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Abstract There is increasing recognition of ‘higher preference for eveningness’ as a potential independent risk factor for poor mental health. To examine the chronotype-mental health relationship while also quantifying the potential roles of poor sleep quality, relevant personality traits, and childhood trauma, we assessed 282 young adults (18–40 years; 195 females) residing in North India, between January and March 2023 (to control for seasonal variation), using self-report measures of diurnal preference, sleep patterns, mental health (depression, anxiety, and stress), personality traits (extraversion, neuroticism, schizotypy, and impulsivity), and childhood trauma. The results showed a significant association between eveningness and poor mental health but this association was fully mediated by poor sleep quality. Neuroticism, emotional abuse and cognitive disorganisation were correlated with eveningness as well as with poor mental health and sleep quality. Neuroticism and emotional abuse, but not cognitive disorganisation, also had indirect effects on mental health via sleep quality. Our findings highlight the crucial role played by sleep quality in the chronotype-mental health relationship.

Abstract Temporal discounting (TD), the tendency to devalue future rewards as a function of delay until receipt, is aberrant in many mental disorders. Identifying symptom patterns and transdiagnostic dimensions associated with TD could elucidate mechanisms responsible for clinically impaired decision-making and facilitate identifying intervention targets. Here, we tested in a general population sample (N = 731) the extent to which TD was related to different symptom patterns and whether effects of time framing (dates/delay units) and monetary magnitude (large/small) had particularly strong effects in people scoring higher on specific symptom patterns. Analyses revealed that TD was related to symptom patterns loading on anxious-depression and inattention-impulsivity-overactivity dimensions. Moreover, TD was lower in the date than the delay version and with higher magnitudes, especially in people scoring higher on the inattention-impulsivity-overactivity dimension. Overall, this study provides evidence for TD as a transdiagnostic process across affective and impulsivity-related dimensions. Future studies should test framing interventions in clinical populations characterized by impulsivity. Preregistration: This research was preregistered at https://osf.io/fg9sc .

Background: There is considerable evidence supporting the elevated risk of mental health problems in individuals with evening chronotype relative to those with morning or intermediate chronotypes. Recent data, however, suggest that this risk may be explained, at least partially, by poor sleep quality. Methods: This study aimed to further clarify the roles of chronotype and sleep quality in mental health outcomes (depression, anxiety, stress) in young individuals (18–40 years) living in the UK (n = 185) or Germany (n = 209). Results: Consistent with our recent observations in a comparable North Indian sample, we found that poor quality of sleep had significantly positive associations with adverse mental health outcomes both in the UK and Germany-based samples. Significant associations between evening chronotype and poor mental health were also evident, but these associations were fully mediated by poor quality of sleep in both samples. Conclusions: These observations suggest that efforts to identify sleep disruption in a timely manner and promotion of good sleep may prevent mental health problems, especially in individuals with evening chronotype and other known risks for mental disorders.

Abstract Background Creatine is an organic compound that facilitates the recycling of energy-providing adenosine triphosphate (ATP) in muscle and brain tissue. It is a safe, well-studied supplement for strength training. Previous studies have shown that supplementation increases brain creatine levels, which might increase cognitive performance. The results of studies that have tested cognitive performance differ greatly, possibly due to different populations, supplementation regimens, and cognitive tasks. This is the largest study on the effect of creatine supplementation on cognitive performance to date. Methods Our trial was preregistered, cross-over, double-blind, placebo-controlled, and randomised, with daily supplementation of 5 g for 6 weeks each. We tested participants on Raven’s Advanced Progressive Matrices (RAPM) and on the Backward Digit Span (BDS). In addition, we included eight exploratory cognitive tests. About half of our 123 participants were vegetarians and half were omnivores. Results Bayesian evidence supported a small beneficial effect of creatine. The creatine effect bordered significance for BDS (p = 0.064, η 2 P = 0.029) but not RAPM (p = 0.327, η 2 P = 0.008). There was no indication that creatine improved the performance of our exploratory cognitive tasks. Side effects were reported significantly more often for creatine than for placebo supplementation (p = 0.002, RR = 4.25). Vegetarians did not benefit more from creatine than omnivores. Conclusions Our study, in combination with the literature, implies that creatine might have a small beneficial effect. Larger studies are needed to confirm or rule out this effect. Given the safety and broad availability of creatine, this is well worth investigating; a small effect could have large benefits when scaled over time and over many people. Trial registration The trial was prospectively registered (drks.de identifier: DRKS00017250, https://osf.io/xpwkc/ ).

