Faiola Eliana, Meyhöfer Inga, Ettinger Ulrich
Department of Psychology, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany.
Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Münster, Münster, Germany.
Cortex. 2020 Apr;125:190-202. doi: 10.1016/j.cortex.2019.12.008. Epub 2020 Jan 3.
Several studies suggest that highly schizotypal individuals display a deficit in smooth pursuit eye movements (SPEM), which are considered an important biomarker of schizophrenia. In schizophrenia, abnormal SPEM is thought to be driven by impairments in motion perception. In schizotypy, the processes underlying reduced SPEM performance have not been examined so far, and there are no studies on motion perception deficits in schizotypy. Thus, in this registered report, we aimed to investigate whether motion perception is impaired in highly schizotypal individuals, and how it contributes to SPEM performance. On an exploratory basis, we were interested in the association between schizotypy and prediction, another mechanism underlying SPEM. To address this issue, participants with high total scores of the Oxford-Liverpool Inventory of Feelings and Experiences (O-LIFE short form) and control participants with low scores (N = 86 in each group) performed a standard sinusoidal SPEM task, random dot kinematograms to measure motion perception, and a blanking SPEM task to assess prediction abilities. Group comparisons as well as mediator analyses were carried out to identify whether motion perception or prediction are responsible for SPEM performance in schizotypy. We found reduced blanking SPEM performance in schizotypes compared to controls, but no group differences regarding sinusoidal SPEM and motion perception. Although no significant mediators were identified for SPEM performance in schizotypes, an exploratory analysis revealed an association between motion perception and SPEM gain in high, but not in low schizotypy. Our findings imply that despite the schizotypy-related impairment in prediction, motion perception seems to be a more important predictor of SPEM performance in schizotypes. A deficit in prediction that does not relate to SPEM performance suggests that protective factors (e.g., other cognitive processes) might operate in schizotypal individuals to maintain SPEM performance on a healthy level.
多项研究表明，高度分裂型人格的个体在平稳跟踪眼球运动（SPEM）方面存在缺陷，而这被认为是精神分裂症的一项重要生物标志物。在精神分裂症中，异常的SPEM被认为是由运动感知障碍所驱动。在分裂型人格中，导致SPEM表现下降的潜在过程迄今尚未得到研究，且尚无关于分裂型人格中运动感知缺陷的研究。因此，在本预注册报告中，我们旨在研究高度分裂型人格的个体是否存在运动感知受损，以及它如何影响SPEM表现。基于探索目的，我们对分裂型人格与预测（SPEM的另一种潜在机制）之间的关联感兴趣。为解决这一问题，牛津-利物浦情感与体验量表（O-LIFE简表）总分高的参与者和总分低的对照参与者（每组N = 86）进行了标准正弦波SPEM任务、用于测量运动感知的随机点运动图以及用于评估预测能力的消隐SPEM任务。进行了组间比较以及中介分析，以确定运动感知或预测是否是分裂型人格中SPEM表现的原因。我们发现，与对照组相比，分裂型人格者的消隐SPEM表现下降，但在正弦波SPEM和运动感知方面没有组间差异。尽管未发现分裂型人格者SPEM表现的显著中介因素，但一项探索性分析显示，在高分裂型人格而非低分裂型人格中，运动感知与SPEM增益之间存在关联。我们的研究结果表明，尽管分裂型人格与预测能力受损有关，但运动感知似乎是分裂型人格中SPEM表现的更重要预测因素。与SPEM表现无关的预测缺陷表明，保护因素（例如其他认知过程）可能在分裂型人格个体中发挥作用，以使SPEM表现维持在健康水平。
