Auditory P300 and Eye Tracking Dysfunction in Schizophrenic Pedigrees
- 1 October 1991
- journal article
- research article
- Published by American Medical Association (AMA) in Archives of General Psychiatry
- Vol. 48 (10), 899-909
- https://doi.org/10.1001/archpsyc.1991.01810340031004
Abstract
Several psychophysiological abnormalities associated with schizophrenia have been proposed as genetic trait markers of vulnerability to the disorder. Smooth pursuit eye tracking dysfunction and abnormal long latency event-related potentials are the most promising candidates. Both are independent of the effects of psychotropic medication or mental state at the time of testing, and twin studies demonstrate that each has a high level of heritability. Having recorded smooth pursuit eye tracking and event-related potentials in 20 high-density schizophrenic families, we find abnormalities in one or both measures in most of the families studied. The abnormalities, when present, occur in the family members with schizophrenia and other forms of functional psychosis, and they have a bimodal distribution with approximately half the nonschizophrenic relatives also showing eye tracking dysfunction and/or abnormal event-related potentials. Some of these relatives had psychiatric symptoms; others were normal. Our results suggest that psychophysiological examination can help to clarify the boundaries of schizophrenia spectrum disorder. By helping to decide the phenotypic status of nonschizophrenic family members, this should increase the power of DNA linkage studies.Keywords
This publication has 56 references indexed in Scilit:
- Splitting schizophreniaNature, 1988
- A Single Dominant Gene Can Account for Eye Tracking Dysfunctions and Schizophrenia in Offspring of Discordant TwinsArchives of General Psychiatry, 1988
- Genetics of schizophrenia: II. Vulnerability traits and gene markersBiological Psychiatry, 1986
- Pursuit Eye Movement Dysfunctions in SchizophreniaArchives of General Psychiatry, 1984
- Biological markers and psychosisPsychological Medicine, 1984
- Smooth pursuit eye movements in twins discordant for schizophreniaJournal of Psychiatric Research, 1978
- Genetic Strategies in Biological PsychiatryArchives of General Psychiatry, 1978
- Abnormal-Pursuit Eye Movements in SchizophreniaArchives of General Psychiatry, 1977
- Eye-Tracking Dysfunctions in Schizophrenic Patients and Their RelativesArchives of General Psychiatry, 1974
- Eye-Tracking Patterns in SchizophreniaScience, 1973