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Handedness responses in schizophrenia
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XIII.C. 10 L A T E R A L I S E D D I F F E R E N C E S IN T A P P I N G SPEED IN S C H I Z O P H R E N I A M a l c o l m P.I. Weller, A. Calev, S. Chazen, D. Nigal, N. Tubi, J. K i d d a n d B. Lerer
Dept. of Psychiatry, Royal Free Hospital Pond Street, London NW3, U.K. Tapping speeds were measured for each hand independently, in a counter balanced design and then with both hands used together. 53 medicated schizophrenic patients were slower than age and sex matched controls in all conditions (p<0.001, all probabilities two tailed). The results were significant only for the chronic patients (hospitalised over 2 years, n = 33, p < 0.01 ), who were also slower in the bimanual condition than would have been anticipated from their right (dominant) hand speed when compared to controls. The difference in time between the left and right hand speeds was significantly greater in the chronic group (p<0.001). There was a significant between group difference in the ratio of left to right (L/R) (p<0.01) and the log ratio of L/R (p <0.01), suggesting unhemispheric malfunction. The between group differences increased if a group of seven left handed schizophrenic patients and their matched controls are added, suggesting left hemisphere damage. We are grateful for the generosity of the Doll-Steinberg Foundation and May and Baker, and Adrian Weller who wrote the timing programme.
XIII.C. 11 H A N D E D N E S S R E S P O N S E S IN SCHIZOPHRENIA M a l c o l m P.I. Weller, J. Hall a n d T. Latimer-Sayer
Academic Department of Psychiatry, Royal Free Hospital Pond Street, London NW3 Psychosis has been associated with an increased sinistrality on the basis of questionnaire responses (Lishman & McMeekan, 1976), but Fleminger, Dalton & Standage (1977) were unable to replicate this result. Further, on re-presentation of a handedness questionnaire, McMeekan & Lishman (1973) found that 34 (47%) of their 73 non-psychiatric subjects changed at least one response, and 12 (16%) were ascribed different handedness as a result. We administered the Annett handedness questionnaire (Annett 1970) to 16 schizophrenic subjects and their age- and sex-matched controls on two occasions. The schizophrenic patients made significantly more changes (p<0.0001), and changed a significantly greater number of primary items (p<0.01). This result emphasises an unrecognised difficulty in assessing handedness in schizophrenic patients.
XIII.D. Eye movements and visual motion XIII.D. 1
ANTI-SACCADE ABNORMALITY IN F A M I L I A L S C H I Z O P H R E N I C PATIENTS A N D F I R S T - D E G R E E RELATIVES: T H E MAUDSLEY FAMILY STUDY T.J. Crawford, T. Sharma, S. Lech, B.K. Puri, C. K e n n a r d , R.M. M u r r a y a n d S.W.L. Lewis
Academic Departments of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Charing Cross and Westminster Medical School and Institute of Psychiatry, De Crespigny Park, London, U.K~ In the anti-saccade paradigm, schizophrenic patients have a profound difficulty in suppressing a saccadic eye movement towards a visual target and in directing a correct eye movement away from the target (Crawford et al. Psych. Med, 25, 461). In this study anti-saccade errors were measured in 26 schizophrenic patients (mean age ( M A ) = 35.6; 13 males, 13 females), 45 first-degree relatives (MA=43.6; 18 males, 27 females) and 35 normals (MA=34.4; 17 males, 18 females). Anti-saccade errors were significantly increased (F(2,102)= 9.14, p <0.001 ) in schizophrenic patients (49.13%) compared to both relatives (28.06%) and controls (24.02%). Relatives of schizophrenic patients with a high anti-saccade error rate (>40%) were also significantly more impaired than controls (F(1,57)=4.91, p<0.05) and relatives of low error patients (F(1,34)=7.58, p<0.01). These findings replicate the reported anti-saccade abnormality in schizophrenia and strongly imply that the antisaccade abnormality in schizophrenic families is most likely to occur in first-degree relatives of patients with the anti-saccade abnormality. The neuropathophysiological impairment found in schizophrenic patients with high anti-saccade errors may also underly the performance of first-degree relatives of schizophrenic patients with abnormality of anti-saccades.
