Abstract
Schizotypy is a multidimensional continuum of traits, symptoms, and impairment, which can range from subclinical to clinical levels of schizophrenia-spectrum psychopathology. There is robust evidence to suggest that elevated schizotypy is associated with neurodevelopmental aberrations in both biological and behavioral domains. These divergences from typical developmental trajectories tend to emerge in youth and persist throughout adulthood, as well as correlate with individual dimensions of schizotypy across the lifespan. This chapter will review existing research on the neurodevelopmental correlates of schizotypy in the areas of neuroanatomy and physiology, fluctuating asymmetry and minor physical anomalies, and neurological soft signs. This chapter will also explore how different facets of schizotypy may be similarly or uniquely associated with various neurodevelopmental anomalies. Taken together, these biomarkers and behavioral risk factors provide support for the multidimensional nature of schizotypy as well as a neurodevelopmental pathway to schizophrenia-spectrum psychopathology.
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Notes
- 1.
Measurement impacts interpretation of outcomes in all research. Although beyond the scope of this chapter, future work should consider how differences in the measurement of schizotypy could impact our ability to compare outcomes across studies.
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Snyder, M.E. et al. (2023). The Neurodevelopmental Considerations of Schizotypy. In: Cheli, S., Lysaker, P.H. (eds) A Dimensional Approach to Schizotypy. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-41788-7_1
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