Schizotypal Traits are Associated with Poorer Executive Functioning in Healthy Adults

Abstract

Previous research has shown mild forms of the neurocognitive impairments seen in schizophrenia among healthy individuals exhibiting high schizotypal traits. This study aimed to explore associations between schizotypy and cognitive performance in an adult community sample. Ninety-five females and 79 males completed the Oxford–Liverpool Inventory of Feelings and Experiences (O-LIFE), which measures four separable aspects of schizotypy: cognitive disorganization, unusual experiences, introvertive anhedonia, and impulsive non-conformity. Subsequently, participants were administered a neurocognitive battery incorporating measures of executive skills including inhibition, cognitive flexibility, reasoning, and problem solving along with measures of attention and processing speed and both verbal and spatial working memory. In line with predictions, the current study found that higher scores on the subscales of unusual experiences, cognitive disorganization, and impulsive non-conformity related to worse performance on a measure of inhibition. Additionally, as introvertive anhedonia increased, both attention and processing speed and reasoning and problem-solving performance became more impaired. In conclusion, this study extends schizotypy literature by examining the subscales of the O-LIFE, and enables inferences to be drawn in relation to cognitive impairment in schizophrenia.

Association of Schizotypy With Dimensions of Cognitive Control: A Meta-Analysis

“…There were not enough studies to conduct a meta-analysis for disorganized schizotypy (K = 8). 19,33,[50][51][52][53][54][55] Results are reported in table 1 and illustrated in figure 3.…”

“…Nineteen studies 19,21,22,24,32,33,51,54,57,62,63,[76][77][78][79][80]82,84,85 including 1846 participants were included. There was a significant effect of negative schizotypy on shifting, yielding an average effect size of g = 0.32 (z = 4.56, P < .0001).…”

Das Schizoidie-Konzept in der Psychiatrie

“…Bei den schizotypischen Patienten beträgt diese Negativabweichung nur ca. eine Standardabweichung [26,70]. Mit dem Ausprägungsgrad basaler kognitiver Dysfunktionen geht auch eine analog beeinträchtigte Verarbeitung wichtiger sozial-affektiver Informationen einher, die grundlegend für eine funktionstüchti-ge "theory of the mind" sind [21].…”

Do personal traits moderate cognitive abilities in diabetes mellitus?

“…According to Coolidge et al 11,12 , executive dysfunctions are frequent in antisocial, avoiding, dependent, depressive, passive-aggressive, schizoid and schizotypal, paranoid and sadistic personality disorders, but not in obsessive-compulsive or histrionic personality accentuations/disorders although memory dysfunction is associated with all of them. The link between schizotypal personal changes and cognitive dysfunction is very strong, especially for attention, memory and executive deficits 13,14 .…”