title: Dermatoglyphic asymmetries and fronto-striatal dysfunction in young adults reporting non-clinical psychosis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Growing evidence indicates that non-clinical psychotic-like experiences occur in otherwise healthy individuals, suggesting that psychosis may occur on a continuum. However, little is known about how the diathesis for formal psychosis maps on to individuals at the non-clinical side of this continuum. Our current understanding of the pathophysiology of schizophrenia implicates certain key factors such as early developmental abnormalities and fronto-striatal dysfunction. To date, no studies have examined these core factors in the context of non-clinical psychosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 221 young adults were assessed for distressing attenuated positive symptoms (DAPS), dermatoglyphic asymmetries (a marker of early developmental insult), and procedural memory (a proxy for fronto-striatal function).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Participants reporting DAPS (n = 16; 7.2%) and no-DAPS (n = 205; 92.7%) were split into two groups. The DAPS group showed significantly elevated depression, elevated dermatoglyphic asymmetries, and a pattern of procedural learning consistent with other studies with formally psychotic patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results indicate that the non-clinical side of the psychosis continuum also shares key vulnerability factors implicated in schizophrenia, suggesting that both early developmental disruption and abnormalities in fronto-striatal function are core aspects underlying the disorder.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Center for Neuroscience, University of Colorado at Boulder, USA. vijay.mittal@colorado.edu
authors.forename: V A
authors.initials: VA
authors.lastname: Mittal
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Dean
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pelletier
mesh_terms: D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D003342:Corpus Striatum / Q000503:physiopathology; D003878:Dermatoglyphics; D005260:Female; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D012868:Skin Abnormalities / Q000175:diagnosis*; D055815:Young Adult