Lateralized P3 deficit in schizotypal personality disorder

Background: Reduced, left-lateralized P3 amplitude has been reported in sev eral studies focusing on electrophysiologic function in schizophrenia. Also , several lines of evidence suggest a similarity between schizophrenia and schizotypal personality disorder (SPD), This study was undertaken to determ ine the replicability of our previous finding of a left-lateralized P3 ampl itude deficit in SPD. Methods: We recorded event-related potentials in 21 SPD and 18 normal contr ol subjects in an auditory "oddball" P3 paradigm. Results: In the SPD subjects, but not in the control subjects, there was lo wer P3 amplitude at T3 compared with T4. Conclusions: These results are similar to the ones in our previous work and further support the presence of a left-lateralized P3 deficit in SPD. (C) 2000 Society of Biological Psychiatry.