SELECTIVE EFFECTS OF ANTIPSYCHOTIC MEDICATIONS ON EYE-TRACKING PERFORMANCE IN SCHIZOPHRENIA

The potential impact of antipsychotic medications on eye-tracking impa irments in schizophrenia has received little systematic attention. To address this issue, eye-tracking performance was studied in 19 neurole ptic-naive schizophrenic patients, 22 previously medicated schizophren ic patients who had not received antipsychotic drugs for at least 28 d ays, and 52 nonpsychiatric control subjects. Impairments were similar but generally more severe in previously treated than in neuroleptic-na ive patients. An attention-facilitation manipulation improved eye-trac king performance in all groups. Ten neuroleptic-naive and 14 previousl y treated cases were retested after at least 3 weeks of treatment with antipsychotic medication. Short-term treatment with neuroleptics impr oved certain attention-related aspects of eye tracking involving sacca dic eye movements such as anticipatory saccades, but it did not alter pursuit eye movements.