Title

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

Authors

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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