Schizotypal traits across the amyotrophic lateral sclerosis-frontotemporal dementia spectrum: pathomechanistic insights

Abstract

Background: Psychiatric presentations similar to that observed in primary psychiatric disorders are well described across the amyotrophic lateral sclerosis-frontotemporal dementia (ALS-FTD) spectrum. Despite this, schizotypal personality traits associated with increased risks of clinical psychosis development and poor psychosocial outcomes have never been examined. The current study aimed to provide the first exploration of schizotypal traits and its neural underpinnings in the ALS-FTD spectrum to gain insights into a broader spectrum of psychiatric overlap with psychiatric disorders.

Methods: Schizotypal traits were assessed using the targeted Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire in 99 participants (35 behavioural variant FTD, 10 ALS-FTD and 37 ALS patients, and 17 age-, sex- and education-matched healthy controls). Voxel-based morphometry analysis of whole-brain grey matter volume was conducted.

Results: Relative to controls, pervasive schizotypal personality traits across positive and negative schizotypy and disorganised thought disorders were identified in behavioural variant FTD, ALS (with the exception of negative schizotypy) and ALS-FTDALS-FTD patients (all p < .013), suggesting the presence of a wide spectrum of subclinical schizotypal symptoms beyond classic psychotic symptoms. Atrophy in frontal, anterior cingulate and insular cortices, and caudate and thalamus was involved in positive schizotypy, while integrity of the cerebellum was associated with disorganised thought disorder traits.

Conclusions: The frontal-striatal-limbic regions underpinning manifestation of schizotypy in the ALS-FTDALS-FTD spectrum are similar to that established in previous schizophrenia research. This finding expands the concept of a psychiatric overlap in ALS-FTD and schizophrenia, and suggests potentially common underlying mechanisms involving disruptions to frontal-striatal-limbic networks, warranting a transdiagnostic approach for future investigations.

Keywords: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis; Frontotemporal dementia; Motor neuron disease; Neuropsychiatry; Schizotypy.