Eye-tracking dysfunction (ETD) in families with sporadic and familial schizophrenia

Citation
R. Lencer et al., Eye-tracking dysfunction (ETD) in families with sporadic and familial schizophrenia, BIOL PSYCHI, 47(5), 2000, pp. 391-401
Citations number
31
Categorie Soggetti
Neurosciences & Behavoir
Journal title
BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY
ISSN journal
00063223 → ACNP
Volume
47
Issue
5
Year of publication
2000
Pages
391 - 401
Database
ISI
SICI code
0006-3223(20000301)47:5<391:ED(IFW>2.0.ZU;2-0
Abstract
Background: Within the field of genetic schizophrenia research, eye-trackin g dysfunction can be regarded as a putative trait marker in families with m ultiple occurrences of the disease (familial schizophrenia). We concentrate d on families with single occurrences of schizophrenia (sporadic schizophre nia) to test whether a genetic factor may be present in these families as w ell. Methods: Eye movements were recorded using infrared oculography in eight fa milies with sporadic schizophrenia (44 members), eight families with famili al schizophrenia (66 members), and nine nonpsychotic families (77 members). Triangle-wave stimuli at 15 degrees/sec and 30 degrees/sec were used, and gains (eye velocity/target velocity), rates, and amplitudes of saccades (cl assified as catch-up and anticipatory saccades) were determined Results: I) In sporadic-schizophrenia families, gain values, saccade rates, and anticipatory saccade amplitudes at 30 degrees/sec differed in a statis tically significant fashion from nonpsychotic families, but not from famili es with multiple occurrences of schizophrenia, and 2) at 30 degrees/sec, a significant effect of target direction on smooth-pursuit maintenance was ob served in both sporadic- and familial-schizophrenia families. Conclusions: Our results support the hypothesis that genetic factors may be present even in sporadic-schizophrenia families and may contribute to a mo re precise and biologically based definition of the schizophrenia phenotype in future molecular genetic analysis. (C) 2000 Society of Biological Psych iatry.