Neuropsychological and clinical correlates of antisaccade task performancein schizophrenia

Objectives: To elucidate pathophysiologic mechanisms involved in abnormal a ntisaccade task performance in schizophrenia by investigating a possible re lationship among antisaccade task performance, neuropsychological test resu lts, and symptomatology in a group of young patients with recent-onset schi zophrenia; to compare the effects of olanzapine and risperidone on antisacc ades and reflexive saccades. Background: Patients with schizophrenia consis tently perform worse than controls on the antisaccade task in which the sub ject is required to inhibit a reflexive saccade to a suddenly appearing vis ual target and look in the opposite direction. Methods: In 37 young (mean a ge 21 years), medicated patients: with recent-onset schizophrenia the autho rs assessed antisaccades, reflexive saccades, neuropsychological test perfo rmance, and symptomatology. A subgroup of 18 patients was treated with olan zapine, and 15 patients were treated with risperidone. Reflexive-saccade an d antisaccade task results were compared with those obtained in 13 control subjects. Results: The antisaccade error rate was: significantly higher in the patients than in the control subjects. In the patients, poor working me mory function was related to increased antisaccade error rate. Severity of disorganization symptoms at intake was related to prolonged mean latency of the correct antisaccades. Patients on risperidone had a prolonged mean lat ency in the reflexive saccade task compared with patients using olanzapine. Conclusions: Abnormal antisaccade task performance is already present in e arly schizophrenia and may reflect working memory dysfunction. In future st udies, medication effects should be considered in interpreting eye movement test results of patients with schizophrenia.