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Measuring liability for schizophrenia using optimized antisaccade stimulus parameters

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 1999

JENNIFER E. McDOWELL
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of California–San Diego, La Jolla, USA Department of Psychiatry, University of California–San Diego, La Jolla, USA
MARINA MYLES-WORSLEY
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, USA
HILARY COON
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, USA
WILLIAM BYERLEY
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, USA
BRETT A. CLEMENTZ
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of California–San Diego, La Jolla, USA
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Abstract

The ability to identify unaffected gene carriers within families may be crucial to the success of schizophrenia genetics studies. Data collected from three family samples (N = 365) demonstrated that poor antisaccade performance is an exceptionally promising indicator of liability for schizophrenia. A particular antisaccade task version provides large separations (5–6 sigma) between proband and normal groups. Poor antisaccade performance alone correctly identified 70% of patients in California, Utah, and Micronesia schizophrenia samples. Twenty-five to 50% of these patients' nonpsychotic first-degree relatives also had poor antisaccade performance, yielding risk ratios around 20:1 for simplex and 50:1 for multiplex schizophrenia families. Poor antisaccade performance is associated with dorsolateral prefrontal cortex pathology, suggesting that dysfunction of this circuitry also may predispose individuals to developing this disease.

Type
SPECIAL REPORTS
Copyright
1999 Society for Psychophysiological Research

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