Autobiographical Memory And Theory Of Mind In Schizotypy

Individuals with schizophrenia exhibit marked impairments on tasks assessing theory of mind (ToM) and autobiographical memory (AM) qualities, and preliminary research has indicated a positive link between these abilities. This study is the first to systematically explore this relationship in the related personality trait of schizotypy. In a study of 47 undergraduate students (23 males) reporting a wide continuous range of schizotypy, we found that females, but not males, exhibited a negative correlation between ToM and schizotypy, and an unexpected positive correlation between AM qualities and schizotypy. Factor score analysis within females indicated that disorganized schizotypy was the strongest correlate of both ToM (i.e., affective ToM; ability to infer emotions), and AM qualities (i.e., mental imagery vividness). Finally, independent of schizotypy and sex, ToM was negatively correlated with AM qualities. This negative association between ToM and AM as well as the positive relationship between schizotypy and AM (in females) distinguish findings in schizotypy from those in schizophrenia. Although, the qualities of AM in schizotypy are relatively unexplored in schizotypy, overlapping and AM-related constructs (e.g., mental image vividness, creativity) are enhanced in schizotypy. This phenomenon is theorized to occur due to a reduced latent inhibition process, which also reveals distinct patterns of sexual dimorphism in schizotypy. In sum, the current study found sex to be a critical variable in each hypothesis, demonstrating a unique pattern in females, but not males. It could be that distinct underlying mechanisms account for sex differences on ToM and AM tasks in schizophrenia-related disorders

Declarative Memory, Theory of Mind, and Community Functioning in Schizophrenia

Cognitive impairments are highly prevalent in individuals with schizophrenia and are now considered hallmark features of the disorder. Over the past decade, considerable evidence has demonstrated the functional significance of social and nonsocial cognitive impairments in individuals with schizophrenia. However, the nature of the relationship between specific domains of social and nonsocial cognition and how they relate to functional outcome in this population is less clear. In particular, declarative memory impairment has been suggested to have critical consequences for the everyday life of individuals with schizophrenia and may play a role in their social integration difficulties. Preliminary evidence also indicates that theory of mind (ToM) may be an important intermediary between nonsocial cognition and functional outcome. The current study aimed to better understand the relationships between declarative memory, ToM, and functional outcome in individuals with schizophrenia

Latent Factor Modeling of Four Schizotypy Dimensions with Theory of Mind and Empathy

Preliminary evidence suggests that theory of mind and empathy relate differentially to factors of schizotypy. The current study assessed 686 undergraduate students and used structural equation modeling to examine links between a four-factor model of schizotypy with performance on measures of theory of mind (Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test [MIE]) and empathy (Interpersonal Reactivity Index [IRI]). Schizotypy was assessed using three self-report measures which were simultaneously entered into the model. Results revealed that the Negative factor of schizotypy showed a negative relationship with the Empathy factor, which was primarily driven by the Empathic Concern subscale of the IRI and the No Close Friends and Constricted Affect subscales of the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire. These findings are consistent with a growing body of literature suggesting a relatively specific relationship between negative schizotypy and empathy, and are consistent with several previous studies that found no relationship between MIE performance and schizotypy

Schizotypy, Autobiographical Memory, And Theory Of Mind: Sex Differences

Individuals with schizophrenia exhibit a range of cognitive impairments, including tasks assessing theory of mind (ToM) and autobiographical memory (AM). This study appears to be the first to examine how ToM and AM abilities interact in relation to schizotypy. Forty-seven undergraduate students reporting a wide continuous range of scores on the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire (SPQ) completed a measure of ToM and a measure assessing various phenomenological qualities of AM. Female participants exhibited a negative correlation between the ToM score and the SPQ total score and a positive correlation between enhanced phenomenological qualities of AM and the SPQ disorganized factor score. No statistically significant relationships were found for male participants. ToM was negatively correlated with AM across the entire sample, which was not moderated by sex or schizotypy. It is possible that distinct underlying mechanisms account for the observed sex differences on ToM and AM performance in schizophrenia-related conditions

Early Visual Processing Abnormalities Related To Schizophrenia And Autism Spectrum Disorder

Introduction This chapter focuses on techniques that have been used to investigate early visual processing abnormalities related to two specific types of neuropsychiatric disorders - schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorder. The term “neuropsychiatric” is often used to describe these disorders because the psychiatric symptoms are thought to be a consequence of abnormalities in the anatomy and physiology of the brain. These disorders are also frequently described as neurodevelopmental because both are thought to arise from abnormalities in both prenatal and postnatal brain development. While these are not the only psychiatric disorders that researchers have examined with respect to early visual processing, there is a large and broad body of literature on early visual processing abnormalities in these particular disorders. In addition, the research on these abnormalities is representative of the research methods generally used in the study of perceptual disorders. Most researchers have defined schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorder using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, which is now in its fifth edition (DSM-V; American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Briefly, the DSM-V defines schizophrenia as a cluster of symptoms that includes some combination of hallucinations, delusions, disorganized behavior and/or speech, affective flattening, poverty of speech, social withdrawal, and cognitive impairment (among others). In contrast, autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is defined by impairment in two primary areas: Impaired social communication and interaction: deficits in nonverbal communication, lack of social/emotional reciprocity, deficits in forming, maintaining, and understanding relationships; and, Restricted repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, and activities: inflexible adherence to nonfunctional routines, highly restricted fixated interests, stereotyped and repetitive motor mannerisms, hyper- or hyposensitivity to sensory input

