Evidence from increased anticipation of predictive saccades for a dysfunction of fronto-striatal circuits in obsessive-compulsive disorder.
In obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), a dysfunction of neuronal circuits involving prefrontal areas and the basal ganglia is discussed that implies specific oculomotor deficits. Performance during reflexive and predictive saccades, antisaccades and predictive smooth pursuit was compared between patients with OCD (n=22), patients with schizophrenia (n=21) and healthy subjects (n=24). Eye movements were recorded by infrared reflection oculography. In both patient groups, higher frequencies of anticipatory saccades with reduced amplitudes in the predictive saccade task were observed. Additionally, reduced smooth pursuit eye velocity and increased frequencies of saccadic intrusions during smooth pursuit as well as increased error rates in the antisaccade task were demonstrated for patients suffering from schizophrenia. Patients with OCD and schizophrenia revealed different patterns of oculomotor impairment: whereas increased anticipation of predictive saccades provides evidence for a dysfunction of the circuit between the frontal eye field and the basal ganglia in both groups, results from the antisaccade task imply additional deficits involving the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in schizophrenic patients. Furthermore, the cortical network for smooth pursuit (especially the frontal eye field) is also assumed to be disturbed in schizophrenia.
Spengler
Dietmar
D
Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Luebeck, Ratzeburger Allee 160, 23538 Luebeck, Germany.
Trillenberg
Peter
P
Sprenger
Andreas
A
Nagel
Matthias
M
Kordon
Andreas
A
Junghanns
Klaus
K
Heide
Wolfgang
W
Arolt
Volker
V
Hohagen
Fritz
F
Lencer
Rebekka
R
D000328:Adult; D001479:Basal Ganglia / Q000503:physiopathology; D003342:Corpus Striatum / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009415:Nerve Net / Q000503:physiopathology*; D009771:Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000503:physiopathology; D012438:Saccades / Q000502:physiology*; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology; D014794:Visual Fields / Q000502:physiology