Developmental Psychology, Faculty of Behavioral and Movement Sciences, Research Institute LEARN!, Institute of Brain and Behavior, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
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19
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Abnormal EEG Power Spectrum in Individuals with High Autistic Personality Traits: an eLORETA Study. JOURNAL OF PSYCHOPATHOLOGY AND BEHAVIORAL ASSESSMENT 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s10862-019-09777-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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20
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Zhou HY, Yang HX, Gong JB, Cheung EFC, Gooding DC, Park S, Chan RCK. Revisiting the overlap between autistic and schizotypal traits in the non-clinical population using meta-analysis and network analysis. Schizophr Res 2019; 212:6-14. [PMID: 31387828 DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2019.07.050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2018] [Revised: 04/25/2019] [Accepted: 07/28/2019] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
The present study aimed to explore the relationship between autistic and schizotypal traits in the non-clinical population. We first conducted a meta-analysis to quantify the correlation between self-reported autistic traits and the three dimensions of schizotypal traits (positive, negative and disorganization). The strongest correlation was found between autistic traits and negative schizotypal traits (r = 0.536, 95% CI [0.481, 0.586]), followed by the disorganization (r = 0.355, 95% CI [0.304, 0.404]) and positive (r = 0.256, 95% CI [0.208, 0.302]) dimensions. To visualize the partial correlations between dimensional behavioural traits, we constructed a network model based on a large sample of college students (N = 2469). Negative schizotypal traits were strongly correlated with autistic social/communicative deficits, whereas positive schizotypal traits were inversely correlated with autistic-like traits, lending support to the psychosis-autism diametrical model. Disentangling the overlapping and diametrical structure of autism and schizophrenia may help to elucidate the aetiology of these two neurodevelopmental disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Han-Yu Zhou
- Neuropsychology and Applied Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Beijing, China; Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Han-Xue Yang
- Neuropsychology and Applied Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Beijing, China; Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Jing-Bo Gong
- Neuropsychology and Applied Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Beijing, China; Department of Applied Psychology, Hunan University of Chinese Medicine, Changsha, China
| | - Eric F C Cheung
- Castle Peak Hospital, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
| | - Diane C Gooding
- Departments of Psychology and Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA
| | - Sohee Park
- Department of Psychology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, USA
| | - Raymond C K Chan
- Neuropsychology and Applied Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Beijing, China; Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
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21
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Network analysis of schizotypal personality traits and their association with other subclinical psychiatric features. Asian J Psychiatr 2019; 44:209-216. [PMID: 31419738 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajp.2019.08.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2019] [Revised: 08/01/2019] [Accepted: 08/03/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Schizotypal personality (SP) traits have been found to be correlated with autistic traits, obsessive-compulsive traits, depressive symptoms and anxiety symptoms. However, the overall pattern of the relationship remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to investigate the network structure between SP traits and other subclinical features (symptoms or traits) and test the replicability of these relationships. A total of 2204 college students completed measurements for SP traits, autistic traits, obsessive-compulsive traits, depressive symptoms and anxiety symptoms, and a validated subsample of 814 completed the same questionnaires again three months later. Using network analysis, we constructed the network structure of subclinical features and then tested its replicability. We found that interpersonal features were the bridge node connecting SP traits and autistic traits (social skill: r = 0.50; attention switching: r = 0.14; communication: r = 0.12), while cognitive-perceptual (obsessing: r = 0.05; neutralizing: r = 0.06) and disorganization (obsessing: r = 0.11) features were the SP traits associated with obsessive-compulsive traits. In addition to interpersonal features (r = 0.10), disorganization (r = 0.12) and cognitive-perceptual (r = 0.05) features were also the overlap between depressive symptoms and SP traits. Anxiety symptoms only connected with interpersonal (r = 0.05) but not cognitive-perceptual features of SP traits. The network showed high predictability (43%) and interpersonal features of SP traits had the highest expected influence (1.67) among all nodes, which may be a potential target for intervention. High similarities were found on network structure (r = 0.86) and expected influence (r = 0.96), and no significant difference on global connectivity was found between these two networks (difference value = 0.45, p = 0.135), suggesting the replicability of the network structure.
