Increased blink rate in drug-naive acute schizophrenic patients

Spontaneous Interblink Time Distributions in Patients with Graves' Orbitopathy and Normal Subjects

“…12 In fact, clinical studies of diseases with dopamine dysfunction have shown that SBR is low in conditions with hypodopamine activity, such as Parkinson's disease 13,14 and high when there is hyperdopaminergic activity as in schizophrenia. [15][16][17] Besides, it has been experimentally demonstrated in monkeys that higher levels of dopamine are associated with high SBR. 18 There is a large body of literature showing that the so-called normal SBR is highly variable across subjects and testing conditions.…”

Withdrawal of voluntary inhibition unravels the off state of the spontaneous blink generator

“…For instance, the administration of dopamine agonists in non-human primates increases the spontaneous blink rate (Karson, 1983 the depletion of dopamine such as in Parkinson's disease decreases the blink rate and treatments that elevate dopamine increase the blink rate (Biousse et al, 2004;Karson, 1983). Consistent with all this, the higher than normal blink rate in schizophrenic patients is reduced by neuroleptic medications (Mackert, Woyth, Flechtner, & Volz, 1990). Second, the blink rate is closely related to cognitive processing.…”

Blink rate variability in patients with panic disorder: New trial using audiovisual stimulation

“…Spontaneous blink rate (BR) has been studied not only in neurological diseases, such as Parkinson's disease 1,2 and Tourette syndrome, 3 but also in psychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia [4][5][6][7] and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, 8 because it is regarded as a non-invasive peripheral marker of central dopamine activity. 9 However, in some previous studies, hyperanxiety or blunted effect in schizophrenia have been found to correlate with the degree of BR reduction.…”

“…9 However, in some previous studies, hyperanxiety or blunted effect in schizophrenia have been found to correlate with the degree of BR reduction. 6,10 Anxiety can produce an increase in dopaminergic tone in the prefrontal cortex in experimental animals. 11,12 Mackintosh et al indicated that BR was increased in depression and fell to normal levels during treatment.…”