title: Eyeblink Conditioning in Schizophrenia: A Critical Review.
abstract: There is accruing evidence of cerebellar abnormalities in schizophrenia. The theory of cognitive dysmetria considers cerebellar dysfunction a key component of schizophrenia. Delay eyeblink conditioning (EBC), a cerebellar-dependent translational probe, is a behavioral index of cerebellar integrity. The circuitry underlying EBC has been well characterized by non-human animal research, revealing the cerebellum as the essential circuitry for the associative learning instantiated by this task. However, there have been persistent inconsistencies in EBC findings in schizophrenia. This article thoroughly reviews published studies investigating EBC in schizophrenia, with an emphasis on possible effects of antipsychotic medication and stimulus and analysis parameters on reports of EBC performance in schizophrenia. Results indicate a consistent finding of impaired EBC performance in schizophrenia, as measured by decreased rates of conditioning, and that medication or study design confounds do not account for this impairment. Results are discussed within the context of theoretical and neurochemical models of schizophrenia.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA; Minneapolis Veterans Affairs Health Care System, Minneapolis, MN, USA.
authors.forename: Jerillyn S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Kent
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA; Larue D. Carter Memorial Hospital, Indianapolis, IN, USA.
authors.forename: Amanda R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Bolbecker
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA; Larue D. Carter Memorial Hospital, Indianapolis, IN, USA.
authors.forename: Brian F
authors.initials: BF
authors.lastname: O'Donnell
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA; Larue D. Carter Memorial Hospital, Indianapolis, IN, USA.
authors.forename: William P
authors.initials: WP
authors.lastname: Hetrick
keywords: associative learning; cerebellum; cognitive dysmetria; eyeblink conditioning; schizophrenia