Disorders of smooth pursuit eye movement and auditory N100 in schizophrenic patients

Psychiatry Res. 1992 Mar;41(3):227-35. doi: 10.1016/0165-1781(92)90004-m.

Abstract

Attentional factors are thought to affect eye-tracking patterns. The present study examined the hypothesis that specific quantitative features of eye tracking would be correlated with the amplitude of a component of the auditory evoked potential, the N100, which is known to be enhanced by arousal and selective attention. We studied 12 clinically stable schizophrenic patients by means of DC-electro-oculography. The frequency and amplitude of different types of saccades (catchup, backup, anticipatory saccades, and square wave jerks) were assessed. The results suggest that small and large saccades, as classified by a simple amplitude criterion (4 degrees), have differential meanings and indicate that enhanced amplitudes of small saccades are an effect of arousal.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Arousal / physiology*
  • Attention / physiology*
  • Cerebral Cortex / physiopathology
  • Electroencephalography*
  • Evoked Potentials, Auditory / physiology*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Pursuit, Smooth / physiology*
  • Reaction Time / physiology
  • Saccades / physiology
  • Schizophrenia / diagnosis
  • Schizophrenia / physiopathology*
  • Schizophrenic Psychology*