XIII.D.2 S M O O T H P U R S U I T EYE M O V E M E N T S IN SCHIZOPHRENIA AND MAJOR DEPRESSION K.-M. Flechtner, B. Steinacher, R. Sauer and A. Mackert Dept. of Psychiatry, Free University Berlin, Eschenallee3, 14050 Berlin, Germany
XIII.C. 10 L A T E R A L I S E D D I F F E R E N C E S IN T A P P I N G SPEED IN S C H I Z O P H R E N I A M a l c o l m P.I. Weller, A. Calev, S. Chazen, D. Nigal, N. Tubi, J. K i d d a n d B. Lerer
Dept. of Psychiatry, Royal Free Hospital Pond Street, London NW3, U.K. Tapping speeds were measured for each hand independently, in a counter balanced design and then with both hands used together. 53 medicated schizophrenic patients were slower than age and sex matched controls in all conditions (p<0.001, all probabilities two tailed). The results were significant only for the chronic patients (hospitalised over 2 years, n = 33, p < 0.01 ), who were also slower in the bimanual condition than would have been anticipated from their right (dominant) hand speed when compared to controls. The difference in time between the left and right hand speeds was significantly greater in the chronic group (p<0.001). There was a significant between group difference in the ratio of left to right (L/R) (p<0.01) and the log ratio of L/R (p <0.01), suggesting unhemispheric malfunction. The between group differences increased if a group of seven left handed schizophrenic patients and their matched controls are added, suggesting left hemisphere damage. We are grateful for the generosity of the Doll-Steinberg Foundation and May and Baker, and Adrian Weller who wrote the timing programme.
XIII.C. 11 H A N D E D N E S S R E S P O N S E S IN SCHIZOPHRENIA M a l c o l m P.I. Weller, J. Hall a n d T. Latimer-Sayer
Academic Department of Psychiatry, Royal Free Hospital Pond Street, London NW3 Psychosis has been associated with an increased sinistrality on the basis of questionnaire responses (Lishman & McMeekan, 1976), but Fleminger, Dalton & Standage (1977) were unable to replicate this result. Further, on re-presentation of a handedness questionnaire, McMeekan & Lishman (1973) found that 34 (47%) of their 73 non-psychiatric subjects changed at least one response, and 12 (16%) were ascribed different handedness as a result. We administered the Annett handedness questionnaire (Annett 1970) to 16 schizophrenic subjects and their age- and sex-matched controls on two occasions. The schizophrenic patients made significantly more changes (p<0.0001), and changed a significantly greater number of primary items (p<0.01). This result emphasises an unrecognised difficulty in assessing handedness in schizophrenic patients.
XIII.D. Eye movements and visual motion XIII.D. 1
ANTI-SACCADE ABNORMALITY IN F A M I L I A L S C H I Z O P H R E N I C PATIENTS A N D F I R S T - D E G R E E RELATIVES: T H E MAUDSLEY FAMILY STUDY T.J. Crawford, T. Sharma, S. Lech, B.K. Puri, C. K e n n a r d , R.M. M u r r a y a n d S.W.L. Lewis
Academic Departments of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Charing Cross and Westminster Medical School and Institute of Psychiatry, De Crespigny Park, London, U.K~ In the anti-saccade paradigm, schizophrenic patients have a profound difficulty in suppressing a saccadic eye movement towards a visual target and in directing a correct eye movement away from the target (Crawford et al. Psych. Med, 25, 461). In this study anti-saccade errors were measured in 26 schizophrenic patients (mean age ( M A ) = 35.6; 13 males, 13 females), 45 first-degree relatives (MA=43.6; 18 males, 27 females) and 35 normals (MA=34.4; 17 males, 18 females). Anti-saccade errors were significantly increased (F(2,102)= 9.14, p <0.001 ) in schizophrenic patients (49.13%) compared to both relatives (28.06%) and controls (24.02%). Relatives of schizophrenic patients with a high anti-saccade error rate (>40%) were also significantly more impaired than controls (F(1,57)=4.91, p<0.05) and relatives of low error patients (F(1,34)=7.58, p<0.01). These findings replicate the reported anti-saccade abnormality in schizophrenia and strongly imply that the antisaccade abnormality in schizophrenic families is most likely to occur in first-degree relatives of patients with the anti-saccade abnormality. The neuropathophysiological impairment found in schizophrenic patients with high anti-saccade errors may also underly the performance of first-degree relatives of schizophrenic patients with abnormality of anti-saccades.
XIII.D.2 S M O O T H P U R S U I T EYE M O V E M E N T S IN SCHIZOPHRENIA AND MAJOR DEPRESSION K.-M. Flechtner, B. Steinacher, R. Sauer and A. Mackert Dept. of Psychiatry, Free University Berlin, Eschenallee3, 14050 Berlin, Germany