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22
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Theory of Mind (ToM) Performance in High Functioning Autism (HFA) and Schizotypal–Schizoid Personality Disorders (SSPD) Patients. J Autism Dev Disord 2019; 49:3376-3386. [DOI: 10.1007/s10803-019-04058-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
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23
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Barkus E, Badcock JC. A Transdiagnostic Perspective on Social Anhedonia. Front Psychiatry 2019; 10:216. [PMID: 31105596 PMCID: PMC6491888 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00216] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2018] [Accepted: 03/25/2019] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Humans are highly social beings, yet people with social anhedonia experience reduced interest in or reward from social situations. Social anhedonia is a key facet of schizotypal personality, an important symptom of schizophrenia, and increasingly recognized as an important feature in a range of other psychological disorders. However, to date, there has been little examination of the similarities and differences in social anhedonia across diagnostic borders. Here, our goal was to conduct a selective review of social anhedonia in different psychological and life course contexts, including the psychosis continuum, depressive disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder, eating disorders, and autism spectrum disorders, along with developmental and neurobiological factors. Current evidence suggests that the nature and expression of social anhedonia vary across psychological disorders with some groups showing deficient learning about, enjoyment from, and anticipation of the pleasurable aspects of social interactions, while for others, some of these components appear to remain intact. However, study designs and methodologies are diverse, the roles of developmental and neurobiological factors are not routinely considered, and direct comparisons between diagnostic groups are rare-which prevents a more nuanced understanding of the underlying mechanisms involved. Future studies, parsing the wanting, liking, and learning components of social reward, will help to fill gaps in the current knowledge base. Consistent across disorders is diminished pleasure from social situations, subsequent withdrawal, and poorer social functioning in those who express social anhedonia. Nonetheless, feelings of loneliness often remain, which suggests the need for social connection is not entirely absent. Adolescence is a particularly important period of social and neural development and may provide a valuable window on the developmental origins of social anhedonia. Adaptive social functioning is key to recovery from mental health disorders; therefore, understanding the intricacies of social anhedonia will help to inform treatment and prevention strategies for a range of diagnostic categories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma Barkus
- Cognitive Basis of Atypical Behaviour Initiative (CBABi), School of Psychology, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, Australia
| | - Johanna C. Badcock
- Centre for Clinical Research in Neuropsychiatry (CCRN), Division of Psychiatry, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
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24
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Kieckhäfer C, Felsenheimer AK, Rapp AM. A New Test for Irony Detection: The Influence of Schizotypal, Borderline, and Autistic Personality Traits. Front Psychiatry 2019; 10:28. [PMID: 30837899 PMCID: PMC6382691 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2018] [Accepted: 01/16/2019] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Irony has repeatedly been suggested as a language based social cognition task. It has been argued to show specific variances in psychiatric disorders and healthy adults with certain personality traits. Above that, irony comprehension is based on a complex interplay of the informational context, the relationship of the conversational partners, and the personality of the recipient. The present study developed a video-based German language test for a systematic examination of irony detection accuracy (Tuerony). The test includes (i) a stereotypical conversation partner (doctor, actor) in (ii) different perspectives (direct interaction, neutral observer) and (iii) a bilateral chat history on a conventional messenger service interface with ironic criticism, ironic praise, literal criticism, and literal praise. Based on the continuous approach of psychiatric symptoms, schizotypal, borderline, and autistic personality traits were associated with irony detection accuracy in a healthy sample. Given the often reported role of mentalization in irony detection, these associations were also investigated. First, a broad variance of irony comprehension in our healthy sample could be shown. Second, schizotypal and borderline, but not autistic traits were significantly negatively associated with irony detection accuracy. Finally, in the current healthy sample, neither variation of the conversational context nor mentalization characteristics were significantly associated with performance beyond personality traits. The current results therefore highlight two aspects for future research in irony comprehension: the importance of ecological valid tests and the role of the individual personality of the recipient.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolin Kieckhäfer
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany.,Department of Psychiatry, LVR-Hospital Düsseldorf, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Anne K Felsenheimer
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Alexander Michael Rapp
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany.,Fliedner Klinik Stuttgart, Stuttgart, Germany
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25
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Ford TC, Apputhurai P, Meyer D, Crewther DP. Cluster analysis reveals subclinical subgroups with shared autistic and schizotypal traits. Psychiatry Res 2018; 265:111-117. [PMID: 29702302 DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2018.04.037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2017] [Revised: 04/10/2018] [Accepted: 04/11/2018] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Autism and schizophrenia spectrum research is typically based on coarse diagnostic classification, which overlooks individual variation within clinical groups. This method limits the identification of underlying cognitive, genetic and neural correlates of specific symptom dimensions. This study, therefore, aimed to identify homogenous subclinical subgroups of specific autistic and schizotypal traits dimensions, that may be utilised to establish more effective diagnostic and treatment practices. Latent profile analysis of subscale scores derived from an autism-schizotypy questionnaire, completed by 1678 subclinical adults aged 18-40 years (1250 females), identified a local optimum of eight population clusters: High, Moderate and Low Psychosocial Difficulties; High, Moderate and Low Autism-Schizotypy; High Psychosis-Proneness; and Moderate Schizotypy. These subgroups represent the convergent and discriminant dimensions of autism and schizotypy in the subclinical population, and highlight the importance of examining subgroups of specific symptom characteristics across these spectra in order to identify the underlying genetic and neural correlates that can be utilised to advance diagnostic and treatment practices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Talitha C Ford
- Centre for Human Psychopharmacology, Faculty of Heath, Arts and Design, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
| | - Pragalathan Apputhurai
- Department of Statistics, Data Science and Epidemiology, Faculty of Heath, Arts and Design, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Denny Meyer
- Department of Statistics, Data Science and Epidemiology, Faculty of Heath, Arts and Design, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; Centre for Mental Health, Faculty of Heath, Arts and Design, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - David P Crewther
- Centre for Human Psychopharmacology, Faculty of Heath, Arts and Design, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
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26
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Diametric effects of autism tendencies and psychosis proneness on attention control irrespective of task demands. Sci Rep 2018; 8:8478. [PMID: 29855492 PMCID: PMC5981437 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-26821-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2018] [Accepted: 05/15/2018] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Our capacity to attend a target while ignoring irrelevant distraction impacts our ability to successfully interact with our environment. Previous reports have sometimes identified excessive distractor interference in both autism and schizophrenia spectrum disorders and in neurotypical individuals with high subclinical expressions of these conditions. Independent of task, we show that the direction of the effect of autism or psychosis traits on the suppression or rejection of a non-target item is diametrical. In Study 1, in which the presence of a salient non-target item hindered performance, higher autism traits were associated with better performance, while higher psychosis traits were associated with worse performance. In Study 2, in which the presence of a salient non-target item facilitated performance, a complete reversal of effects was observed. Future clinical interventions may be informed by the context-specific advantages we observed for the autism and psychosis spectra, and by the need to consider the diametric effects they yield.