Abstract Schizophrenia is associated with various deficits in social cognition that remain relatively unaltered by antipsychotic treatment. While faulty glutamate signaling has been associated with general cognitive deficits as well as negative symptoms of schizophrenia, no direct link between manipulation of glutamate signaling and deficits in mentalizing has been demonstrated thus far. Here, we experimentally investigated whether ketamine, an uncompetitive N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonist known to induce psychotomimetic effects, influences mentalizing and its neural correlates. In a randomized, placebo-controlled between-subjects experiment, we intravenously administered ketamine or placebo to healthy participants performing a video-based social cognition task during functional magnetic resonance imaging. Psychotomimetic effects of ketamine were assessed using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale. Compared to placebo, ketamine led to significantly more psychotic symptoms and reduced mentalizing performance (more “no mentalizing” errors). Ketamine also influenced blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) response during mentalizing compared to placebo. Specifically, ketamine increased BOLD in right posterior superior temporal sulcus (pSTS) and increased connectivity between pSTS and anterior precuneus. These increases may reflect a dysfunctional shift of attention induced by ketamine that leads to mentalizing deficits. Our findings show that a psychotomimetic dose of ketamine impairs mentalizing and influences its neural correlates, a result compatible with the notion that deficient glutamate signaling may contribute to deficits in mentalizing in schizophrenia. The results also support efforts to seek novel psychopharmacological treatments for psychosis and schizophrenia targeting glutamatergic transmission.

AbstractThe link between brain structural connectivity and schizotypy was explored in two healthy participant cohorts, collected at two different neuroimaging centres, comprising 140 and 115 participants, respectively. The participants completed the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire (SPQ), through which their schizotypy scores were calculated. Diffusion-MRI data were used to perform tractography and to generate the structural brain networks of the participants. The edges of the networks were weighted with the inverse radial diffusivity. Graph theoretical metrics of the default mode, sensorimotor, visual, and auditory subnetworks were derived and their correlation coefficients with the schizotypy scores were calculated. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that graph theoretical measures of structural brain networks are investigated in relation to schizotypy. A positive correlation was found between the schizotypy score and the mean node degree and mean clustering coefficient of the sensorimotor and the default mode subnetworks. The nodes driving these correlations were the right postcentral gyrus, the left paracentral lobule, the right superior frontal gyrus, the left parahippocampal gyrus, and the bilateral precuneus, that is, nodes that exhibit compromised functional connectivity in schizophrenia. Implications for schizophrenia and schizotypy are discussed.

Abstract Background Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is characterized by substantial interindividual heterogeneity that challenges the systematic assessment and treatment. Considering mixed evidence from previous neurofeedback research, we present a novel feedback system that relies on gaze behavior to detect signs of inattention while performing a neuropsychological attention task in a virtual seminar room. More specifically, an audiovisual feedback was given whenever participants averted their gaze from the given task. Methods Eighteen adults with ADHD and 18 healthy controls performed a continuous performance task (CPT) in virtual reality under three counterbalanced conditions in which either gaze-based feedback, sham feedback, or no feedback was provided. In all conditions, phases of high and low virtual distraction alternated. CPT errors and reaction times, proportions of gaze dwell times (e.g., task focus or distraction focus), saccade characteristics, EEG theta/beta ratios, head movements, and an experience sampling of ADHD symptoms were analyzed. Results While patients can be discriminated well from healthy controls in that they showed more omission errors, higher reaction times, higher distraction-related dwell times, and more head movements, the feedback did not immediately improve task performance. It was also indicated that sham feedback was rather associated with an aggravation of symptoms in patients. Conclusions Our findings demonstrate sufficient suitability and specificity for this holistic ADHD symptom assessment. Regarding the feedback, a single-session training was insufficient to achieve learning effects based on the proposed metacognitive strategies. Future longitudinal, multi-session trials should conclusively examine the therapeutic efficacy of gaze-based virtual reality attention training in ADHD. Trial registration drks.de (identifier: DRKS00022370).

