An electrophysiological investigation of emotional abnormalities in groups at risk for schizophrenia-spectrum personality disorders

- Compared to controls, at-risk groups had larger LPPs to negative vs. neutral images.
- PerMag showed the largest LPP differences when viewing positive vs. neutral images.
- SocAnh showed decreases in cognitive reappraisal conditions with negative stimuli.
- PerMag showed decreases in cognitive reappraisal conditions with positive stimuli.
- At-risk groups have shared and unique automatic and controlled emotion abnormalities.

Both extreme levels of social anhedonia (SocAnh) and perceptual aberration/magical ideation (PerMag) are associated with risk for schizophrenia-spectrum disorders and with emotional abnormalities. Yet, the nature of any psychophysiological-measured affective abnormality, including the role of automatic/controlled processes, is unclear. We examined the late positive potential (LPP) during passive viewing (to assess automatic processing) and during cognitive reappraisal (to assess controlled processing) in three groups: SocAnh, PerMag, and controls. The SocAnh group exhibited an increased LPP when viewing negative images. Further, SocAnh exhibited greater reductions in the LPP for negative images when told to use strategies to alter negative emotion. Similar to SocAnh, PerMag exhibited an increased LPP when viewing negative images. However, PerMag also exhibited an increased LPP when viewing positive images as well as an atypical decreased LPP when increasing positive emotion. Overall, these results suggest that at-risk groups are associated with shared and unique automatic and controlled abnormalities.