Robert A Schug1, Adrian Raine, Rand R Wilcox. 1. Department of Psychology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089-1061, USA. schug@usc.edu
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Few studies have examined people with comorbid schizophrenia-spectrum personality disorder and antisocial personality disorder, a subgroup who may differ psychophysiologically and behaviourally from those with either condition alone. AIMS: To test whether individuals with both types of personality disorder are particularly characterised by reduced orienting and arousal and by increased criminal offending. METHOD: In a community adult sample, self-reported crime and skin conductance orienting were collected on four diagnostic groups: schizophrenia-spectrum personality disorder only; antisocial personality disorder only; comorbidity of the two disorders; and a control group. RESULTS: The comorbid group showed significantly higher levels of criminal behaviour than the other three groups. They also showed reduced skin conductance orienting to neutral tones compared with the other groups, and significantly reduced arousal and orienting to significant stimuli compared with the control group. CONCLUSIONS: Reduced orienting may reflect a neurocognitive attentional risk factor for both antisocial and schizotypal personality disorders that indirectly reflects a common neural substrate to these disorders.
BACKGROUND: Few studies have examined people with comorbid schizophrenia-spectrum personality disorder and antisocial personality disorder, a subgroup who may differ psychophysiologically and behaviourally from those with either condition alone. AIMS: To test whether individuals with both types of personality disorder are particularly characterised by reduced orienting and arousal and by increased criminal offending. METHOD: In a community adult sample, self-reported crime and skin conductance orienting were collected on four diagnostic groups: schizophrenia-spectrum personality disorder only; antisocial personality disorder only; comorbidity of the two disorders; and a control group. RESULTS: The comorbid group showed significantly higher levels of criminal behaviour than the other three groups. They also showed reduced skin conductance orienting to neutral tones compared with the other groups, and significantly reduced arousal and orienting to significant stimuli compared with the control group. CONCLUSIONS: Reduced orienting may reflect a neurocognitive attentional risk factor for both antisocial and schizotypal personality disorders that indirectly reflects a common neural substrate to these disorders.
Authors: Maria Casagrande; Andrea Marotta; Valeria Canepone; Alfredo Spagna; Caterina Rosa; Giancarlo Dimaggio; Augusto Pasini Journal: Cogn Process Date: 2017-03-11
Authors: Boris Schiffer; Norbert Leygraf; Bernhard W Müller; Norbert Scherbaum; Michael Forsting; Jens Wiltfang; Elke R Gizewski; Sheilagh Hodgins Journal: Schizophr Bull Date: 2012-09-26 Impact factor: 9.306