Abstract To identify cognitive measures that may be particularly sensitive to early cognitive decline in preclinical Alzheimer’s disease (AD), we investigated the relation between genetic risk for AD and cognitive task performance in a large population-based cohort study. We measured performance on memory, processing speed, executive function, crystallized intelligence and eye movement tasks in 5182 participants of the Rhineland Study, aged 30 to 95 years. We quantified genetic risk for AD by creating three weighted polygenic risk scores (PRS) based on the genome-wide significant single-nucleotide polymorphisms coming from three different genetic association studies. We assessed the relation of AD PRS with cognitive performance using generalized linear models. Three PRS were associated with lower performance on the Corsi forward task, and two PRS were associated with a lower probability of correcting antisaccade errors, but none of these associations remained significant after correction for multiple testing. Associations between age and trail-making test A (TMT-A) performance were modified by AD genetic risk, with individuals at high genetic risk showing the strongest association. We conclude that no single measure of our cognitive test battery robustly captures genetic liability for AD as quantified by current PRS. However, Corsi forward performance and the probability of correcting antisaccade errors may represent promising candidates whose ability to capture genetic liability for AD should be investigated further. Additionally, our finding on TMT-A performance suggests that processing speed represents a sensitive marker of AD genetic risk in old age and supports the processing speed theory of age-related cognitive decline.

This study highlights psychometric properties and evidence of construct validity on parcel-level for questionnaires on the original and revised reinforcement sensitivity theory. Our data (N = 1,076) suggest good to very good psychometric properties and moderate to excellent internal consistencies. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) models suggest a very good model fit for the first-order, four factor models of the Carver-White BIS/BAS scales, Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory – Personality Questionnaire (RST-PQ), the two-factor model of revised Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory-Questionnaire (rRST-Q) and for the bifactor model of the Conflict Monitoring Questionnaire (CMQ-44). The CMQ-44 extends the psychometric measurement of previous trait-(r)BIS and trait-BAS scales. Factor scores of CMQ-44 cognitive demand correlate positively with factor scores of Carver-White BIS and all Carver-White BAS subfactors except RST-PQ-Impulsivity suggesting that CMQ-44 cognitive demand addresses Carver-White trait-BIS specifically and more generally the trait-BAS core. CMQ-44 anticipation of negative consequences and response adaptation correlate negatively with trait-BAS, whereas the second-order factor performance monitoring extends the rRST trait-space and correlates positively with trait-BAS.

Abstract It is unclear whether early psychosis in the context of cannabis use is different from psychosis without cannabis. We investigated this issue by examining whether abnormalities in oculomotor control differ between patients with psychosis with and without a history of cannabis use. We studied four groups: patients in the early phase of psychosis with a history of cannabis use (EPC; n = 28); patients in the early phase of psychosis without (EPNC; n = 25); controls with a history of cannabis use (HCC; n = 16); and controls without (HCNC; n = 22). We studied smooth pursuit eye movements using a stimulus with sinusoidal waveform at three target frequencies (0.2, 0.4 and 0.6 Hz). Participants also performed 40 antisaccade trials. There were no differences between the EPC and EPNC groups in diagnosis, symptom severity or level of functioning. We found evidence for a cannabis effect (χ 2 = 23.14, p

