Schizophrenia Bulletin Volume 31, Number 2, April 2005
200
directly in pre-SZSD infants. Probable “pandysmaturation” could be
calculated from archived infant data of population cohort studies.
CLINICAL OUTCOMES IN PUTATIVE
SCHIZOTYPES: THE ROLE OF GENDER AND
INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCE VARIABLES
C. B. Forbes,* W. W. Leung, M. C. Mann, K. A. Adams,
L. M. Collins, J. J. Blanchard
University of Maryland at College Park, College Park, MD, USA
Social anhedonia is considered a defining feature of schizophrenia,
and has been shown to be a promising predictor that may help iden-
tify those at risk to develop schizophrenia or related disorders. Yet,
these putative schizotypes exhibit heterogeneity in clinical outcomes
ranging from normal functioning to the development of schizophre-
nia spectrum personality disorders. This variability may be account-
ed for by individual differences in personality traits other than anhe-
donia as well as family and other social supports. Further, these
variables may be differentially related to clinical symptomatology
on the basis of sex. The present study examined the hypothesis that
within social anhedonics clinical severity in spectrum symptomatol-
ogy is related to magical ideation, perceptual aberration, family envi-
ronment and perceived social support. Further, these relations were
examined separately for men and women. This study utilized a rep-
resentative community sample selected from 2,226 18-year olds who
completed a screening packet containing the Revised Social Anhe-
donia Scale (RSAS; Eckblad et al., 1982). Recruited individuals were
identified by elevated scores on the RSAS (N =86) and matched with
non-anhedonic controls (N=88). Participants also completed meas-
ures of magical ideation, perceptual aberration, family environment,
and social support. Diagnostic interviews were conducted to obtain
ratings of schizotypal, schizoid and paranoid personality disorders.
Social anhedonics reported greater schizophrenia spectrum sympto-
matology and poorer functioning than controls (ps <.05). Main
effects were obtained, and there were no sex by group interactions for
any of these clinical variables. Correlational analyses by gender
revealed differing patterns of relationships between family environ-
ment, traits and spectrum symptoms. Females’ ratings of family
expressiveness correlated significantly with schizotypal and schizoid
symptoms (ps<.05), whereas all three family subscales were signi-
ficantly related to paranoid symptoms for males (ps<.05). Perceptu-
al aberration scores did not correlate significantly with spectrum
symptoms for either sex. Magical ideation scores were significantly
related to paranoid symptoms for males, but did not correlate with
symptoms for females. Results will be discussed with regard to
understanding the role of gender and individual differences in traits
and social factors in determining clinical outcomes in putative
schizotypes.
DEVELOPMENT OF NEW RATING SCALE FOR
NEGATIVE SYMPTOMS
M. Goggin,* F. Tremeau, L. Citrome, D. Antonius,
J. Volavka
Nathan Kline Institute, Orangeburg, NY, USA
Based on the identification of specific behavior related to negative
symptoms (1), we aimed to develop a new rating scale for negative
symptoms (the Motor-Affective-Social Scale, MASS) that will show
good psychometric properties. During a 5 minute structured inter-
view, hand coverbal gestures, spontaneous smiles, voluntary smil-
International Congress on Schizophrenia Research 2005
2. Phenomenology
ing, questions asked by the interviewer and counting speed were
counted and rated with 27 inpatients with a SCID diagnosis of schiz-
ophrenia or schizoaffective disorder. Information on social behavior
(hygiene, participation in groups, and verbal interaction) was
obtained from nursing staff. Eight items were selected and were rat-
ed from 1 to 4. Inter-rater reliability was calculated between 4 raters
with 12 patients for the MASS interview and with 24 patients for the
social behavior. Intra-class correlation coefficients for each item were
all above 0.90 (for single rater and for average of raters). Internal
consistency (Cronbah alpha) reached 0.79 (raw) and 0.80 (standard-
ized). Validity was first evaluated by correlation between MASS total
score (range: 8-32, a higher score meaning less negative symptoma-
tology) and clinical ratings. Correlation with the SANS (obtained
during MASS interview) was -0.87, with the PANSS Negative Symp-
tom Scale (obtained from a blinded rater) was -0.83. No significant
correlation was found between MASS score and the PANSS Positive
Symptom score, and with the MADRS score. Correlation with edu-
cation level reached 0.43. Reliability overtime was above 0.80 for
the MASS total score, the MASS interview score and the MASS
social score. The MASS is based on the findings that negative symp-
toms can be grouped into two categories: expressive behavior during
an interview and social behaviors. For the interview, specific behav-
iors are defined, and their occurrences are counted, which avoids
subjective impressions and the influence of global impressions on
item ratings. The MASS can be easily learned, is easily administered
and is short (five minutes). Future research involves the use of the
MASS with other patient populations (outpatients, patients with
depression). Its sensitivity during clinical trials and the influence of
gender (patient and interviewer’s gender) should also be evaluated.
1- Tremeau F, Malaspina D, Duval F, Correa H, Hager-Budny M,
Macher JP, Gorman J. Facial expressiveness in patients with schiz-
ophrenia as compared to depressed patients and nonpatients controls.
American Journal of Psychiatry.
SENSITIVITY TO HEAT STIMULI IN
SCHIZOPHRENIA
M. Goldman,* J. H. Meador-Woodruff, K. L. Casey,
G. W. Dalack
Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
Although insensitivity to heat and pain has been reported in individ-
uals with schizophrenia for over 100 years, the prevalence and clin-
ical significance of this phenomenon remain unknown. We hypoth-
esize that altered sensitivity to painful stimuli in schizophrenia is
under central nervous system control and may reflect abnormalities
in central glutamatergic neurotransmission. As a first step in exam-
ining this hypothesis, we compared heat sensitivity in 17 individu-
als with schizophrenia and 20 medical controls using a rigorous
quantitative sensory testing methodology. Medical chart reviews and
face-to-face interviews were conducted to obtain information about
demographics, medical history, and current symptoms. A precise
computer-controlled device, TSA-II (Medoc U.S., Durham, NC),
was used to generate and to record responses to highly repeatable
thermal stimuli delivered via a thermode placed on the ventral sur-
face of the forearm. Subjects responded to increasing standardized
heat stimuli (32° to 50°C) by pressing a response button to indicate
thresholds for warmth (WS, first sensation of warmth), heat-pain
(HP, first sensation of pain) and heat-pain tolerance (HT, limit of tol-
erance for pain). In addition, visual analog scales (VAS) were used
to record subject ratings of intensity and unpleasantness for 5 dif-
ferent temperatures. Results showed that WS thresholds were signi-
ficantly higher in individuals with schizophrenia compared to con-