Eyeblink conditioning deficits indicate timing and cerebellar abnormalities in schizophrenia

Brain Cogn. 2005 Jun;58(1):94-108. doi: 10.1016/j.bandc.2004.09.011. Epub 2005 Jan 4.

Abstract

Accumulating evidence indicates that individuals with schizophrenia manifest abnormalities in structures (cerebellum and basal ganglia) and neurotransmitter systems (dopamine) linked to internal-timing processes. A single-cue tone delay eyeblink conditioning paradigm comprised of 100 learning and 50 extinction trials was used to examine cerebellar timing circuits in 13 medicated patients with schizophrenia and 13 age- and sex-matched controls. Patients with schizophrenia showed impaired learning of the conditioned response compared to controls and also greater within-subject variability in the timing of their responses. These findings are consistent with models of schizophrenia in which timing deficits underlie information-processing abnormalities and clinical features of the disorder.

Publication types

  • Clinical Trial
  • Controlled Clinical Trial
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Analysis of Variance
  • Association Learning / physiology
  • Cerebellum / physiology*
  • Conditioning, Eyelid / physiology*
  • Cues
  • Electromyography
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Reaction Time / physiology*
  • Reference Values
  • Schizophrenia / physiopathology*
  • Time Perception / physiology*