Association of abnormal smooth pursuit eye movements with the deficit syndrome in schizophrenic patients.
OBJECTIVE
The authors' goal was to test the hypothesis that abnormal smooth pursuit eye movements in schizophrenic patients are associated with the deficit syndrome.


METHODS
The eye movements of 24 normal comparison subjects, 32 patients with nondeficit schizophrenia, and 11 patients with deficit schizophrenia were tested with infrared oculography using foveapetal step-ramp targets.


RESULTS
The group of schizophrenic patients had normal latency to pursuit onset, abnormally decreased open-loop acceleration and abnormally decreased velocity during the periods of closed-loop acceleration and steady-state pursuit. The subgroup of schizophrenic patients with the deficit syndrome had particularly poor performance during the periods of open- and closed-loop acceleration.


CONCLUSIONS
Patients with schizophrenia have abnormal smooth pursuit eye movements in response to a step-ramp stimulus, and the defects are particularly pronounced in patients with the deficit syndrome. Abnormal smooth pursuit eye movements in schizophrenia and related disorders have been consistently linked with primary and enduring negative symptoms.
Ross
D E
DE
Maryland Psychiatric Research Center, Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore 21228, USA.
Thaker
G K
GK
Buchanan
R W
RW
Lahti
A C
AC
Medoff
D
D
Bartko
J J
JJ
Moran
M
M
Hartley
J
J
D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D003936:Diagnosis, Computer-Assisted; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015835:Ocular Motility Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011698:Pursuit, Smooth; D011930:Reaction Time; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000175:diagnosis*; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology