Elsevier

NeuroImage: Clinical

Volume 11, 2016, Pages 770-779
NeuroImage: Clinical

Neurophysiological evidence of impaired self-monitoring in schizotypal personality disorder and its reversal by dopaminergic antagonism

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nicl.2016.05.019Get rights and content
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open access

Highlights

  • We assessed self-monitoring in schizotypal personality disorder (SPD) using ERPs.

  • SPD patients showed reduced amplitude of the error-related negativity (ERN).

  • Dopamine antagonism improved behavior and enhanced the ERN in patients only.

  • An inhibited ERN is a potential endophenotype of schizophrenia-spectrum disorders.

  • Results show impaired self-monitoring in SPD associated with dopamine disbalance.

Abstract

Background

Schizotypal personality disorder (SPD) is a schizophrenia-spectrum disorder characterized by odd or bizarre behavior, strange speech, magical thinking, unusual perceptual experiences, and social anhedonia. Schizophrenia proper has been associated with anomalies in dopaminergic neurotransmission and deficits in neurophysiological markers of self-monitoring, such as low amplitude in cognitive event-related brain potentials (ERPs) like the error-related negativity (ERN), and the error positivity (Pe). These components occur after performance errors, rely on adequate fronto-striatal function, and are sensitive to dopaminergic modulation. Here we postulated that analogous to observations in schizophrenia, SPD individuals would show deficits in self-monitoring, as measured by the ERN and the Pe. We also assessed the capacity of dopaminergic antagonists to reverse these postulated deficits.

Methods

We recorded the electroencephalogram (EEG) from 9 SPD individuals and 12 healthy controls in two separate experimental sessions while they performed the Eriksen Flanker Task, a classical task recruiting behavioral monitoring. Participants received a placebo or 1 mg risperidone according to a double-blind randomized design.

Results

After placebo, SPD individuals showed slower reaction times to hits, longer correction times following errors and reduced ERN and Pe amplitudes. While risperidone impaired performance and decreased ERN and Pe in the control group, it led to behavioral improvements and ERN amplitude increases in the SPD individuals.

Conclusions

These results indicate that SPD individuals show deficits in self-monitoring analogous to those in schizophrenia. These deficits can be evidenced by neurophysiological measures, suggest a dopaminergic imbalance, and can be reverted by dopaminergic antagonists.

Keywords

Schizotypal personality disorder
Behavioral monitoring
Neurophysiology
Error-related negativity
Dopaminergic antagonism

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