Normal eye tracking is associated with abnormal morphology of medial temporal lobe structures in schizophrenia

• Published in: Schizophrenia research Vol. 8; no. 1; pp. 1 - 10
• Main Authors: Levy, Deborah L., Bogerts, Bernhard, Degreef, Gustav, Dorogusker, Beth, Waternaux, Christine, Ashtari, Manzar, Jody, Darlene, Geisler, Stephen, Lieberman, Jeffrey A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier B.V 01.10.1992; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Adult and adolescent clinical studies; Attention - physiology; Biological and medical sciences; Brain Mapping; Cerebral Cortex - pathology; Cerebral Cortex - physiopathology; Cerebral Ventricles - pathology; Cerebral Ventricles - physiopathology; Eye Movements - physiology; Eye tracking; Female; Humans; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Male; Medical sciences; Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Psychoses; Reference Values; Schizophrenia; Schizophrenia - diagnosis; Schizophrenia - physiopathology; Schizophrenic Psychology; Sex Factors; Temporal Lobe - pathology; Temporal Lobe - physiopathology; Magnetic resonance imaging; Schizophrenia; Eye tracking; Human; Psychosis; Temporal lobe; Cerebral cortex; Frontal lobe; Vision; Central nervous system; Pursuit eye movement; Nuclear magnetic resonance imaging; Lateral cerebral ventricle; Brain (vertebrata)
• ISSN: 0920-9964; 1573-2509
• DOI: 10.1016/0920-9964(92)90055-A

Eye tracking and brain morphology assessed by magnetic resonance imaging were examined in 48 patients in their first episode of schizophrenia and in 15 normal controls. Schizophrenic patients showed higher rates of eye tracking dysfunction and more abnormal brain morphology involving the lateral ventricles, medial temporal lobe (MTL) structures and the frontal-parietal cortex than controls. Enlargement of the lateral ventricles and global rating of abnormal brain morphology were significantly more prevalent in male schizophrenics than female schizophrenics. These findings indicate that abnormalities in a variety of brain regions are present in some schizophrenics during the period shortly after the first hospitalization and could not be a function of treatment or chronic illness. We found no relation between abnormal eye tracking and any single feature of abnormal brain morphology. However, normal eye tracking was significantly associated with MTL abnormalities in schizophrenics, reflecting an inverse association between quality of eye tracking and degree of abnormality in MTL structures. These results suggest that abnormal eye tracking is not mediated by the same processes that lead to structural brain anomalies in schizophrenia.