Ambiguous handedness and visuospatial pseudoneglect in schizotypy in physical and computer-generated virtual environments

Virtual reality (VR) technology has increased clinical attention in the health care of schizophrenia spectrum disorders in both diagnosis of the suspiciousness symptom and manifestation of other schizotypal traits. However, the exact nature of VR-induced positive treatment effect in schizotypy is still unknown. Therefore, in this study, VR technology was used as a non-invasive neurocognitive trigger to test the asymmetric visuospatial representational instability found in individuals with high schizotypy. The study aimed to reveal the brain functional hemispheric laterality in physical and virtual realities in individuals with schizotypal traits. Hemispheric functional asymmetry was measured by the Line Bisection Task (LBT). The results revealed that LBT in the physical reality showed a handedness-related leftward pseudoneglect, and a rightward pseudoneglect in VR condition. VR environment elevates the visuospatial processing activity in the right hemisphere. VR stimulation enhances the representational articulation of the left hemispace in high schizotypy, but in the case of the low schizotypy associated with elevated left hemisphere activity and the representational asymmetry drifts toward the right hemispace.虚拟现实（Virtual Reality, VR）技术在精神分裂症谱系障碍的临床诊疗中受到日益广泛的关注，其应用覆盖偏执症状诊断以及其他分裂型特质的表现评估领域。然而，VR诱发的分裂型特质改善效应的具体机制仍未明确。因此，本研究将VR技术作为一种非侵入性神经认知触发手段，用以检测高分裂型特质个体所存在的非对称视觉空间表征不稳定性。本研究旨在揭示分裂型特质个体在物理现实与虚拟现实环境下的大脑功能半球偏侧化特征。研究采用线段等分任务（Line Bisection Task, LBT）量化半球功能不对称性。结果显示，物理现实环境下的线段等分任务表现出与利手相关的左侧假性忽视，而虚拟现实环境下则呈现右侧假性忽视。虚拟现实环境可增强右半球的视觉空间加工活动。对于高分裂型特质个体，VR刺激能够提升其左侧空间的表征清晰度；而对于低分裂型特质个体，VR刺激则伴随左半球活动增强，且表征不对称性向右侧空间偏移。