Schizotypal Personality / Edition 1

by Adrian Raine, Todd Lencz, Sarnoff A. Mednick

Overview

This book is devoted to examining schizotypal personality and provides a comprehensive overview of our current knowledge. It includes reviews of genetics, neurodevelopment, assessment, psychophysiology, neuropsychology, and brain imaging. Central themes are the exploration of categorical and dimensional approaches to the understanding of schizotypal disorder and its relationship to schizophrenia, by some of the world's leading researchers. Valuable introductory and concluding chapters set in context the sometimes divergent opinions and findings presented by the book's contributors, and there are reviews of methodological issues and assessment schedules for the benefit of researchers in the field. In setting out to answer, from phenomenological, psychological and neurobiological perspectives, the fundamental question of what schizotypal disorder is and to develop coherent etiological models, this book will serve as an authoritative resource for clinicians and researchers interested in this major personality disorder.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521454223
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	09/29/1995
Pages:	532
Product dimensions:	6.26(w) x 9.29(h) x 1.18(d)

About the Author

Raine, Adrian (USC); Lencz, Todd (USC); Mednick, Sarnoff A. (USC)

The contributors represent the specialties of psychiatry, psychology, psychopathology, and experimental psychology. Most are from academic medical centers in the U.S. and the U.K., with one from Finland. Institutions prominently represented include Oxford, Harvard, USC, Univ of Pennsylvania, and Emory.

Table of Contents

List of contributors; Acknowledgements; Preface; Part I. Introduction: 1. Conceptual and theoretical issues in schizotypal personality research Adrian Raine and Todd Lencz; Part II. Genetics and Neurodevelopment: 2. Family-genetic research and schizotypal personality Loring J. Ingraham; 3. Schizotypal personality disorder characteristics associated with second-trimester disturbance of neural development Ricardo A. Machón, Matti O. Huttenen, Sarnoff A. Mednick and José LaFosse; 4. Neurodevelopmental processes in schizophrenia and schizotypal personality disorder Elaine F. Walker and Susan Gale; Part III. Assessment: 5. Scales for the measurement of schizotypy Jean P. Chapman, Loren J. Chapman and Thomas R. Kwapil; 6. Schizotypal status as a developmental stage in studies of risk for schizophrenia Peter H. Venables; Part IV. Categorical Versus Dimensional Approaches: 7. Tracking the taxon: on the latent structure and base rate of schizotypy Mark F. Lenzenweger and Lauren Korfine; 8. Detection of a latent taxon of individuals at risk for schizophrenia-spectrum disorders Audrey R. Tyrka, Nick Haslam and Tyrone D. Cannon; 9. Fully and quasi-dimensional constructions of schizotypy Gordon Claridge and Tony Beech; Part V. Psychophysiology and Psychopharmacology: 10. Schizotypal personality and skin conductance orienting Adrian Raine, Todd Lencz and Deana S. Benishay; 11. Attention, startle eye-blink modification and psychosis proneness Michael E. Dawson, Anne M. Schell, Erin A. Hazlett, Diane L. Filion and Keith H. Nuechterlein; 12. Brain structure/function and the dopamine system in schizotypal personality disorder Larry J. Siever; Part VI. Neuropsychology: 13. Neuropsychological abnormalities associated with schizotypal personality Todd Lencz, Adrian Raine, Deana S. Benishay, Shari Mills and Laura Bird; 14. Syndromes of schizotypy: patterns of cognitive asymmetry, arousal and gender John Gruzelier; 15. Working memory deficits, antisaccades, and thought disorder in relation to perceptual aberration Philip S. Holzman, Michael Coleman, Mark F. Lenzenweger, Deborah L. Levy, Steven Matthysse, Gillian O'Driscoll and Sohee Park; Part VII. Brain Imaging: 16. Brain morphology in schizotypal personality as assessed by magnetic resonance imaging Nancy C. Andreasen; 17. The potential of physiological neuroimaging for the study of schizotypy: experiences from applications to schizophrenia Ruben C. Gur and Raquel E. Gur; Part VIII. Conclusion: 18. Schizotypal personality: synthesis and future directions Todd Lencz and Adrian Raine; Part IX. Appendix: semistructured interviews for the measurement of schizotypal personality Deana S. Benishay and Todd Lencz; Name index; Subject index.

