Perceptual abnormalities in clinical high risk youth and the role of trauma, cannabis use and anxiety

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Yun Lu, University of Calgary; Catherine Marshall, University of Calgary; Kristin S. Cadenhead, University of California San Diego; Tyrone D. Cannon, Yale University; Barbara A. Cornblatt, Zucker Hillside Hospital; Thomas H. McGlashan, Yale University; Diana O. Perkins, University of North Carolina; Larry J. Seidman, Harvard Medical School; Ming T. Tsuang, University of California San Diego; Elaine Walker, Emory University; Scott W. Woods, Yale University; Carrie E. Bearden, University of California Los Angeles; Daniel Mathalon, University of California San Francisco; Jean Addington, University of Calgary
• Language: English
• Date: 2017-12-01
• Publisher: Elsevier: 12 months
• Publication Version: Author Accepted Manuscript (After Peer Review)
• Copyright Statement: © 2017 Elsevier B.V.
• License: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2017.08.045
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: Psychiatry Research
• ISSN: 0165-1781
• Volume: 258
• Start Page: 462
• End Page: 468
• Grant/Funding Information: The NIMH had no further role in study design; in the collection, analysis and interpretation of data; in the writing of the report; and in the decision to submit the paper for publication.; Yun Lu is funded through the Novartis Chair in Schizophrenia Research held by Dr. Jean Addington.; This study was supported by the National Institute of Mental Health (grant U01MH081984 to Dr Addington; grants U01 MH081928; P50 MH080272; Commonwealth of Massachusetts SCDMH82101008006 to Dr Seidman; grants R01 MH60720, U01 MH082022 and K24 MH76191 to Dr Cadenhead; grant U01MH081902 to Dr Cannon; P50 MH066286 (Prodromal Core) to Dr Bearden; grant U01MH082004 to Dr Perkins; grant U01MH081988 to Dr Walker; grant U01MH082022 to Dr Woods; and UO1 MH081857-05 grant to Dr Cornblatt.
• Keywords: Psychiatry; Science & Technology; CHILDHOOD TRAUMA; Attenuated psychotic symptoms; Life Sciences & Biomedicine; Perceptual abnormalities; Hallucinations; ULTRA-HIGH RISK; SCHIZOPHRENIA; Clinical high risk; ASSOCIATION; ADOLESCENCE; PHENOMENOLOGY; INDIVIDUALS; SYMPTOMS; HALLUCINATIONS; PSYCHOTIC EXPERIENCES
• Research Categories: Psychology, Behavioral; Psychology, Clinical

Abstract

Recent research suggests that perceptual abnormalities are a group of diverse experiences, which have been associated with trauma, cannabis use, and anxiety. Of the attenuated psychotic symptoms that are present in youth at clinical high risk (CHR) of psychosis, perceptual abnormalities tend to be one of the most frequently endorsed symptoms. However, very few studies have explored perceptual abnormalities and their relationships with the above environmental and affective factors in a CHR sample. Four hundred and forty–one CHR individuals who met criteria for attenuated psychotic symptom syndrome (APSS) determined by the Structured Interview for Psychosis-risk Syndromes (SIPS) were assessed on the content of their perceptual abnormalities, early traumatic experience, cannabis use and self-reported anxiety. Logistic regression analyses suggested that both simple auditory and simple visual perceptual abnormalities were more likely to be reported by CHR who had early traumatic experiences, who are current cannabis users, and who have higher levels of anxiety. Multiple regression analysis revealed that only trauma and anxiety were independent predictors of both simple auditory and simple visual perceptual abnormalities. It is possible that examining subtypes of perceptual abnormalities in CHR leads to an improved understanding of the prevalence of such symptoms.