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Childhood trauma is not a confounder of the overlap between autistic and schizotypal traits: A study in a non-clinical adult sample. Psychiatry Res 2017; 257:111-117. [PMID: 28750214 DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2017.07.035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2017] [Revised: 07/05/2017] [Accepted: 07/16/2017] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Childhood trauma has been shown to be a robust risk factor for mental disorders, and may exacerbate schizotypal traits or contribute to autistic trait severity. However, little is known whether childhood trauma confounds the overlap between schizotypal traits and autistic traits. This study examined whether childhood trauma acts as a confounding variable in the overlap between autistic and schizotypal traits in a large non-clinical adult sample. A total of 2469 participants completed the Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ), the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire (SPQ), and the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire-Short Form. Correlation analysis showed that the majority of associations between AQ variables and SPQ variables were significant (p < 0.05). In the multiple regression models predicting scores on the AQ total, scores on the three SPQ subscales were significant predictors(Ps < 0.05). Scores on the Positive schizotypy and Negative schizotypy subscales were significant predictors in the multiple regression model predicting scores on the AQ Social Skill, AQ Attention Switching, AQ Attention to Detail, AQ Communication, and AQ Imagination subscales. The association between autistic and schizotypal traits could not be explained by shared variance in terms of exposure to childhood trauma. The findings point to important overlaps in the conceptualization of ASD and SSD, independent of childhood trauma.
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Badoud D, Schneider M, Menghetti S, Glaser B, Debbané M, Eliez S. Understanding others: a pilot investigation of cognitive and affective facets of social cognition in patients with 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11DS). J Neurodev Disord 2017; 9:35. [PMID: 28946869 PMCID: PMC5613394 DOI: 10.1186/s11689-017-9216-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2016] [Accepted: 09/17/2017] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Although significant impairments in the affective and cognitive facets of social cognition have been highlighted in patients with 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11DS) in previous studies, these domains have never been investigated simultaneously within the same group of participants. Furthermore, despite theoretical evidence, associations between these two processes and schizotypal symptoms or social difficulties in this population have been scarcely examined. METHODS Twenty-nine participants with 22q11DS and 27 typically developing controls (N = 5 siblings; N = 22 unrelated controls) aged between 11 and 21 years participated in the study. Both groups were matched for age and gender distribution. Two computerized social cognition tasks evaluating perspective and emotion recognition abilities were administered to all participants. The levels of schizotypal trait expression and social functioning were further investigated in both groups, based on a validated self-report questionnaire (Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire) and parental interview (Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales). RESULTS Participants with 22q11DS exhibited lower perspective-taking and emotion recognition capacities than typically developing controls. The two socio-cognitive dimensions investigated here were further correlated in healthy controls. The efficiency of perspective-taking processes (response time) was marginally related to the degree of schizotypal trait expression in patients with 22q11DS. CONCLUSIONS This study first provides support for significant deficits in two core facets of social cognition in 22q11DS. The associations observed between the experimental tasks and measures of social functioning or schizotypal symptoms in 22q11DS open promising research avenue, which should be more deeply investigated in future studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- D. Badoud
- Developmental Clinical Psychology Research Unit, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Geneva, Switzerland
- Lab of Action and Body, Department of Psychology, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham, UK
| | - M. Schneider
- Office Medico-Pédagogique Research Unit, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- Center for Contextual Psychiatry, Research group psychiatry, Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - S. Menghetti
- Office Medico-Pédagogique Research Unit, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - B. Glaser
- Office Medico-Pédagogique Research Unit, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - M. Debbané
- Developmental Clinical Psychology Research Unit, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Geneva, Switzerland
- Office Medico-Pédagogique Research Unit, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- Research Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, University College London, London, UK
| | - S. Eliez
- Office Medico-Pédagogique Research Unit, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- Department of Genetic Medicine and Development, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
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Ford TC, Nibbs R, Crewther DP. Glutamate/GABA+ ratio is associated with the psychosocial domain of autistic and schizotypal traits. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0181961. [PMID: 28759626 PMCID: PMC5536272 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0181961] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2016] [Accepted: 07/10/2017] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The autism and schizophrenia spectra overlap to a large degree in the social and interpersonal domains. Similarly, abnormal excitatory glutamate and inhibitory γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) neurotransmitter concentrations have been reported for both spectra, with the interplay of these neurotransmitters important for cortical excitation to inhibition regulation. This study investigates whether these neurotransmitter abnormalities are specific to the shared symptomatology, and whether the degree of abnormality increases with increasing symptom severity. Hence, the relationship between the glutamate/GABA ratio and autism and schizophrenia spectrum traits in an unmedicated, subclinical population was investigated. METHODS A total of 37 adults (19 female, 18 male) aged 18-38 years completed the Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ) and Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire (SPQ), and participated in the resting state proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy study in which sequences specific for quantification of glutamate and GABA+ concentration were applied to a right and left superior temporal voxel. RESULTS There were significant, moderate, positive relationships between right superior temporal glutamate/GABA+ ratio and AQ, SPQ and AQ+SPQ total scores (p<0.05), SPQ subscales Social Anxiety, No Close Friend, Constricted Affect, Odd Behaviour, Odd Speech, Ideas of Reference and Suspiciousness, and AQ subscales Social Skills, Communication and Attention Switching (p<0.05); increased glutamate/GABA+ coinciding with higher scores on these subscales. Only the relationships between glutamate/GABA+ ratio and Social Anxiety, Constricted Affect, Social Skills and Communication survived multiple comparison correction (p< 0.004). Left superior temporal glutamate/GABA+ ratio reduced with increasing restricted imagination (p<0.05). CONCLUSION These findings demonstrate evidence for an association between excitatory/inhibitory neurotransmitter concentrations and symptoms that are shared between the autism and schizophrenia spectra.
