Comparative assessment of saccadic eye movements, psychomotor and cognitive performance in schizophrenics, their first‐degree relatives and control subjects

Abstract

This study is aimed at detecting biological markers for schizophrenia. For this purpose, a total of 70 subjects (21 schizophrenic patients, 27 first-degree relatives and 22 controls) performed a series of tests assessing various attentional, psychomotor and cognitive functions and saccadic eye movements. The schizophrenics performed significantly poorer than both high-risk and control subjects in most of the tests demanding attention, concentration and psychomotor speed (d2 concentration test, reaction times and Stroop test of perceptual interference) as well as cognition (Wechsler intelligence scales). On the other hand, these tests did not differentiate between the high-risk and control subjects. This distinction, however, could be made by two other parameters: hypometria score of saccadic eye movements and ratio of verbal to performance intelligence scores. Both parameters were significantly increased in both the schizophrenic and the high-risk group, distinguishing both from the control group. The relevance of these findings in indicating a schizophrenic disposition is discussed.

Response inhibition and interference control: Effects of schizophrenia, genetic risk, and schizotypy

“…A recent meta‐analysis found impairments in schizophrenia with an effect size of 0.62 in the incongruent condition, where word colour and meaning do not match (Schaefer et al ., ). Deficits in relatives have been observed in some (Dollfus et al ., ; Rybakowski & Borkowska, ) but not all (Laurent et al ., ; Schreiber et al ., ) studies (see meta‐analysis by Szöke et al ., ) and inconsistently in relation to schizotypy (Ettinger, Meyhöfer, Steffens, Wagner, & Koutsouleris, ).…”

Course Patterns of Psychosocial Functioning in Schizophrenia Patients Attending a Vocational Rehabilitation Program

“…The WAIS was used in this study to control for signs of general cognitive impairment, while the other two tests were included to screen for cognitive dysfunctions that could adversely affect the vocational capabilities of patients suffering from chronic schizophrenia. Both attention and visuomotor functioning, as measured by the d2 test, and visual memory, as assessed by the Benton visual retention test, are diminished in schizophrenia patients, deficits being related to but not identical with negative symptoms (Strauss 1993;Schreiber et al 1995). Dysfunctions in visual memory may be of particular importance in schizophrenia patients showing a chronic course of the disorder (Goldberg et al 1993;Saykin et al 1994).…”

Impaired working speed and executive functions as frontal lobe dysfunctions in young first-degree relatives of schizophrenic patients

“…Only the investigations by Schreiber et al [49] are known to have used the d2-Concentration-Test on schizophrenic patients and risk groups. On this test, patients, but not unaffected risks, performed more poorly (working speed and error rate) than did the controls.…”

“…On this test, patients, but not unaffected risks, performed more poorly (working speed and error rate) than did the controls. Furthermore, other tests have also shown reduced psychomotor speed and reaction time among schizophrenics [2, 49]. …”