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Abstract #4366

Do Differences in Myelin Underlie the The Schizotypal Personality Spectrum?

Katrina McMullen1, Shannon Kolind1,2, Emma Barkus3, Sean CL Deoni1

1Centre for Neuroimaging Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, London, England, United Kingdom; 2Centre for Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Brain, Oxford University, Oxford, England, United Kingdom; 3Department of Psychiatry, University of Wollongong, NSW, New South Wales, Australia


Alterations in region grey matter volume, white matter structure and brain function are known associates schizophrenia and schizophrenia spectrum disorders. However, the underlying etiology of these disorders, believed to represent a spectrum of psychosis proneness, remains unknown. Increasingly, the role of white matter connectivity, mediated by myelin, to these disorders is being questioned. Here we report on a study of myelin content in schizotypy, revealing a linear association between schizotypy score and myelin water fraction, localized to the left hemisphere. These results, consistent with prior fMRI results, are suggestive of altered white matter efficiency and processing ability in high schizotypes.