Social Anxiety And Social Cognition: The Influence Of Sex

This work proposes a method for detecting inundation between semi-diurnal low and high water conditions in the northern Gulf of Mexico using high-resolution satellite imagery. Radarsat 1, Landsat imagery and aerial photography from the Apalachicola region in Florida were used to demonstrate and validate the algorithm. A change detection approach was implemented through the analysis of red, green and blue (RGB) false colour composites image to emphasise differences in high and low tide inundation patterns. To alleviate the effect of inherent speckle in the SAR images, we also applied ancillary optical data. The flood-prone area for the site was delineated a priori through the determination of lower and higher water contour lines with Landsat images combined with a high-resolution digital elevation model. This masking technique improved the performance of the proposed algorithm with respect to detection techniques using the entire Radarsat scene. The resulting inundation maps agreed well with historical aerial photography as the probability of detection reached 83%. The combination of SAR data and optical images, when coupled with a high-resolution digital elevation model, was shown to be useful for inundation mapping and have a great potential for evaluating wetting/drying algorithms of inland and coastal hydrodynamic models. © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd

Speech Prosody Abnormalities And Specific Dimensional Schizotypy Features Are Relationships Limited To Male Participants?

In schizophrenia, diminished vocal expressivity is associated with lower quality of life. Studies using computerized acoustic analysis of speech have found no evidence of diminished vocal prosody related to categorically defined schizotypy, a subclinical analogue of schizophrenia. However, existing studies have not examined the interaction between schizotypy and sex with vocal prosody measures. The current study examined 44 young adults (50% men) who were recruited to represent a continuous range of schizotypy. Speech samples were digitally recorded during autobiographical narratives and analyzed for prosody. In the male participants, variability of fundamental frequency and variability of intensity were each negatively related to the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire (SPQ) ideas of reference subscale, whereas SPQ suspiciousness was related to a greater number of utterances, and SPQ odd behavior was related to a greater number of pauses. Because the relationships were restricted to men, and not significant in women, the results may explain earlier negative findings with schizotypy

Ultrafiltration of the Waste Plasma Effluent from Cardiopulmonary Bypass Circuit Contents Processed with a Cell-Washing Device

Blood conservation methods are commonly practiced throughout most hospitals that conduct cardiothoracic surgery. In an effort to reduce patients' exposure to homologous blood products and due to cost effectiveness of blood conservation techniques, this present study combines autotransfusion of the remaining blood in the extracorporeal circuit and ultrafiltration of the plasma effluent, and describes the resulting product. Seven patients, greater than 19 years of age, requiring cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) were incorporated into this study. Exclusion criteria included age limitation. At termination of CPB, the remaining blood in the circuit was transferred to an autotransfusion machine and processed. Plasma (1054 ± 206 ml) effluent was collected directly from the centrifugal bowl and processed through a ultrafiltrator, with a constant flow rate and negative pressure, until the plasma effluent concentrated down to an end processed volume of approximately 150 ml. The following variables were either measured or calculated: plasma-concentrate volumes per three minute interval, inlet/outlet pressures of an ultrafiltrator, transmembrane pressure (TMP), plasma free hemoglobin, fibrinogen, total protein, and colloid osmotic pressure. The average ultrafiltrate volume taken off from the plasma effluent was 828 ± 237 ml, with an average ultrafiltrate volume of 115 ml in every three minute interval. The TMP did not change over the first 15 minutes of processing but became significantly elevated at the 18th minute interval and continued to increase and reach a maximum TMP of 286.5 ± 2.1 mmHg at the end of concentration. Fibrinogen levels increased from pre-concentration values of 118.2 ± 64 to 317 ± 177 mg/dl (p=.03) along with increases in plasma free hemoglobin from 97.7 ± 46 to 402.1 ± 180 mg/dl (p=.0002). The total protein concentration increased by over 330% from baseline values. Ultrafiltrating plasma effluent from autotransfused cell salvaged CPB circuit contents could prove beneficial, but further study is required to discover ways to separate unfavorable products, such as activated platelet-leukocyte products and reduced plasma free hemoglobin, and to lower heparin concentrations of the plasma-concentrate

Descriptive Statistics (N = 686).

<p>Descriptive Statistics (N = 686).</p

Structural equation model linking negative schizotypy to empathy.

<p>SAS  =  Revised Social Anhedona Scale; CA  =  Constricted Affect; NCF  =  No Close Friends: SA  =  Social Anxiety; SUS  =  Suspiciousness; IR  =  Interpersonal Reactivity Index; Emp. Conc.  =  Empathic Concern; Persp. Taking  =  Perspective Taking.</p