Attention and visual orienting in siblings, schizophrenic patients, and controls: impairment in attentional disengagement.
Visual orienting tasks reveal an impaired disengagement of attention in schizophrenia. We explored visual orientation in 20 schizophrenia patients (SZ), 20 full siblings (FS), and 20 controls (C) using a cued target detection (gap vs. no gap) and a choice reaction time task. SZ but not FS had longer reaction time with comparable reactions to warning. In contrast to C, SZ and FS did not display a significant gap effect. The disengagement deficit in schizophrenia patients and their siblings provides arguments for altered early attention mechanisms (in schizophrenic patients and their nonpsychotic relatives).
Chirio
Marion
M
INSERM U894; Laboratory of Pathophysiology of Psychiatric Diseases, University Paris Descartes, Saint Anne Hospital, Paris 75014, France.
Krebs
Marie-Odile
MO
Waismann
Rogeria
R
Vanelle
Jean Marie
JM
Olié
Jean Pierre
JP
Amado
Isabelle
I
D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D019958:Attention Deficit and Disruptive Behavior Disorders / Q000209:etiology*; D003463:Cues; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D009949:Orientation / Q000502:physiology*; D010775:Photic Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000150:complications*; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D035781:Siblings; D017603:Signal Detection, Psychological / Q000502:physiology; D013028:Space Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult