The backward masking red light effect and schizotypy: The influence of sex

    Authors

    J. S. Bedwell; D. C. Hernandez;A. Y. Ranieri

    Comments

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    Abbreviated Journal Title

    Psychiatry Res.

    Keywords

    Schizotypal; Schizophrenia; Visual backward masking; Magnocellular; visual pathway; Early visual processing; Endophenotype; MAGNOCELLULAR PATHWAY; PERSONALITY-DISORDER; SCHIZOPHRENIA; PERCEPTION; COLOR; CHANNELS; PHENOTYPE; RELATIVES; SYSTEM; MOTION; Psychiatry

    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. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

    Journal Title

    Psychiatry Research

    Volume

    189

    Issue/Number

    2

    Publication Date

    1-1-2011

    Document Type

    Article

    Language

    English

    First Page

    228

    Last Page

    232

    WOS Identifier

    WOS:000295748200012

    ISSN

    0165-1781

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