Etiology of Structural Asymmetry in Schizophrenia: An Alternative HypothesisBrancha, H. Stefan
doi: 10.1093/schbul/17.4.551pmid: 1805348
During normal development of the fetal brain, the left hemisphere lags behind the right hemisphere in intrauterine growth, causing the left hemisphere to be smaller than the right hemisphere throughout the early and mid-prenatal period. By the end of the second trimester, the right hemisphere has achieved almost full-term size; thus second-trimester injuries affecting neurons, that is, anoxic, ischemic, toxic, or infectious insults that are systemic and bilateral, will affect the left hemisphere more than the right hemisphere. While other explanations for brain asymmetries in schizophrenia have been proposed, the embryological literature is consistent with the hypothesis that a prenatal injury may be one etiological factor in producing the structural brain asymmetries seen in psychotic adult patients.
Etiology of Structural Asymmetry in Schizophrenia: An Alternative HypothesisBracha, H., Stefan
doi: 10.1093/schbul/17.4.551pmid: 1805348
Abstract During normal development of the fetal brain, the left hemisphere lags behind the right hemisphere in intrauterine growth, causing the left hemisphere to be smaller than the right hemisphere throughout the early and mid-prenatal period. By the end of the second trimester, the right hemisphere has achieved almost full-term size; thus second-trimester injuries affecting neurons, that is, anoxic, ischemic, toxic, or infectious insults that are systemic and bilateral, will affect the left hemisphere more than the right hemisphere. While other explanations for brain asymmetries in schizophrenia have been proposed, the embryological literature is consistent with the hypothesis that a prenatal injury may be one etiological factor in producing the structural brain asymmetries seen in psychotic adult patients. This content is only available as a PDF. © Oxford University Press
The SPQ: A Scale for the Assessment of Schizotypal Personality Based on DSM-III-R CriteriaRaine,, Adrian
doi: 10.1093/schbul/17.4.555pmid: 1805349
Abstract Existing self-report measures of schizotypal personality assess only one to three of the nine traits of schizotypal personality disorder. This study describes the development of the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire (SPQ), a self-report scale modeled on DSM-III-R criteria for schizotypal personality disorder and containing subscales for all nine schizotypal traits. Two samples of normal subjects (n = 302 and n = 195) were used to test replicability of findings. The SPQ was found to have high sampling validity, high internal reliability (0.91), test-retest reliability (0.82), convergent validity (0.59 to 0.81), discriminant validity, and criterion validity (0.63, 0.68), findings which were replicated across samples. Fifty-five percent of subjects scoring in the top 10 percent of SPQ scores had a clinical diagnosis of schizotypal personality disorder. Thus, the SPQ may be useful in screening for schizotypal personality disorder in the general population and also in researching the correlates of individual schizotypal traits. This content is only available as a PDF. © Oxford University Press
The SPQ: A Scale for the Assessment of Schizotypal Personality Based on DSMIIIR CriteriaRaine, Adrian
doi: 10.1093/schbul/17.4.555pmid: 1805349
Existing self-report measures of schizotypal personality assess only one to three of the nine traits of schizotypal personality disorder. This study describes the development of the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire (SPQ), a self-report scale modeled on DSM–III–R criteria for schizotypal personality disorder and containing subscales for all nine schizotypal traits. Two samples of normal subjects (n = 302 and n = 195) were used to test replicability of findings. The SPQ was found to have high sampling validity, high internal reliability (0.91), test-retest reliability (0.82), convergent validity (0.59 to 0.81), discriminant validity, and criterion validity (0.63, 0.68), findings which were replicated across samples. Fifty-five percent of subjects scoring in the top 10 percent of SPQ scores had a clinical diagnosis of schizotypal personality disorder. Thus, the SPQ may be useful in screening for schizotypal personality disorder in the general population and also in researching the correlates of individual schizotypal traits.
Assessment of Enduring Deficit and Negative Symptom Subtypes in SchizophreniaMueser, Kim, T.;Douglas, Margaret, S.;Bellack, Alan, S.;Morrison, Randall, L.
doi: 10.1093/schbul/17.4.565pmid: 1805350
Abstract The clinical importance of subtypes based on enduring deficit or negative symptoms was examined in a group of schizophrenic patients who were assessed twice over a 1-year period. Subgroups of patients with high levels of enduring negative or deficit symptoms, based on the Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms and the Quality of Life Scale, had a poorer prognosis and were consistently worse in social adjustment, quality of life, and thought disorder over the year than were patients with less severe negative symptoms. Subtypes based on Andreasen's negative schizophrenia classification and on enduring thought disorder were only weakly related to other symptoms and social adjustment. Social-skill deficits were weakly related to the enduring negative symptom subtype and Andreasen's negative schizophrenia. The results suggest that enduring negative and deficit symptoms may be associated with a poor outcome in schizophrenia, including more severe positive symptoms, lower levels of social adjustment, and a poorer quality of life. This content is only available as a PDF. © Oxford University Press