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Diao M, Demchenko I, Asare G, Chen Y, Debruille JB. Quantifying the effects of practicing a semantic task according to subclinical schizotypy. Sci Rep 2024; 14:2900. [PMID: 38316943 PMCID: PMC10844607 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-53468-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2023] [Accepted: 01/31/2024] [Indexed: 02/07/2024] Open
Abstract
The learning ability of individuals within the schizophrenia spectrum is crucial for their psychosocial rehabilitation. When selecting a treatment, it is thus essential to consider the impact of medications on practice effects, an important type of learning ability. To achieve this end goal, a pre-treatment test has to be developed and tested in healthy participants first. This is the aim of the current work, which takes advantage of the schizotypal traits present in these participants to preliminary assess the test's validity for use among patients. In this study, 47 healthy participants completed the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire (SPQ) and performed a semantic categorization task twice, with a 1.5-hour gap between sessions. Practice was found to reduce reaction times (RTs) in both low- and high-SPQ scorers. Additionally, practice decreased the amplitudes of the N400 event-related brain potentials elicited by semantically matching words in low SPQ scorers only, which shows the sensitivity of the task to schizotypy. Across the two sessions, both RTs and N400 amplitudes had good test-retest reliability. This task could thus be a valuable tool. Ongoing studies are currently evaluating the impact of fully deceptive placebos and of real antipsychotic medications on these practice effects. This round of research should subsequently assist psychiatrists in making informed decisions about selecting the most suitable medication for the psychosocial rehabilitation of a patient.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mingyi Diao
- Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Department of Neurosciences, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Ilya Demchenko
- Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Department of Neurosciences, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Gifty Asare
- Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Yelin Chen
- Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Department of Psychology, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - J Bruno Debruille
- Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Montreal, QC, Canada.
- Department of Neurosciences, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
- Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
- Department of Psychology, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
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Diao M, Demchenko I, Asare G, Quan J, Debruille JB. Finding normal-to-better neurocognitive indexes in individuals with schizotypal traits using a social role task. SCHIZOPHRENIA (HEIDELBERG, GERMANY) 2023; 9:66. [PMID: 37773255 PMCID: PMC10541438 DOI: 10.1038/s41537-023-00394-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2023] [Accepted: 09/11/2023] [Indexed: 10/01/2023]
Abstract
Schizophrenia patients make more errors and have longer reaction times (RTs) than healthy controls in most cognitive tasks. Deficits are also observed in subclinical participants having high scores on the schizotypal personality questionnaire (SPQ). They are accompanied by smaller amplitudes of the event-related brain potentials (ERPs) that index attention and semantic- and working-memory. These functions are thus thought to be impaired in individuals having various schizophrenia attributes (SzAs). Nevertheless, normal RTs were recently found in SzAs during a particular self-referential task where half of the stimuli were names of extraordinary social roles (e.g., genius). Each name (ordinary or extraordinary) was presented individually, and participants were asked to decide whether or not they would consider themselves performing the role at any moment of their lives. To further test an absence of cognitive deficits in this task, the ERPs elicited by names of social roles were also examined in 175 healthy participants. The absence of longer RTs in high- than in low-SPQs was replicated. Moreover, the ERPs of high SPQs had larger occipital N1s, larger P2s and larger occipital N400s than those of low SPQs while late positive potentials (LPPs) were of similar amplitudes. Such results are consistent with clinical observations of greater attention and faster processing of stimuli related to extraordinary/delusional beliefs. Further studies should test whether the cognitive deficits found in SzAs are due to the use of tasks and stimuli that are less within their focus of interest than within that of healthy controls.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mingyi Diao
- Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Montreal, Qc, Canada
- Department of Neurosciences, McGill University, Montreal, Qc, Canada
| | - Ilya Demchenko
- Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Montreal, Qc, Canada
- Department of Neurosciences, McGill University, Montreal, Qc, Canada
| | - Gifty Asare
- Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Montreal, Qc, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, Qc, Canada
| | - Jingyan Quan
- Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Montreal, Qc, Canada
- Department of Psychology, McGill University, Montreal, Qc, Canada
| | - J Bruno Debruille
- Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Montreal, Qc, Canada.
- Department of Neurosciences, McGill University, Montreal, Qc, Canada.
- Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, Qc, Canada.
- Department of Psychology, McGill University, Montreal, Qc, Canada.
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