ATTENTIONAL FUNCTIONING IN SCHIZOTYPAL PERSONALITY-DISORDER

Objective: Previous research has shown biological, phenomenological, a nd cognitive similarities between schizophrenic patients and individua ls with schizophrenia-related personality disorders and features. Evid ence further suggests that of these common dysfunctions, abnormal atte ntion is one of the most promising indicators of a biological suscepti bility to schizophrenia-related disorders. Although attentional dysfun ctions have been reliably defected in schizophrenic patients as well a s in a variety of populations at risk for schizophrenia, few studies h ave investigated attention in clinical patients with schizotypal perso nality disorder. In this study the extent of attentional impairment wa s assessed in subjects with schizotypal personality disorder, normal c omparison subjects, patients with other personality disorders, and sch izophrenic patients. Method: Thirty subjects with schizotypal personal ity disorder, 35 subjects with other personality disorders (i.e., clin ic patients with non-odd cluster personality disorders), 36 subjects w ith schizophrenia, and 20 comparison subjects who did not meet criteri a for any axis I or axis II disorder participated in this study. All s ubjects were diagnosed according to DSM-III criteria. Attention was as sessed by using the Continuous Performance Test, Identical Pairs Versi on. Results: Analyses indicated that subjects with schizotypal persona lity, disorder, like schizophrenic subjects, performed significantly w orse than comparison subjects on both the verbal and spatial tasks of the Continuous Performance Test, Identical Pairs Version. In contrast, patients with other personality disorders performed similarly to comp arison subjects across conditions. Conclusions: These results suggest that patients with schizotypal personality disorder are impaired in th eir attentional functioning relative to normal comparison subjects and that they display deficits that are similar to the pattern characteri zing schizophrenic patients.