Color discrimination in schizophrenia

• Published in: Schizophrenia research Vol. 55; no. 1; pp. 197 - 204
• Main Authors: Shuwairi, Sarah M., Cronin-Golomb, Alice, McCarley, Robert W., O'Donnell, Brian F.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier B.V 01.05.2002; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Adult; Adult and adolescent clinical studies; Biological and medical sciences; Chronic Disease; Color Perception - physiology; Color Perception Tests; Color vision; Color Vision Defects - diagnosis; Color Vision Defects - physiopathology; Discrimination Learning - physiology; Dopamine; Dopamine - physiology; Hue discrimination; Humans; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Psychoses; Schizophrenia; Schizophrenia - diagnosis; Schizophrenia - physiopathology; Schizophrenic Psychology; Tritan (blue-hue); Schizophrenia; Dopamine; Color vision; Hue discrimination; Tritan (blue-hue); Human; Central nervous system; Male; Cognition; Experimental study; Discrimination task; Psychosis; Dopaminergic transmission; Chronic; Vision; Young adult; Adult; Perception; Comparative study; Brain (vertebrata)
• ISSN: 0920-9964; 1573-2509
• DOI: 10.1016/S0920-9964(01)00180-3

Neuropsychiatric conditions that involve dopaminergic depletion have been associated with color discrimination deficits along the blue-hue (tritan, or short-wavelength-sensitive) axis. Because dopamine dysregulation may be a major factor in schizophrenia, we investigated color vision in this disorder. The performance of males with schizophrenia (SZ, n=16) and normal male control subjects (CS, n=14) was evaluated on five measures of color discrimination. SZ made more hue discrimination errors than CS, but no pattern emerged regarding a hue-specific axis of deficit. Dosage of anti-psychotic medication was not correlated with performance on hue discrimination. These results suggest that in medicated patients with schizophrenia, the dopaminergic disturbance, which may involve system hyperactivity, does not produce tritan-specific color deficits that have been observed in disorders involving dopaminergic hypoactivity.