RESUMO
Using high-resolution infrared oculography with digital recording and analysis techniques, we tested several types of eye movements in 19 schizophrenic patients and 11 normal controls. Abnormal slow pursuit eye movements, seen in about half of the patients, were characterized by erratic inaccuracies in position, velocity, and phase. Tracking errors were quantitatively assessed by their root mean square (RMS) error. Position RMS errors fell into two clearly separated groups, with 10 of 19 patients clustering about the normal controls and the remaining 9 having much higher errors than normal. Although several of these poor trackers had an excess of saccades or low pursuit gain, these abnormalities were not primarily responsible for the large erratic tracking errors. Saccades in response to unpredictable target jumps had normal latencies (reaction times) and velocities, but were more hypometric and variable in accuracy than those of controls. These saccadic abnormalities did not correlate with the patients' position RMS errors during slow pursuit.
Assuntos
Eletroculografia/instrumentação , Movimentos Oculares , Psicologia do Esquizofrênico , Processamento de Sinais Assistido por Computador , Atenção , Fixação Ocular , Humanos , Acompanhamento Ocular Uniforme , Movimentos SacádicosRESUMO
By means of enzyme immunoassay techniques to detect the presence of antibody to cytomegalovirus, the cerebrospinal fluid of 178 patients with schizophrenia, 17 patients with bipolar disorders, and 11 other psychiatric patients was compared with that of 79 neurological patients and 41 normal control subjects. The cerebrospinal fluid of 20 of the schizophrenic patients and 3 of the patients with bipolar disorders showed significant increases in immunoglobulin M antibody to cytomegalovirus; no difference was found in patients on or off psychotropic medications.
