title: The backward masking red light effect and schizotypy: the influence of sex.
abstract: Previous research has shown a unique effect of red light on visual processing related to both schizophrenia and positive schizotypy. The current study examined whether this effect is influenced by sex in a more broadly-defined schizotypy sample. A location backward masking (BM) task with red, green, and gray backgrounds was administered to 34 undergraduate students (59% female) with a high score on the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire (SPQ) and 38 students (50% female) with a low score. Results revealed that the group by color interaction was significant for the male participants, while it did not approach significance in the females. The male schizotypy participants showed a significant decrease in BM accuracy to the red (vs. green) background, while the male control participants showed a non-significant mean increase in accuracy. A decrease in accuracy to the red background in the male schizotypy participants was related to a higher score on the Social Anxiety subscale of the SPQ. Findings suggest that the previously reported schizophrenia red light effect is limited to males when examining a SPQ-defined sample, and appears to be primarily related to negative schizotypy symptoms. The red light effect continues to show promise as a new endophenotype for schizophrenia-spectrum disorders.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, USA. jefrrey.bedwell@ucf.edu
authors.forename: Jeffrey S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Bedwell
authors.forename: Diana C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Hernandez
authors.forename: Andrea Y
authors.initials: AY
authors.lastname: Ranieri
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety / Q000503:physiopathology; D003118:Color Perception / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010470:Perceptual Masking / Q000502:physiology*; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology; D012569:Schizotypal Personality Disorder / Q000503:physiopathology*; D057566:Self Report; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D055815:Young Adult