title: Novel evidence that attributing affectively salient signal to random noise is associated with psychosis.
abstract: We wished to replicate evidence that an experimental paradigm of speech illusions is associated with psychotic experiences. Fifty-four patients with a first episode of psychosis (FEP) and 150 healthy subjects were examined in an experimental paradigm assessing the presence of speech illusion in neutral white noise. Socio-demographic, cognitive function and family history data were collected. The Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) was administered in the patient group and the Structured Interview for Schizotypy-Revised (SIS-R), and the Community Assessment of Psychic Experiences (CAPE) in the control group. Patients had a much higher rate of speech illusions (33.3% versus 8.7%, ORadjusted: 5.1, 95% CI: 2.3-11.5), which was only partly explained by differences in IQ (ORadjusted: 3.4, 95% CI: 1.4-8.3). Differences were particularly marked for signals in random noise that were perceived as affectively salient (ORadjusted: 9.7, 95% CI: 1.8-53.9). Speech illusion tended to be associated with positive symptoms in patients (ORadjusted: 3.3, 95% CI: 0.9-11.6), particularly affectively salient illusions (ORadjusted: 8.3, 95% CI: 0.7-100.3). In controls, speech illusions were not associated with positive schizotypy (ORadjusted: 1.1, 95% CI: 0.3-3.4) or self-reported psychotic experiences (ORadjusted: 1.4, 95% CI: 0.4-4.6). Experimental paradigms indexing the tendency to detect affectively salient signals in noise may be used to identify liability to psychosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience, University of the Basque Country, Basque Country, Spain; Department of Psychiatry, Basurto University Hospital, Bilbao, Spain.
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Catalan
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychology, South Limburg Mental Health Research and Teaching Network, EURON, Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, The Netherlands; GGzE, Eindhoven, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Claudia J P
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Simons
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience, University of the Basque Country, Basque Country, Spain; Department of Psychiatry, Basurto University Hospital, Bilbao, Spain.
authors.forename: Sonia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bustamante
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychology, South Limburg Mental Health Research and Teaching Network, EURON, Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Marjan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Drukker
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Basurto University Hospital, Bilbao, Spain.
authors.forename: Aranzazu
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Madrazo
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience, University of the Basque Country, Basque Country, Spain.
authors.forename: Maider Gonzalez
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: de Artaza
authors.affiliation: Research Unit REDISSEC, Basurto University Hospital, Bilbao, Spain.
authors.forename: Iñigo
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Gorostiza
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychology, South Limburg Mental Health Research and Teaching Network, EURON, Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, The Netherlands; King's College London, King's Health Partners, Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Jim
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: van Os
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience, University of the Basque Country, Basque Country, Spain; Department of Psychiatry, Basurto University Hospital, Bilbao, Spain.
authors.forename: Miguel A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Gonzalez-Torres
mesh_terms: D000161:Acoustic Stimulation; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007088:Illusions; D007360:Intelligence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009622:Noise; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D013067:Speech Perception