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Affiliation(s)
- Talitha C. Ford
- Centre for Human Psychopharmacology, Faculty of Heath, Arts and Design, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Richard Nibbs
- Swinburne Neuroimaging, Faculty of Heath, Arts and Design, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - David P. Crewther
- Centre for Human Psychopharmacology, Faculty of Heath, Arts and Design, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
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Ford TC, Nibbs R, Crewther DP. Increased glutamate/GABA+ ratio in a shared autistic and schizotypal trait phenotype termed Social Disorganisation. Neuroimage Clin 2017; 16:125-131. [PMID: 28794973 PMCID: PMC5537407 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2017.07.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2017] [Revised: 06/19/2017] [Accepted: 07/12/2017] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Autism and schizophrenia are multi-dimensional spectrum disorders that have substantial phenotypic overlap. This overlap is readily identified in the non-clinical population, and has been conceptualised as Social Disorganisation (SD). This study investigates the balance of excitatory glutamate and inhibitory γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) concentrations in a non-clinical sample with high and low trait SD, as glutamate and GABA abnormalities are reported across the autism and schizophrenia spectrum disorders. Participants were 18 low (10 females) and 19 high (9 females) SD scorers aged 18 to 40 years who underwent 1H-MRS for glutamate and GABA+macromolecule (GABA+) concentrations in right and left hemisphere superior temporal (ST) voxels. Reduced GABA+ concentration (p = 0.03) and increased glutamate/GABA+ ratio (p = 0.003) in the right ST voxel for the high SD group was found, and there was increased GABA+ concentration in the left compared to right ST voxel (p = 0.047). Bilateral glutamate concentration was increased for the high SD group (p = 0.006); there was no hemisphere by group interaction (p = 0.772). Results suggest that a higher expression of the SD phenotype may be associated with increased glutamate/GABA+ ratio in the right ST region, which may affect speech prosody processing, and lead behavioural characteristics that are shared within the autistic and schizotypal spectra.
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Affiliation(s)
- Talitha C. Ford
- Centre for Human Psychopharmacology, Faculty of Heath, Arts and Design, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Richard Nibbs
- Swinburne Neuroimaging, Faculty of Heath, Arts and Design, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - David P. Crewther
- Centre for Human Psychopharmacology, Faculty of Heath, Arts and Design, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
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Ford TC, Apputhurai P, Meyer D, Crewther DP. Confirmatory factor analysis of autism and schizophrenia spectrum traits. PERSONALITY AND INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.paid.2017.01.033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
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Ford TC, Woods W, Crewther DP. Mismatch field latency, but not power, may mark a shared autistic and schizotypal trait phenotype. Int J Psychophysiol 2017; 116:60-67. [PMID: 28235554 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2017.02.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2016] [Revised: 02/14/2017] [Accepted: 02/15/2017] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
The auditory mismatch negativity (MMN), a preattentive processing potential, and its magnetic counterpart (MMF) are consistently reported as reduced in schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorders. This study investigates whether MMF characteristics differ between subclinically high and low scorers on the recently discovered shared autism and schizophrenia phenotype, Social Disorganisation. A total of 18 low (10 females) and 19 high (9 females) Social Disorganisation scorers underwent magnetoencephalography (MEG) during a MMF paradigm of 50ms standard (1000Hz, 85%) and 100ms duration deviant tones. MMF was measured from the strongest active magnetometer over the right and left hemispheres (consistent across groups) after 100ms. No differences in MMF power were found, however there was a significant delay in the MMF peak (p=0.007). The P3am (following the MMF) was significantly reduced across both hemispheres for the high Social Disorganisation group (p=0.025), there were no specific hemispheric differences in P3am power or latency. Right MMF peak latency increased with higher scores on the schizotypal subscales Odd Speech, Odd Behaviour and Constricted Affect. Findings suggest that MMF peak latency delay marks a convergence of the autism and schizophrenia spectra at a subclinical. These findings have significant implications for future research methodology, as well as clinical practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Talitha C Ford
- Centre for Human Psychopharmacology, Faculty of Health, Arts and Design, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
| | - Will Woods
- Brain and Psychological Science Research Centre, Faculty of Health, Arts and Design, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
| | - David P Crewther
- Centre for Human Psychopharmacology, Faculty of Health, Arts and Design, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
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Shi LJ, Liu WH, Shi HS, Yan C, Wang Y, Wang Y, Cheung EFC, Chan RCK. Co-occurrence of autistic and schizotypal traits and its association with emotional and psychosocial function in Chinese college students. Psychiatry Res 2017; 248:64-70. [PMID: 28024179 DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2016.12.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2016] [Revised: 12/16/2016] [Accepted: 12/18/2016] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Empirical findings suggest an overlap between autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSD). Co-occurring autistic and positive schizotypal traits may have a moderating effect on behaviour and cognition. This study attempted to examine the co-occurrence rate of autistic and schizotypal traits in otherwise healthy college students and to test the moderating effect of co-occurring autistic and schizotypal traits on executive function, emotion processing and social function. Eight hundred and sixty-four participants took part in the present study. The results showed that the co-occurrence rate of autistic and schizotypal trait was 3.4% at baseline and 2.4% at one-year follow-up. The interaction between autistic traits and schizotypal traits was associated with better executive functioning and social functioning but poorer emotional expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li-Juan Shi
