Frontal lobe dysfunctions in schizophrenia--I. Eye movement impairments.
The phenomena of eye movement impairments in schizophrenia are interpreted in this paper, Part I of a two-paper series, in the context of neural mechanisms of attention and eye movement control. The predominant pattern of attention and eye movement impairment in schizophrenia--a disruption of smooth pursuit by saccadic intrusions--is consistent with a disinhibition of saccades. This disinhibition may be related to a dysfunction of frontal eye field mechanisms involved in feedback regulation of saccades and smooth pursuit during visual tracking. A second, less specific type of smooth pursuit impairment consists of saccadic substitution, and may be interpreted in terms of a dysfunction of temporo-parietal mechanisms of task-engagement.
D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology; D001479:Basal Ganglia / Q000503:physiopathology; D001933:Brain Stem / Q000503:physiopathology; D002531:Cerebellum / Q000503:physiopathology; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000503:physiopathology; D005133:Eye Movements; D005246:Feedback; D005403:Fixation, Ocular; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D008959:Models, Neurological; D009433:Neural Inhibition; D012438:Saccades; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000503:physiopathology*; D014794:Visual Fields