Transdiagnostic conceptualization of schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorder. An integrative framework of minimal self disturbance
Ágota Vass, Gábor Csukly, Kinga Farkas 16 citations preprint
Autism spectrum disorder and schizophrenia share a disturbance in the minimal sense of self—a basic, pre-reflective awareness of being a subject of experience. This common feature cuts across diagnostic boundaries and may help explain overlapping symptoms. The authors propose a framework linking neural, cognitive, and phenomenological levels to study this self-disturbance. They argue that the neural correlates of minimal selfhood can be more reliably identified during meditation than during rest, because meditation amplifies present-focused inward attention while reducing reflective mind-wandering. This approach aligns with efforts to find biomarkers for psychopathology and to move beyond traditional diagnostic categories toward a model that takes self-experience seriously.