- Neuropsychology and Applied Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Beijing, China; School of Education, Hunan University of Science and Technology, Xiangtan, Hunan, China
| | - Wen-Hua Liu
- Faculty of Health Management, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Hai-Song Shi
- North China Electric Power University, Beijing, China
| | - Chao Yan
- Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics (MOE and STCSM), School of Psychology and Cognitive Science, East China Normal University, China
| | - Ya Wang
- Neuropsychology and Applied Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Beijing, China
| | - Yi Wang
- Neuropsychology and Applied Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Beijing, China
| | - Eric F C Cheung
- Castle Peak Hospital, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
| | - Raymond C K Chan
- Neuropsychology and Applied Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Beijing, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
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Abu-Akel A, Apperly IA, Wood SJ, Hansen PC, Mevorach C. Autism Tendencies and Psychosis Proneness Interactively Modulate Saliency Cost. Schizophr Bull 2017; 43:142-151. [PMID: 27217269 PMCID: PMC5216849 DOI: 10.1093/schbul/sbw066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Atypical responses to salient information are a candidate endophenotype for both autism and psychosis spectrum disorders. The present study investigated the costs and benefits of such atypicalities for saliency-based selection in a large cohort of neurotypical adults in whom both autism and psychosis expressions were assessed. Two experiments found that autism tendencies and psychosis proneness interactively modulated the cost incurred in the presence of a task-irrelevant salient distractor. Specifically, expressions of autism and psychosis had opposing effects on responses to salient information such that the benefits associated with high expressions for autism offset costs associated with high expressions for psychosis. The opposing influences observed on saliency cost may be driven by distinct attentional mechanisms that are differentially affected by expressions for autism and psychosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahmad Abu-Akel
- School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, UK;
| | - Ian A. Apperly
- School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, UK
| | - Stephen J. Wood
- School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, UK;,Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, University of Melbourne and Melbourne Health, Victoria, Australia
| | - Peter C. Hansen
- School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, UK
| | - Carmel Mevorach
- School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, UK
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Kramer P, Bressan P. Humans as Superorganisms: How Microbes, Viruses, Imprinted Genes, and Other Selfish Entities Shape Our Behavior. PERSPECTIVES ON PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE 2016; 10:464-81. [PMID: 26177948 DOI: 10.1177/1745691615583131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Psychologists and psychiatrists tend to be little aware that (a) microbes in our brains and guts are capable of altering our behavior; (b) viral DNA that was incorporated into our DNA millions of years ago is implicated in mental disorders; (c) many of us carry the cells of another human in our brains; and (d) under the regulation of viruslike elements, the paternally inherited and maternally inherited copies of some genes compete for domination in the offspring, on whom they have opposite physical and behavioral effects. This article provides a broad overview, aimed at a wide readership, of the consequences of our coexistence with these selfish entities. The overarching message is that we are not unitary individuals but superorganisms, built out of both human and nonhuman elements; it is their interaction that determines who we are.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter Kramer
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padua, Italy
| | - Paola Bressan
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padua, Italy
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36
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Dinsdale N, Mokkonen M, Crespi B. The ‘extreme female brain’: increased cognitive empathy as a dimension of psychopathology. EVOL HUM BEHAV 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2016.02.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
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37
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Sierro G, Rossier J, Mohr C. Validation of the French Autism Spectrum Quotient scale and its relationships with schizotypy and Eysenckian personality traits. Compr Psychiatry 2016; 68:147-55. [PMID: 27234196 DOI: 10.1016/j.comppsych.2016.03.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2015] [Revised: 03/19/2016] [Accepted: 03/24/2016] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Autism and schizophrenia spectra were long considered distinct entities. Yet, recent studies emphasized overlapping clinical and personality features suggesting common mechanisms and liabilities. Independent notions, however, highlight that the two spectra oppose each other socially (positive schizotypal hyper-mentalism versus autistic hypo-mentalism). METHODS To clarify these relationships, we used data from 921 French-speaking Swiss undergraduates to firstly validate the French Autism Spectrum Questionnaire (AQ) identifying an optimal factor structure. Secondly, we assessed relationships between this AQ structure and schizotypic personality traits. RESULTS Results from correlational and principal component analyses replicated both overlapping and opposing relationships. CONCLUSIONS We conjecture that autistic traits opposing positive schizotypy represent autistic mentalizing deficits. We discuss implications of our findings relative to theories of autism and schizophrenia spectrum relationships.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guillaume Sierro
- University of Lausanne, Institute of Psychology, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland.
