Faster rhythmic auditory cueing induced less severe movement abnormalities in people with subclinical psychosis

People with psychotic experiences (PE) have movement abnormalities, including slow movements and uncontrolled movements, which are indicative of transition to psychotic disorders. Rhythmic auditory cueing (RAC) has been indicated to be a promising therapeutic technique for movement abnormalities in people in the psychosis continuum; however, small sample size limited the strength of that conclusion. The aims of our study were to increase the sample size, adopt a repeated measures design, and examine if faster RAC induced faster movements and less uncontrolled movements in both hands in people with PE. A total of 55 people with PE and 55 people without PE were recruited to use the index finger to perform an alternate touching task for each hand while a motion capture system recorded the movement procedure. The subjects were required to follow each beat of the RAC with an individualized original tempo and an individualized fast tempo, the order of which was counterbalanced, when performing the alternate touching task. Faster RAC induced faster movements and less uncontrolled movements in both hands in people with PE. Extensive neural connections between the auditory and motor-related cortices may explain RAC effects on movements in people with PE, who have alterations of basal ganglia and the cerebellum.