The pineal gland (PG) is a small interhemispheric brain structure that influences human physiology in many ways, most importantly via secretion of the hormone melatonin which is known to regulate sleep and wakefulness. Here, we systematically reviewed existing neuroimaging studies of PG structure, and/or melatonin release (MLT) in psychosis and mood disorders. Medline, PubMed, and Web of Science databases were searched (on 3 February 2023), yielding 36 studies (8 PG volume, 24 MLT). The findings showed smaller-than-normal PG volume in people with schizophrenia, regardless of symptom severity and illness stage; and smaller-than-normal PG volume in major depression, with some indication of this being present only in certain subgroups, or in those with high scores on the ‘loss of interest’ symptom. There was considerable evidence of lower-than-normal MLT as well as aberrant MLT secretion pattern in schizophrenia. A similar picture, though less consistent than that seen in schizophrenia, emerged in major depression and bipolar disorder, with some evidence of a transient lowering of MLT following the initiation of certain antidepressants in drug-withdrawn patients. Overall, PG and MLT aberrations appear to represent transdiagnostic biomarkers for psychosis and mood disorders, but further work is needed to establish their clinical correlates and treatment implications.

When we follow a slowly moving target with our eyes, we perform smooth pursuit eye movements (SPEM). Previous investigations point to significantly and robustly reduced SPEM performance in the presence of a stationary background and at higher compared to lower target velocities. However, the reliability of these background and target velocity effects has not yet been investigated systematically.To address this issue, 45 healthy participants (17 m, 28 f) took part in two experimental sessions 7 days apart. In each session, participants were instructed to follow a horizontal SPEM target moving sinusoidally between ±7.89° at three different target velocities, corresponding to frequencies of 0.2, 0.4 and 0.6 Hz. Each target velocity was presented once with and once without a stationary background, resulting in six blocks. The blocks were presented twice per session in order to additionally explore potential task length effects. To assess SPEM performance, velocity gain was calculated as the ratio of eye to target velocity.In line with previous research, detrimental background and target velocity effects were replicated robustly in both sessions with large effect sizes. Good to excellent test-retest reliabilities were obtained at higher target velocities and in the presence of a stationary background, whereas lower reliabilities occurred with slower targets and in the absence of background stimuli. Target velocity and background effects resulted in largely good to excellent reliabilities.These findings not only replicated robust experimental effects of background and target velocity at group level, but also revealed that these effects can be translated into reliable individual difference measures.

Schizotypy refers to the continuum of normal variability of psychosis-like characteristics and experiences, often classified as positive schizotypy (‘unusual experiences’; UE) and negative schizotypy (‘introvertive anhedonia’; IA). Here, we investigated the link between schizotypy and cognitive processing style and performance. A particular focus was on whether schizotypy is associated more with Type 1 (automatic/heuristic) than Type 2 (reflective/effortful) processes, as may be expected from findings of impaired top-down control in schizophrenia. A large sample (n = 1,512) completed online measures pertaining to schizotypy (Oxford-Liverpool Inventory for Feelings and Experiences; O-LIFE), thinking style (Rational Experiential Inventory-10, Actively Open-Minded Thinking Scale), and reasoning performance (Cognitive Reflection Test). Higher positive (UE) and negative (IA) schizotypy were associated with more pronounced Type 1 processing, i.e. greater self-reported Faith in Intuition (FI), lower Need for Cognition (NFC), lower Actively Open-Minded Thinking (AOT), and lower cognitive reflection test (CRT) scores. Canonical correlation analysis confirmed a significant association between UE and increased FI, lower AOT and lower CRT performance, accounting for 12.38% of the shared variance between schizotypy and thinking dispositions. IA was more highly associated with reduced NFC. These findings suggest that schizotypy may be associated with similar thinking dispositions to those reported in psychosis, with different patterns of associations for positive and negative schizotypy. This result informs research on reasoning processes in psychosis and has clinical implications, including potential treatment targets and refinements for cognitive therapies.