| | - Jérôme Rossier
- University of Lausanne, Institute of Psychology, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Christine Mohr
- University of Lausanne, Institute of Psychology, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
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Abu-Akel AM, Apperly IA, Wood SJ, Hansen PC. Autism and psychosis expressions diametrically modulate the right temporoparietal junction. Soc Neurosci 2016; 12:506-518. [DOI: 10.1080/17470919.2016.1190786] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Ian A. Apperly
- School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, U.K
| | - Stephen J. Wood
- School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, U.K
- Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, University of Melbourne and Melbourne Health, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Peter C. Hansen
- School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, U.K
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Crespi B, Leach E, Dinsdale N, Mokkonen M, Hurd P. Imagination in human social cognition, autism, and psychotic-affective conditions. Cognition 2016; 150:181-99. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2016.02.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2015] [Revised: 02/01/2016] [Accepted: 02/03/2016] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
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Davidson CA, Hoffman L, Spaulding WD. Schizotypal personality questionnaire--brief revised (updated): An update of norms, factor structure, and item content in a large non-clinical young adult sample. Psychiatry Res 2016; 238:345-355. [PMID: 27086255 PMCID: PMC4834869 DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2016.01.053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2015] [Revised: 01/22/2016] [Accepted: 01/22/2016] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
This study updates and provides evidence for the dimensionality, reliability, and validity of a standard instrument for detection and measurement of schizotypy in non-clinical young adults. Schizotypy represents a set of traits on which both nonclinical and schizophrenia-spectrum populations vary meaningfully. These traits are linked to biological, cognitive, and social dimensions of serious mental illness (SMI), to clinical and subclinical variation in personal and social functioning, and to risk for SMI. Reliable and valid identification of schizotypal traits has important implications for clinical practice and research. Four consecutive independent samples of undergraduates were administered the SPQ-BR (N=2552). Confirmatory factor analyses suggested a minor item wording change improved reliability, and this Updated questionnaire was implemented for three-quarters of the sample (SPQ-BRU). A, single-order, nine-factor structure had acceptable psychometric properties. The best fitting second-order structure included four higher-order factors that distinguished Social Anxiety and Interpersonal factors. This differentiation was supported by differential relationships with treatment history. The Disorganized factor had the greatest unique relationship with personal and family treatment history. With few exceptions, factor loadings showed stability across samples. Overall, the higher-order and lower-order factors of schizotypy demonstrated reliability and convergent and discriminant validity; detailed psychometric data are presented in a supplement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charlie A. Davidson
- University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Psychology Department, 238 Burnett Hall, Lincoln, NE 68588-0308, USA,Yale University School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, 300 George St., Suite 901, New Haven, CT 06511, USA,Correspondence to: VA Connecticut Healthcare, Building 14 950 Campbell Ave, West Haven, CT 06516, USA
| | - Lesa Hoffman
- University of Kansas, Schiefelbusch Institute for Life Span Studies, Dole Human Development Center Rm 1052, 1000 Sunnyside Avenue, Lawrence, KS 66045, USA.
| | - William D. Spaulding
- University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Psychology Department, 238 Burnett Hall, Lincoln, NE 68588-0308, USA
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Choteau L, Raynal P, Goutaudier N, Chabrol H. Psychopathological traits in college students from top-ranking french schools: Do autistic features impair success in science when associated with schizotypal traits? Psychiatry Res 2016; 237:218-23. [PMID: 26809364 DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2016.01.038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2014] [Revised: 10/24/2015] [Accepted: 01/15/2016] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The link between personality and the interest of individuals for science has not been thoroughly explored. In this report, we studied psychopathological traits in students studying science in French top-ranking institutions. Three hundred and forty seven individuals answered questionnaires assessing autistic and schizotypal dimensions, as well as anxiety, depression symptomatology and attachment quality. A cluster analysis based on autistic and schizotypal traits led to the identification of 4 distinct profiles: a "low trait cluster", a "moderate autistic trait cluster", a "moderate schizotypal trait cluster" and a "high trait cluster" (HTC) composed of individuals with high scores on both autistic and schizotypal scales. Each cluster represented 20.1-27.1% of participants and was clearly different from the three others, both on autistic and on schizotypal dimensions. These groups could be also typified by their level of anxiety, depression or degraded attachment, which are proportional to the extent of psychopathological traits. Moreover, students from the HTC cluster displayed lower academic results, thus implying that autistic traits might impair success in science when they are associated with moderate schizotypal personality features. This study also suggests that depression and anxiety might mediate performance inhibition in the HTC group.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Choteau
- Centre d'Etudes et de Recherches en Psychopathologie et Psychologie de la Santé, Université de Toulouse II - Jean Jaurès, Toulouse, France
| | - Patrick Raynal
- Centre d'Etudes et de Recherches en Psychopathologie et Psychologie de la Santé, Université de Toulouse II - Jean Jaurès, Toulouse, France.
