Abstract
The effect of typical neuroleptic drugs or clozapine on smooth pursuit eye movements was tested in 13 patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder with a repeated measures design. Nineteen normal control subjects were also studied. Compared with controls, patients in the unmedicated state had low smooth pursuit gain, had a higher rate of corrective catch-up saccades, and tended to spend less time engaged in the tracking task. The patients did not significantly differ from controls on catch-up saccade amplitude, square wave jerk rate, or anticipatory saccade rate. Medication with clozapine, but not typical neuroleptics, was associated with an increase in median catch-up saccade amplitude. Number of days on clozapine and clozapine dose both correlated significantly with a worsening of oculomotor performance. No effect of medication with typical neuroleptics was found, although there was some evidence suggesting that such an effect may occur after more prolonged treatment.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 25-36 |
| Number of pages | 12 |
| Journal | Psychiatry Research |
| Volume | 41 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jan 1992 |
Funding
Acknowledgment. This research was supported by grants from the USPHS (MH-41684 and MH-41594 to Dr. Meltzer, and MH-47574 to Dr. Friedman), the Cleveland and John Pascal Sawyer Memorial Foundations, and the National Alliance for Research in Schizophrenia and Depression. H.Y.M. is a recipient of a USPHS Research Career Scientist Award (MH-47808). The authors thank Drs. John Kenny, Bryan Roth, and George Jaskiw for helpful comments during the preparation of this article.
Keywords
- Eye movements
- neuroleptics
- saccadic intrusions
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Psychiatry and Mental health
- Biological Psychiatry