Intertemporal choice involves deciding between smaller, sooner and larger, later rewards. People tend to prefer smaller rewards that are available earlier to larger rewards available later, a phenomenon referred to as temporal or delay discounting. Despite its ubiquity in human and non-human animals, temporal discounting is subject to considerable individual differences. Here, we provide a critical narrative review of this literature and make suggestions for future work. We conclude that temporal discounting is associated with key socio-economic and health-related variables. Regarding personality, large-scale studies have found steeper temporal discounting to be associated with higher levels of self-reported impulsivity and extraversion; however, effect sizes are small. Temporal discounting correlates negatively with future-oriented cognitive styles and inhibitory control, again with small effect sizes. There are consistent associations between steeper temporal discounting and lower intelligence, with effect sizes exceeding those of personality or cognitive variables, although socio-demographic moderator variables may play a role. Neuroimaging evidence of brain structural and functional correlates is not yet consistent, neither with regard to areas nor directions of effects. Finally, following early candidate gene studies, recent Genome Wide Association Study (GWAS) approaches have revealed the molecular genetic architecture of temporal discounting to be more complex than initially thought. Overall, the study of individual differences in temporal discounting is a maturing field that has produced some replicable findings. Effect sizes are small-to-medium, necessitating future hypothesis-driven work that prioritizes large samples with adequate power calculations. More research is also needed regarding the neural origins of individual differences in temporal discounting as well as the mediating neural mechanisms of associations of temporal discounting with personality and cognitive variables.

Gray’s theory of personality postulates that fear and anxiety are distinct emotional systems with only the latter being sensitive to anxiolytic drugs. His work was mainly based on animal research, and translational studies validating his theory are scarce. Previous work in humans showed an influence of the benzodiazepine lorazepam on both systems, however, dependent on dosage (1 and 2 mg) and personality differences in negative emotionality. The present study aims to replicate these findings, and in addition tests the drug threshold effect by introducing a lower dosage of 0.5 mg lorazepam. Fifty healthy adults (23 males, agemean 22.40, SD ± 3.68) participated in an experimental threat-avoidance paradigm designed to dissociate risk assessment intensity (RAI, reflecting anxiety) and flight intensity (FI, reflecting fear) and completed two self-report questionnaires assessing facets of negative emotionality (Spielberger State Trait Anxiety Inventory and Fear Survey Schedule). In a randomized placebo-controlled within-subjects design, 0.5 and 1 mg of lorazepam were applied per os. Saccadic peak velocity was assessed by means of eye-tracking in order to control for sedating drug effects. Results showed the expected and specific anxiolytic effect of lorazepam on RAI, however, only in the 0.5 mg condition. FI was not influenced by lorazepam, and previous findings of interaction effects of lorazepam with self-reported negative emotionality could not be corroborated. Overall, this study demonstrates anxiolytic effects of lorazepam in dosages ≤1 mg in the absence of a drug effect on fear using a translational behavioural task. However, a putative moderating role of personality on defensive behaviour has to be clarified in future research.

As demonstrated by neuroimaging data, the human brain contains systems that control responses to threat. The revised Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory of personality predicts that individual differences in the reactivity of these brain systems produce anxiety and fear-related personality traits. Here we discuss some of the challenges in testing this theory and, as an example, present a pilot study that aimed to dissociate brain activity during pursuit by threat and goal conflict. We did this by translating the Mouse Defense Test Battery for human fMRI use. In this version, dubbed the Joystick Operated Runway Task (JORT), we repeatedly exposed 24 participants to pursuit and goal conflict, with and without threat of electric shock. The runway design of JORT allowed the effect of threat distance on brain activation to be evaluated independently of context. Goal conflict plus threat of electric shock caused deactivation in a network of brain areas that included the fusiform and middle temporal gyri, as well as the default mode network core, including medial frontal regions, precuneus and posterior cingulate gyrus, and laterally the inferior parietal and angular gyri. Consistent with earlier research, we also found that imminent threat activated the midbrain and that this effect was significantly stronger during the simple pursuit condition than during goal conflict. Also consistent with earlier research, we found significantly greater hippocampal activation during goal conflict than pursuit by imminent threat. In conclusion, our results contribute knowledge to theories linking anxiety disorders to altered functioning in defensive brain systems and also highlight challenges in this research domain.

