Perceptual aberrations in young adulthood predicted increased levels of hallucinations, delusions, and total psychotic symptoms in midlife, according to a study published in the Journal of Abnormal Psychology.

“We discovered that people, who were free of psychotic illness at age 18, would show hallucination and delusion symptoms in mid-life if they showed many very subtle disturbances in their perception early on,” said study author Mark F. Lenzenweger, PhD, of the State University of New York at Binghamton and Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City.

Dr Lenzenweger’s study included 191 participants with no prior history of psychosis. They were initially assessed at age 18 and, again, in their mid-30s.

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Subtle differences in perception during the initial assessment were associated with hallucinations, delusions, and, in some cases, psychosis later in life, the study found. Early perceptual aberrations included a heightened awareness of sound or color, uncertainty about the boundaries of one’s body, and feeling like surroundings are tilting.

Anxiety and depression at age 18 showed no role in the development of midlife psychotic symptoms, according to the study.

“Early detection of subtle, nonpsychotic forms of perceptual disturbance may aid in identifying individuals at increased risk for nonaffective psychosis outcomes in adulthood,” Dr Lenzenweger wrote. “Perceptual aberrations may constitute a useful endophenotype for genetic, neurobiological, and cognitive neuroscience investigations of schizophrenia liability.”

—Jolynn Tumolo

References

Lenzenweger MF. Schizotypy 17 years on: psychotic symptoms in midlife. J Abnorm Psychol. 2021;130(4):399-412. doi: 10.1037/abn0000680

Early signs: perceptual distortions in late-teens predict psychotic symptoms in mid-life. News release. Binghamton University, State University of New York. July 27, 2021. Accessed July 30, 2021.