Ja. Sweeney et al., SELECTIVE EFFECTS OF ANTIPSYCHOTIC MEDICATIONS ON EYE-TRACKING PERFORMANCE IN SCHIZOPHRENIA, Psychiatry research, 54(2), 1994, pp. 185-198
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.