Despite growing evidence for demonstrated efficacy of mindfulness in various disorders, there is a continuous concern about the relationship between mindfulness practice and psychosis. As schizotypy is part of the psychosis spectrum, we examined the relationship between long-term mindfulness practice and schizotypy in two independent studies. Study 1 included 24 experienced mindfulness practitioners (19 males) from the Buddhist tradition (meditators) and 24 meditation-naïve individuals (all males). Study 2 consisted of 28 meditators and 28 meditation-naïve individuals (all males). All participants completed the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire (Raine, 1991), a self-report scale containing 9 subscales (ideas of reference, excessive social anxiety, magical thinking, unusual perceptual experiences, odd/eccentric behavior, no close friends, odd speech, constricted affect, suspiciousness). Participants of study 2 also completed the Five-Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire which assesses observing (Observe), describing (Describe), acting with awareness (Awareness), non-judging of (Non-judgment) and non-reactivity to inner experience (Non-reactivity) facets of trait mindfulness. In both studies, meditators scored significantly lower on suspiciousness and higher on magical thinking compared to meditation-naïve individuals and showed a trend towards lower scores on excessive social anxiety. Excessive social anxiety correlated negatively with Awareness and Non-judgment; and suspiciousness with Awareness, Non-judgment and Non-reactivity facets across both groups. The two groups did not differ in their total schizotypy score. We conclude that mindfulness practice is not associated with an overall increase in schizotypal traits. Instead, the pattern suggests that mindfulness meditation, particularly with an emphasis on the Awareness, Non-judgment and Non-reactivity aspects, may help to reduce suspiciousness and excessive social anxiety.

Environmental noise causes cognitive impairment, particularly in executive function and episodic memory domains, in healthy populations. However, the possible moderating influences on this relationship are less clear. This study assessed 54 healthy participants (24 men) on a cognitive battery (measuring psychomotor speed, attention, executive function, working memory, and verbal learning and memory) under three (quiet, urban, and social) noise conditions. IQ, subjective noise sensitivity, sleep, personality, paranoia, depression, anxiety, stress, and schizotypy were assessed on a single occasion. We found significantly slower psychomotor speed (urban), reduced working memory and episodic memory (urban and social), and more cautious decision-making (executive function, urban) under noise conditions. There was no effect of sex. Variance in urban noise-induced changes in psychomotor speed, attention, Trail Making B-A (executive function), and immediate recall and social noise-induced changes in verbal fluency (executive function) and immediate recall were explained by a combination of baseline cognition and paranoia, noise sensitivity, sleep, or cognitive disorganization. Higher baseline cognition (but not IQ) predicted greater impairment under urban and social noise for most cognitive variables. Paranoia predicted psychomotor speed, attention, and executive function impairment. Subjective noise sensitivity predicted executive function and memory impairment. Poor sleep quality predicted less memory impairment. Finally, lower levels of cognitive disorganization predicted slower psychomotor speed and greater memory impairment. The identified moderators should be considered in studies aiming to reduce the detrimental effects of occupational and residential noise. These results highlight the importance of studying noise effects in clinical populations characterized by high levels of the paranoia, sleep disturbances, noise sensitivity, and cognitive disorganization.

Increasing evidence indicates that patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) exhibit alterations in fronto-striatal circuitry. Performance deficits in the antisaccade task would support this model, but results from previous small-scale studies have been inconclusive as either increased error rates, prolonged antisaccade latencies, both or neither have been reported in OCD patients. In order to address this issue, we investigated antisaccade performance in a large sample of OCD patients (n = 169) and matched control subjects (n = 183). As impaired antisaccade performance constitutes a potential endophenotype of OCD, unaffected first-degree relatives of OCD patients (n = 100) were assessed, as well. Furthermore, we conducted a quantitative meta-analysis to integrate our data with previous findings. In the empirical study, OCD patients exhibited significantly increased antisaccade latencies, intra-subject variability (ISV) of antisaccade latencies, and antisaccade error rates. The latter effect was driven by errors with express latency (80–130 ms), as patients did not differ significantly from controls with regards to regular errors (>130 ms). Notably, unaffected relatives of OCD patients showed elevated antisaccade express error rates and increased ISV of antisaccade latencies, as well. Antisaccade performance was not associated with state anxiety within groups. Among relatives, however, we observed a significant correlation between antisaccade error rate and harm avoidance. Medication status of OCD patients, symptom severity, depressive comorbidity, comorbid anxiety disorders and OCD symptom dimensions did not significantly affect antisaccade performance. Meta-analysis of 10 previous and the present empirical study yielded a medium-sized effect (SMD = 0.48, p < 0.001) for higher error rates in OCD patients, while the effect for latencies did not reach significance owing to strong heterogeneity (SMD = 0.51, p = 0.069). Our results support the assumption of impaired antisaccade performance in OCD, although effects sizes were only moderately large. Furthermore, we provide the first evidence that increased antisaccade express error rates and ISV of antisaccade latencies may constitute endophenotypes of OCD. Findings regarding these more detailed antisaccade parameters point to potentially underlying mechanisms, such as early pre-stimulus inhibition of the superior colliculus.

