ABSTRACT
Objective:To explore the eye movement characteristics of social cognitive processing in schizophrenia patients across different stages and its association with clinical symptoms.Methods:Fifteen patients with first-episode schizophrenia, forty-six patients with chronic inpatient schizophrenia, thirty-six patients with psychiatric clinical high-risk syndrome, and twenty-six healthy controls were recorded using eye tracking technology when viewing social interaction pictures. Covariance analysis and partial correlation analysis were conducted by SPSS17.0.Results:When watching the pictures of person communication, there were statistically significant differences in the average fixation duration of the four groups of subjects ((294.6±36.7)ms in control group, (280.0±54.0)ms in clinical high-risk group, (268.5±34.9)ms in first-episode group, and (315.7±75.7) ms in chronic group, respectively, F=3.18, P=0.027). When viewing the pictures of no person landscape, the average saccade amplitude of the four groups of subjects was significantly different (5.3±1.1) ° in control group, (4.7±1.1) ° in clinical high-risk group, (5.2±1.0) ° in first-episode group, and (4.4±1.2) ° in chronic group, respectively, F=3.37, P=0.021). The average fixation duration of chronic patients when observing person communication pictures was positively correlated with the total score of PANSS (partial correlation coefficient=0.313, P=0.039). The average fixation duration of chronic patients when observing the other two types of pictures were also positively correlated with the total score of PANSS (partial correlation coefficient=0.320, P=0.034, no person communication pictures; partial correlation coefficient=0.372, P=0.013, no person landscape pictures) . The average fixation duration of chronic patients when observing pictures of no person landscape was positively correlated with the PANSS positive symptom score (partial correlation coefficient=0.321, P=0.034). The average fixation duration of chronic patients when observing any type of picture was positively correlated with the PANSS general symptom score (person communication pictures: partial correlation coefficient=0.385, P=0.010; no person communication pictures: partial correlation coefficient=0.409, P=0.006; no person landscape pictures: partial correlation coefficient=0.465, P=0.001). In the first-episode patient, the average saccade amplitude when observing no person communication pictures was positively correlated with the PANSS positive symptom score (partial correlation coefficient=0.555, P=0.049). In the clinical high-risk group, the average saccade amplitude when observing person communication pictures was negatively correlated with the SOPS positive symptom score (partial correlation coefficient=-0.373, P=0.030). Conclusion:There are statistically significant differences of eye movement characteristics of social cognitive processing in patients with schizophrenia across different clinical stages.The average saccade amplitude is more sensitive than the average fixation duration in predicting the severity of symptoms in clinical high-risk patients.