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Ocular motor delayed-response task performance among patients with schizophrenia and their biological relatives

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 January 2001

JENNIFER E. McDOWELL
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, USA
COLLEEN A. BRENNER
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Indiana University, Bloomington, USA
MARINA MYLES-WORSLEY
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, USA
HILARY COON
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, USA
WILLIAM BYERLEY
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of California, Irvine, USA
BRETT A. CLEMENTZ
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of California, San Diego, USA
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Abstract

Schizophrenia patients and their relatives have saccadic abnormalities characterized by problems inhibiting a response. The dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and its associated circuitry ostensibly mediate inhibition and support correct delayed response performance. In this context, two components of delayed response task performance are of interest: memory saccade metrics and error saccades made during the delay. To evaluate these variables, an ocular motor delayed response task was presented to 23 schizophrenia patients, 25 of their first-degree biological relatives, and 19 normal subjects. The measure that best differentiated groups was an increased frequency of error saccades generated during the delay by schizophrenia subjects and relatives. Decreased memory saccade gain also characterized patients and relatives. The similar pattern of results demonstrated by the patients with schizophrenia and their relatives suggests that performance on ocular motor delayed response tasks, either alone or in combination with other saccadic variables, may provide useful information about neural substrates associated with a liability for developing schizophrenia.

Type
BRIEF REPORTS
Copyright
2001 Society for Psychophysiological Research

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