Dr. Neus Barrantes-Vidal presentation at the Schizophrenia Research Forum live webinar of July 6, 2015: http://www.schizophreniaforum.org/for/live/detail.asp?liveID=97

1. A Continuum View of Schizotypy
Dr. Neus Barrantes-Vidal
Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (Spain)
University of North Carolina at Greensboro (US)
Sant Pere Claver – Fundació Sanitària (Spain)
CIBERSAM – Investigación Salud Mental en Red (Spain)

2. Dimensional Model of Schizotypy
Genetic variation x Environm. & Epigenetic? Factors
Nervous system type
Temperamental dispositions (Continuously inherited)
Individual
Differences Vulnerability to certain disorders
Adapted from Claridge (1985, 1997)
Schizotypy
Endophenotypes
Cognitive style / Personality traits
Personality
disorders
Psychosis
Psychosis
Spectrum
G x E

3. Clarifications about the Dimensional Model
Kelleher & Cannon (2011); Binbay et al. (2012); van Os (2009 & 2014); Zanvos et al. 2014; Barrantes-Vidal, Grant &
Kwapil (2015)
 Shared sociodemographic and etiological risk factors
 Familial clustering
Phenotypic continuity is not isomorphic with etiological continuity, but…
 Differences in the effect size of some risk factors across the
continuum?? Continuum-threshold model?
S c h i z o t y p y
At risk syndromes
Schizotypal PD
Schizophrenia
Schizophreniform
Psychotic Experiences
Error measurement or
transdiagnostic
perspective?

4. Is this Relevant?
 Healthy expression and advantageous features at the non-disordered low
end of the quantitative dimension of schizotypy (NOT “bening”
schizophrenia?!?), such as creativity (Mohr & Claridge, 2015; Power et al.,
2015)
 Important to map both the positive as well as deleterious manifestations to
understand schizotypy and psychosis and to promote health and preventive
strategies in those with increasing risk (Barrantes-Vidal, 2014)