| | - Nelly Goutaudier
- Centre d'Etudes et de Recherches en Psychopathologie et Psychologie de la Santé, Université de Toulouse II - Jean Jaurès, Toulouse, France
| | - Henri Chabrol
- Centre d'Etudes et de Recherches en Psychopathologie et Psychologie de la Santé, Université de Toulouse II - Jean Jaurès, Toulouse, France
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42
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Ford TC, Crewther DP. A Comprehensive Review of the (1)H-MRS Metabolite Spectrum in Autism Spectrum Disorder. Front Mol Neurosci 2016; 9:14. [PMID: 27013964 PMCID: PMC4783404 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2016.00014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2015] [Accepted: 02/16/2016] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Neuroimaging studies of neuropsychiatric behavior biomarkers across spectrum disorders are typically based on diagnosis, thus failing to account for the heterogeneity of multi-dimensional spectrum disorders such as autism (ASD). Control group trait phenotypes are also seldom reported. Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) measures the abundance of neurochemicals such as neurotransmitters and metabolites and hence can probe disorder phenotypes at clinical and sub-clinical levels. This detailed review summarizes and critiques the current 1H-MRS research in ASD. The literature reports reduced N-acetylaspartate (NAA), glutamate and glutamine (Glx), γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), creatine and choline, and increased glutamate for children with ASD. Adult studies are few and results are inconclusive. Overall, the literature has several limitations arising from differences in 1H-MRS methodology and sample demographics. We argue that more consistent methods and greater emphasis on phenotype studies will advance understanding of underlying cortical metabolite disturbance in ASD, and the detection, diagnosis, and treatment of ASD and other multi-dimensional psychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Talitha C Ford
- Faculty of Health, Arts and Design, Centre for Human Psychopharmacology, Swinburne University of Technology Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - David P Crewther
- Faculty of Health, Arts and Design, Centre for Human Psychopharmacology, Swinburne University of Technology Melbourne, VIC, Australia
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Robinson KJ, Hurd PL, Read S, Crespi BJ. The PCSK6 gene is associated with handedness, the autism spectrum, and magical ideation in a non-clinical population. Neuropsychologia 2016; 84:205-12. [PMID: 26921480 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2016.02.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2015] [Revised: 02/22/2016] [Accepted: 02/23/2016] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Common polymorphisms in the gene PCSK6, whose protein product mediates the development of brain and body asymmetry through the NODAL pathway, have recently been associated with handedness in three studies, making it a key candidate gene for understanding the developmental and expression of human lateralization. We tested the hypothesis that the PCSK6 VNTR polymorphism rs1053972 influences the expression of handedness and aspects of dimensional schizotypy and autism. For a sample of 709 healthy individuals, rs1053972 genotype was significantly associated with categorical measures of handedness, and with dimensional handedness in subsets of the population with high schizotypy and magical ideation or a lack of strong right-handedness. Both findings showed evidence of stronger or exclusive effects among females, compared to males. Genotypes of PCSK6 also showed significant sex-limited associations with magical ideation, a component of positive schizotypal cognition measured using the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire, and total autism score, measured using the Autism Spectrum Quotient. These results partially replicate previous studies on effects of PCSK6 rs1053972 genetic variation on handedness phenotypes, link the PCSK6 gene with the dimensional expression of neurodevelopmental conditions in healthy individuals, and show that associations of this gene with handedness and psychological phenotypes exhibit evidence of sex-limited effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelsey J Robinson
- Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada V5A 1S6
| | - Peter L Hurd
- Department of Psychology, and Centre for Neuroscience, University of Alberta, 116 St. and 85 Avenue, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 2R3.
| | - Silven Read
- Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada V5A 1S6
| | - Bernard J Crespi
- Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada V5A 1S6.
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Panton KR, Badcock DR, Badcock JC. A Metaanalysis of Perceptual Organization in Schizophrenia, Schizotypy, and Other High-Risk Groups Based on Variants of the Embedded Figures Task. Front Psychol 2016; 7:237. [PMID: 26941688 PMCID: PMC4763090 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00237] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2015] [Accepted: 02/05/2016] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Current research on perceptual organization in schizophrenia frequently employs shapes with regularly sampled contours (fragmented stimuli), in noise fields composed of similar elements, to elicit visual abnormalities. However, perceptual organization is multi-factorial and, in earlier studies, continuous contours have also been employed in tasks assessing the ability to extract shapes from a background. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies using closed-contour stimuli, including the Embedded Figures Test (EFT) and related tasks, both in people with schizophrenia and in healthy schizotypes and relatives, considered at increased risk for psychosis. Eleven studies met the selection criteria for inclusion in the meta-analysis, including six that used a between-groups study design (i.e., perceptual organization abilities of schizophrenia/high-risk groups were compared to healthy or clinical controls), and five that treated schizophrenia symptoms or schizotypy traits and indices of perceptual organization as continuous variables. Effect sizes and heterogeneity statistics were calculated, and the risk of publication bias was explored. A significant, moderate effect for EFT performance was found with studies that compared performance of schizophrenia/high-risk groups to a healthy or patient comparison group (d = −0.523, p < 0.001). However, significant heterogeneity was also found amongst the schizotypy, but not schizophrenia studies, as well as studies using accuracy, but not reaction time as a measure of performance. A non-significant correlation was found for the studies that examined schizophrenia symptoms or schizotypy traits as continuous variables (r = 0.012, p = 0.825). These results suggest that deficits in perceptual organization of non-fragmented stimuli are found when differences between schizophrenia/high-risk groups and comparison groups are maximized. These findings should motivate further investigation of perceptual organization abilities with closed-contour stimuli both in schizophrenia and high-risk groups, which is pertinent to current initiatives to improve the assessment and treatment of cognition in schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kirsten R Panton
- Human Vision Laboratory, School of Psychology, University of Western Australia Perth, WA, Australia
| | - David R Badcock
- Human Vision Laboratory, School of Psychology, University of Western Australia Perth, WA, Australia
| | - Johanna C Badcock
