EYE TRACKING, ATTENTION, AND SCHIZOTYPAL SYMPTOMS IN NONPSYCHOTIC RELATIVES OF PATIENTS WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA

Background: Biological relatives of patients with schizophrenia demons trate an increased prevalence of schizotypal personality disorder symp toms, eye tracking deficits, and attentional disturbances. We investig ated whether these hypothesized components of a schizophrenia-related phenotype are associated with one another or are independent in nonpsy chotic relatives of patients with schizophrenia. Methods: Eighty-three nonpsychotic first-degree relatives of 38 patients with schizophrenia and 45 control subjects without a psychiatric diagnosis underwent cli nical evaluation, eye tracking evaluation, and the Continuous Performa nce Test (CPT) of visual attention. Results: Eye tracking qualitative rating was more powerful than quantitative eye tracking measures or CP T measures in discriminating relatives of patients with schizophrenia from control subjects. Correlations between neurocognitive variables a nd DSM-III-R schizotypal personality disorder symptom clusters suggest ed that CPT errors of omission are associated with positive schizotypa l symptoms. Eye tracking measures were not significantly correlated wi th schizotypal symptoms or CPT errors in relatives of patients with sc hizophrenia. Conclusions: Eye tracking deficits in the relatives of pa tients with schizophrenia are unrelated to CPT deficits and schizotypa l symptoms. Eye tracking deficits and disturbances in visual attention may be separate components of a schizophrenia-related phenotype and s hould be considered as independent factors in genetic studies of schiz ophrenia.