title: Early stage vision in schizophrenia and schizotypal personality disorder.
abstract: Previous studies of visual perception have reported deficits in contrast sensitivity and dot motion discrimination in schizophrenia. We tested whether these deficits also appear in schizotypal personality disorder (SPD). SPD appears to be genetically and symptomatically related to schizophrenia, but without the marked psychosocial impairment associated with psychotic disorders. The present study investigated contrast sensitivity for moving and static gratings, form discrimination and dot motion discrimination in 24 patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder (SZ), 16 individuals with SPD, and 40 control subjects. SZ, but not SPD subjects, showed impairments on tests of contrast sensitivity for static and moving gratings, form discrimination in noise, and dot motion discrimination. Visual performance did not differ between medicated SZ patients and patients withdrawn from medication. These results confirm early stage visual deficits in schizophrenia regardless of medication status. SPD subjects, in contrast, show intact early stage visual processing despite the presence of marked schizotypal symptoms.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA. bodonnel@indiana.edu
authors.forename: Brian F
authors.initials: BF
authors.lastname: O'Donnell
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bismark
authors.forename: William P
authors.initials: WP
authors.lastname: Hetrick
authors.forename: Misty
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bodkins
authors.forename: Jenifer L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Vohs
authors.forename: Anantha
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shekhar
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D015350:Contrast Sensitivity / Q000502:physiology; D004192:Discrimination, Psychological / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010775:Photic Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012569:Schizotypal Personality Disorder / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012684:Sensory Thresholds / Q000502:physiology; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D014785:Vision, Ocular / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D014796:Visual Perception / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D014150:Antipsychotic Agents