VISUAL-FIELD DEFECTS IN NEUROPSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS

Unusual evanescent modest visual field anomalies have previously been defined in patients with Tourette syndrome and their blood relatives, These anomalies include nasal and temporal steps, occasional enlarged blind spots, baring of the blind spot, and a curious partial or comple te 'ringing' of the blind spot by a narrow isopter. Additionally, some individuals show two different time-based losses in sensitivity. In o rder to determine whether this unique set of visual field anomalies is limited to Tourette syndrome, an extended masked study is being condu cted in cooperation with the Psychiatric Service at Children's Hospita l, Oakland, CA. A number of categories of clearly defined neuropsychia tric disorders and normals are being studied. Parents, proband childre n, and siblings are being examined. Nearly identical visual field anom alies have now been found in at least two more groups of patients. The y are obsessive-compulsive disorder and bipolar (manic-depressive) dis order. The frequency of visual field anomalies is extremely high in th e proband children and many of the family members. Data in other neuro psychiatric categories, such as unipolar depressions, schizophrenia, a utism, and panic disorder, are too limited at this time to draw conclu sions. This extensive test program is in mid-phase, but certain findin gs are evident based on ongoing analyses. The code, however, has not y et been broken.