Pre-frontal structural and functional deficits associated with individual differences in schizotypal personality.
This study tests the hypothesis that pre-frontal deficits underlie schizotypal personality in the normal population. Personality measures assessing features of DSM-IIIR schizotypal personality disorder (SPD) were related to left and right pre-frontal brain area assessed by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and neuropsychological measures of pre-frontal functioning (Wisconsin Card Sorting Task, WCST) in a group of non-institutionalized, unmedicated normal subjects. High schizotypal scores were significantly associated with reduced pre-frontal area and more WCST perseveration errors; conversely no relationships were observed between these pre-frontal measures and measures of psychosis-proneness unrelated to SPD traits. Pre-frontal structural findings were not found to be mediated by temporal lobe and posterior cortical structural deficits, height, weight, socio-economic status, education level and sex differences, while pre-frontal functional findings were not mediated by non-prefrontal cognitive ability. These findings of pre-frontal structural and functional deficits associated with schizotypal personality provide some initial converging support for a pre-frontal explanation of individual differences in schizotypal personality in the general population.
Raine
A
A
Department of Psychology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles 90089-1061.
Sheard
C
C
Reynolds
G P
GP
Lencz
T
T
D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007206:Individuality; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D019965:Neurocognitive Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012569:Schizotypal Personality Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology