title: Predictive saccades are impaired in biological nonpsychotic siblings of schizophrenia patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Although impairments in predictive saccades have been reported in patients with schizophrenia, this has never been explored in their biological relatives. We examined predictive saccades in age-and sex-matched siblings of patients with schizophrenia.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty siblings of schizophrenia patients, 30 healthy matched control subjects and 30 patients with schizophrenia performed a predictive saccades paradigm. Nonanticipated and anticipated saccades were analyzed separately.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared with control subjects, primary saccades and final eye position were hypometric (they undershot the target) in siblings, as in patients. The proportion of anticipated saccades and latencies did not differ between the 3 groups. The maximum velocity was decreased only in patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Alterations in predictive saccades observed in biological siblings are similar to those seen in patients, although they tend to be of a lesser degree. This finding supports predictive saccades as a valid endophenotypic marker. Further research is necessary to understand the physiopathological value of these disturbances and their link to a visuospatial representation deficit.
authors.affiliation: INSERM, U796, Pathophysiology of Psychiatric Diseases, Sainte-Anne Hospital, Paris, France. I.AMADO@ch-sainte-anne.fr
authors.forename: Isabelle
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Amado
authors.forename: Steffen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Landgraf
authors.forename: Marie-Chantal
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Bourdel
authors.forename: Sabinien
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Leonardi
authors.forename: Marie-Odile
authors.initials: MO
authors.lastname: Krebs
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010468:Perceptual Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012438:Saccades / Q000502:physiology*; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000453:epidemiology*; D035781:Siblings / Q000523:psychology*; D013028:Space Perception / Q000502:physiology; D014796:Visual Perception / Q000502:physiology