Noise stress (NS) is detrimental to many aspects of human health and behavior. Understanding the effect of noise stressors on human cognitive function is a growing area of research and is crucial to helping clinical populations, such as those with schizophrenia, which are particularly sensitive to stressors. A review of electronic databases for studies assessing the effect of acute NS on cognitive functions in healthy adults revealed 31 relevant studies. The review revealed (1) NS exerts a clear negative effect on attention, working memory and episodic recall, and (2) personality characteristics, in particular neuroticism, and sleep influence the impact of noise stressors on performance in interaction with task complexity. Previous findings of consistent impairment in NS-relevant cognitive domains, heightened sensitivity to stressors, elevated neuroticism and sleep disturbances in schizophrenia, taken together with the findings of this review, highlight the need for empirical studies to elucidate whether NS, a common aspect of urban environments, exacerbates cognitive deficits and other symptoms in schizophrenia and related clinical populations.

Illusory line motion (ILM) refers to a motion illusion in which a flash at one end of a bar prior to the bar's instantaneous presentation or removal results in the percept of motion. While some theories attribute the origin of ILM to attention or early perceptual mechanisms, others have proposed that ILM results from impletion mechanisms that reinterpret the static bar as one in motion. The current functional magnetic resonance imaging study examined participants while they made decisions about the direction of motion in which a bar appeared to be removed. Preceding the instantaneous removal of the bar with a flash at one end resulted in a motion percept away from the flash. If this flash and the bar's removal overlapped in time, it appeared that the bar was removed towards the flash (reverse ILM). Independent of the motion type, brain responses indicated activations in areas associated with motion (MT+), endogenous and exogenous attention (intraparietal sulcus, frontal eye fields, and ventral frontal cortex), and response selection (ACC). ILM was associated with lower percept scores and higher activations in ACC relative to real motion, but no differences in shape-selective areas emerged. This pattern of brain activation is consistent with the attentional gradient model or bottom-up accounts of ILM in preference to impletion.

ObjectiveIn the present study the relationship between behavioural adjustment following cognitive conflict and schizotypy was investigated using a Stroop colour naming paradigm. Previous research has found deficits with behavioural adjustment in schizophrenia patients. Based on these findings, we hypothesized that individual differences in schizotypy, a personality trait reflecting the subclinical expression of the schizophrenia phenotype, would be associated with behavioural adjustment. Additionally, we investigated whether such a relationship would be explained by individual differences in neuroticism, a non-specific measure of negative trait emotionality known to be correlated with schizotypy.Methods106 healthy volunteers (mean age: 25.1, 60% females) took part. Post-conflict adjustment was measured in a computer-based version of the Stroop paradigm. Schizotypy was assessed using the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire (SPQ) and Neuroticism using the NEO-FFI.ResultsWe found a negative correlation between schizotypy and post-conflict adjustment (r = -.30, pConclusionPrevious findings of deficits in cognitive control in schizophrenia patients were extended to the subclinical personality expression of the schizophrenia phenotype and found to be specific to schizotypal traits over and above the effects of negative emotionality.