Cue dependent right hemineglect in schizophrenia: a kinematic analysis.
OBJECTIVE
Schizophrenia may result from disturbed attentional processes and/or defective internal cueing. Attention for subsequent action within a cued movement task was therefore studied, testing specific hypotheses of hemispheric dysfunction and of impaired interhemispheric communication.


METHODS
Fifteen patients with schizophrenia and 15 matched controls were either cued or uncued when moving a pen to a target on their right or left side with their right or left hand. Pen tip position was sampled at 200 Hz on a WACOM SD420 graphics tablet for subsequent kinematic analysis.


RESULTS
Patients with schizophrenia were slower initiating rightwards movements without a cue. Patients also exhibited reduced abductive/adductive differences in the shape of their movement trajectories, implying differences in interhemispheric communication.


CONCLUSIONS
It is speculated that schizophrenia is a form of cue dependent right hemineglect.
Department of Psychology, Monash University, Clayton VIC, Australia.
M E
ME
Downing
J G
JG
Phillips
J L
JL
Bradshaw
K S
KS
Vaddadi
C
C
Pantelis
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001921:Brain / Q000503:physiopathology; D003463:Cues; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009069:Movement Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D010468:Perceptual Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology; D013997:Time Factors; D014794:Visual Fields
D014150:Antipsychotic Agents