- Centre for Clinical Research in Neuropsychiatry, School of Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, University of Western AustraliaPerth, WA, Australia; Cooperative Research Centre - Mental HealthMelbourne, VIC, Australia
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Porac C. Disorders, Diseases, and Life on the Left. Laterality 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-12-801239-0.00009-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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Crespi BJ, Go MC. Diametrical diseases reflect evolutionary-genetic tradeoffs: Evidence from psychiatry, neurology, rheumatology, oncology and immunology. Evol Med Public Health 2015; 2015:216-53. [PMID: 26354001 PMCID: PMC4600345 DOI: 10.1093/emph/eov021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2015] [Accepted: 08/17/2015] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Tradeoffs centrally mediate the expression of human adaptations. We propose that tradeoffs also influence the prevalence and forms of human maladaptation manifest in disease. By this logic, increased risk for one set of diseases commonly engenders decreased risk for another, diametric, set of diseases. We describe evidence for such diametric sets of diseases from epidemiological, genetic and molecular studies in four clinical domains: (i) psychiatry (autism vs psychotic-affective conditions), (ii) rheumatology (osteoarthritis vs osteoporosis), (iii) oncology and neurology (cancer vs neurodegenerative disorders) and (iv) immunology (autoimmunity vs infectious disease). Diametric disorders are important to recognize because genotypes or environmental factors that increase risk for one set of disorders protect from opposite disorders, thereby providing novel and direct insights into disease causes, prevention and therapy. Ascertaining the mechanisms that underlie disease-related tradeoffs should also indicate means of circumventing or alleviating them, and thus reducing the incidence and impacts of human disease in a more general way.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Matthew C Go
- Department of Biological Sciences; Department of Archaeology, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, BC, Canada V5A 1S6 Present address: Department of Anthropology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 109 Davenport Hall, 607 S Mathews Avenue, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
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Testing the 'Extreme Female Brain' Theory of Psychosis in Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder with or without Co-Morbid Psychosis. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0128102. [PMID: 26069955 PMCID: PMC4466563 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0128102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2014] [Accepted: 04/22/2015] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction Males and females in the general population differ, on average, in their drive for empathizing (higher in females) and systemizing (higher in males). People with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) show a drive for systemizing over empathizing, irrespective of sex, which led to the conceptualisation of ASD as an ‘extreme of the typical male brain’. The opposite cognitive profile, an ‘extreme of the typical female brain’, has been proposed to be linked to conditions such as psychosis and mania/hypomania. Methods We compared an empathizing-over-systemizing bias (for short ‘empathizing bias’) in individuals with ASD, who had experienced psychotic illness (N = 64) and who had not (N = 71). Results There were overall differences in the distribution of cognitive style. Adults with ASD who had experienced psychosis were more likely to show an empathizing bias than adults with ASD who had no history of psychosis. This was modulated by IQ, and the group-difference was driven mainly by individuals with above-average IQ. In women with ASD and psychosis, the link between mania/hypomania and an empathizing bias was greater than in men with ASD. Conclusions The bias for empathizing over systemizing may be linked to the presence of psychosis in people with ASD. Further research is needed in a variety of clinical populations, to understand the role an empathizing bias may play in the development and manifestation of mental illness.
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The correlates of obsessive-compulsive, schizotypal, and borderline personality disorders in obsessive-compulsive disorder. J Anxiety Disord 2015; 33:15-24. [PMID: 25956558 DOI: 10.1016/j.janxdis.2015.04.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2015] [Revised: 04/12/2015] [Accepted: 04/13/2015] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
We assessed correlates of obsessive-compulsive (OCPD), schizotypal (SPD) and borderline (BPD) personality disorders in 110 obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) patients. We found OCD patients with OCPD (20.9%) to exhibit higher rates of hoarding and bipolar disorders, increased severity of hoarding and symmetry, lower prevalence of unacceptable thoughts involving sex and religion and less non-planning impulsivity. Conversely, OCD patients with SPD (13.6%) displayed more frequently bipolar disorder, increased severity of depression and OCD neutralization, greater prevalence of "low-order" behaviors (i.e., touching), lower low-planning impulsivity and greater "behavioral" compulsivity. Finally, in exploratory analyses, OCD patients with BPD (21.8%) exhibited lower education, higher rates of several comorbid psychiatric disorders, greater frequency of compulsions involving interpersonal domains (e.g. reassurance seeking), increased severity of depression, anxiety and OCD dimensions other than symmetry and hoarding, more motor and non-planning impulsivity, and greater "cognitive" compulsivity. These findings highlight the importance of assessing personality disorders in OCD samples.
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Crespi BJ, Hurd PL. Genetically based correlates of serum oxytocin and testosterone in autism and schizotypy. PERSONALITY AND INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES 2015. [DOI: 10.1016/j.paid.2015.01.052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
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Abstract
This article reviews several approaches to assessing schizotypal traits using a wide variety of self-report and interview measures. It makes a distinction between clinical approaches largely based on syndrome and symptom definitions, and psychometric approaches to measuring personality traits. The review presents a brief description of the content and psychometric properties of both sets of measures; these cover both the broad rubric of schizotypy often, but not exclusively based on DSM conceptions, as well as measures with a more specific focus. Measurement of schizotypy has taken place within clinical and nonclinical research utilizing a range of designs and methodologies. Several of these are elucidated with respect to the assessment choices open to researchers, and the implications of the measures chosen. These paradigms include the case-control study, "high risk"/"ultra-high risk" groups, a variety of nonclinical groups and other groups of interest, large scale epidemiology and "in vivo" designs. Evidence from a wide variety of designs continues to provide evidence of the validity of both clinical and personality approaches to schizotypal assessment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oliver J. Mason
- *To whom correspondence should be addressed; Department of Clinical, Health, and Educational Psychology, 1-19 Torrington Place, University College London, London, WC1E 7NB, UK; tel: 0044-20-7679-1897, fax: 0044-20-7916-1989, e-mail:
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