The glare illusion in individuals with schizophrenia

TL;DR

People with schizophrenia are more likely to be affected by the glare illusion, a brightness-related visual illusion, compared to healthy individuals.

Contribution

This study is the first to investigate susceptibility to the glare illusion in individuals with schizophrenia.

Findings

Individuals with schizophrenia showed greater susceptibility to the glare illusion than control participants.

Susceptibility to the glare illusion was not associated with symptom severity in schizophrenia.

The findings suggest differences in visual processing in schizophrenia that are independent of symptom characteristics.

Abstract

Individuals with schizophrenia are known to display unique reactions to visual illusions, and prior research has indicated a potential link between their increased susceptibility to geometric illusions and specific symptom profiles. While various illusory experiences have been examined among individuals with schizophrenia, their responses to brightness-related illusions remain poorly understood. In this study, we investigated how individuals with schizophrenia perceive the glare illusion, in which the apparent brightness of the central region is increased. A total of 30 patients with schizophrenia and 34 control participants were recruited. During each trial, a glare or control image (standard stimulus) was presented alongside a control image (comparison stimulus) with one of seven luminance levels. In the glare condition, the standard stimulus was a glare image; in the control condition, two control images were presented, but only the luminance of the comparison stimulus varied. The participants were asked to judge which central region appeared brighter. The results revealed that individuals with schizophrenia exhibited greater susceptibility to the glare illusion than did the control participants. However, no significant associations were found between susceptibility to the glare illusion and scores assessing symptom severity. These findings suggest that differences in visual processing in patients with schizophrenia may increase their susceptibility to brightness illusions, although this phenomenon is independent of symptom characteristics. This information may provide a basis for exploring illusion susceptibility as a potential behavioral index for distinguishing between individuals with schizophrenia and control participants.

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