The Backward Masking Red Light Effect in Schizophrenia: Relationship to Clinical Features and Neurocognitive Performance

    Authors

    J. S. Bedwell; Y. Rassovsky; D. M. Orem;V. Kamath

    Comments

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    Abbreviated Journal Title

    J. Abnorm. Psychol.

    Keywords

    schizophrenia; red light; magnocellular visual pathway; endophenotype; visual backward masking; MAGNOCELLULAR PATHWAY; VISUAL-CORTEX; COLOR; PERCEPTION; CHANNELS; MOTION; SYMPTOM; SYSTEM; Psychology, Clinical; Psychology, Multidisciplinary

    Abstract

    The "backward masking red light effect" involves a change in visual backward masking performance with a red (compared with a green or gray) background that is in the opposite direction relative to nonpsychiatric controls. This effect has been previously reported in individuals with schizophrenia, their first-degree relatives, and a schizotypy sample. The current study provides the first examination of the relationship of this effect with clinical and neurocognitive measures in a new sample of higher functioning patients with schizophrenia. A location backward masking by pattern task was administered to 16 outpatients with schizophrenia and 21 nonpsychiatric controls. The task was presented on red, green, and gray backgrounds. There was a significant group by color interaction at the 60-ms stimulus onset asynchrony: Participants with schizophrenia tended to decrease accuracy with a red (compared with a gray) background, whereas controls tended to increase accuracy. This interaction remained significant after covarying for baseline (gray) backward masking accuracy. In the schizophrenia patients, a decrease in backward masking accuracy to the red background was correlated with more negative symptoms, lower estimated premorbid IQ, and greater color word Stroop interference but was not related to positive or disorganized symptoms, age of onset, duration of illness, digit symbol coding performance, or baseline (gray) backward masking accuracy. In contrast, there was no relationship between the red light change score and any of the neurocognitive variables in the control group.

    Journal Title

    Journal of Abnormal Psychology

    Volume

    120

    Issue/Number

    2

    Publication Date

    1-1-2011

    Document Type

    Article

    Language

    English

    First Page

    490

    Last Page

    496

    WOS Identifier

    WOS:000290595900020

    ISSN

    0021-843X

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