Editorial Reviews

Reviewer: William Scheftner, MD (Rush University Medical Center)
Description: This book came out of a 1993 NATO conference and has been edited by three behavioral scientists. It summarizes and discusses the current state of knowledge in schizotypal personality disorder and schizophrenia spectrum disorders, focusing on definition, assessment, genetics, neurodevelopement, psychophysiology, neuropsychology, and brain imaging.
Purpose: The four purposes, as stated in the preface, are (1) to provide a comprehensive overview of current knowledge in schizotypal personality disorder; (2) to highlight important conceptual and methodological problems; (3) to view schizotypal personality research in the wider context of schizophrenia; and (4) to present both the dimensional and categorical approach to the subject. The stated purposes are very important because mental health research focuses on the etiology of schizophrenia and related conditions. The objectives are well attained with the self- acknowledged absence of material on treatment, EEG, event-related potentials, and psychopharmacology.
Audience: The book is clearly aimed at mental health research scientists, serious students of schizophrenia and schizotypal personality disorder, and those interested in a model for the study of personality disorders in general. The clinician will find much interesting material but little on which to change practice except as a better understanding of the problem provides. The individual authors and editors are well recognized within mental health research.
Features: The tables are easily read, and although a few of the bar graphs should have used contrasting patterns, they are nevertheless decipherable. The individual chapter bibliographies and references are pertinent and include some 1994 citations. The separate name and subject indexes appear complete. The overall look is appealing, particularly given its subject matter.
Assessment: This book is probably unique in subject matter, which may justify its steep price. However, its topic coverage is excellent, almost comprehensive, and its authors are world-class authorities. Each chapter is well written and either presents the author's data or clearly refers to supporting citations. The editing has been well done, with appropriate cross references between chapters. In general, the book is very readable, stimulating and recommended reading for any scientist or student who desires a clear introduction to the structure, direction, and problems of research in the area as well as a summary of the current state of knowledge. The only criticism is that a chapter on treatment should have been included to make the book more attractive to a wider audience.

Doody's Review Service

"...its topic coverage is excellent...and its authors are world-class authorities. Each chapter is well written...the book is very readable, stimulating and recommended reading for any scientist or student who desires a clear introduction to the structure, dimensions, and problems of research in the area as well as a summary of the current state of knowledge." William Scheftner, Doody's Health Sciences Book Review Journal

From the Publisher

4 Stars! from Doody

This book came out of a 1993 NATO conference and has been edited by three behavioral scientists. It summarizes and discusses the current state of knowledge in schizotypal personality disorder and schizophrenia spectrum disorders, focusing on definition, assessment, genetics, neurodevelopement, psychophysiology, neuropsychology, and brain imaging. The four purposes, as stated in the preface, are (1) to provide a comprehensive overview of current knowledge in schizotypal personality disorder; (2) to highlight important conceptual and methodological problems; (3) to view schizotypal personality research in the wider context of schizophrenia; and (4) to present both the dimensional and categorical approach to the subject. The stated purposes are very important because mental health research focuses on the etiology of schizophrenia and related conditions. The objectives are well attained with the self- acknowledged absence of material on treatment, EEG, event-related potentials, and psychopharmacology. The book is clearly aimed at mental health research scientists, serious students of schizophrenia and schizotypal personality disorder, and those interested in a model for the study of personality disorders in general. The clinician will find much interesting material but little on which to change practice except as a better understanding of the problem provides. The individual authors and editors are well recognized within mental health research. The tables are easily read, and although a few of the bar graphs should have used contrasting patterns, they are nevertheless decipherable. The individual chapter bibliographies and references are pertinent and include some 1994 citations. Theseparate name and subject indexes appear complete. The overall look is appealing, particularly given its subject matter. This book is probably unique in subject matter, which may justify its steep price. However, its topic coverage is excellent, almost comprehensive, and its authors are world-class authorities. Each chapter is well written and either presents the author's data or clearly refers to supporting citations. The editing has been well done, with appropriate cross references between chapters. In general, the book is very readable, stimulating and recommended reading for any scientist or student who desires a clear introduction to the structure, direction, and problems of research in the area as well as a summary of the current state of knowledge. The only criticism is that a chapter on treatment should have been included to make the book more attractive to a wider audience.

William Scheftner