PREDICTIVE SACCADE BEHAVIOR IS ENHANCED IN SCHIZOPHRENIA

'In this study, we investigated the ability of schizophrenic patients to produce predictive saccades in response to a visual target moving w ith predictable timing and location. The performance of visually guide d saccades and predictive saccades (gain and latency) were analyzed in a group of 12 schizophrenic patients as compared with a group of ten control subjects. Our main finding was an enhancement of the predictiv e tracking ability in schizophrenics. In particular, the predictive tr acking built-up and became installed as a steady pattern of highly ant icipatory saccades (in terms of percentage of negative latency saccade s) much faster in the schizophrenic group than in the control group. T hese data are discussed in terms of an involvement of the fronto-stria tal system in this specific enhancement of predictive saccade behavior in schizophrenia. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.