Abstract
Background: Eye movement parameters are often used during cognitive functioning assessments of patients with psychotic spectrum disorders. It is interesting to compare these oculomotor parameters with cognitive functions, as assessed using psychometric cognitive tests. A network analysis is preferable for understanding complex systems; therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the multidimensional relationships that exist between oculomotor reactions and neurocognition in patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders.Materials and Methods: A total of 134 subjects (93 inpatients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders (ICD-10) and 41 healthy volunteers) participated in this study. Psychiatric symptom severity was assessed using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale, the Calgary Depression Scale for Schizophrenia, and the Young Mania Rating Scale. Extrapyramidal symptoms were assessed using the Simpson-Angus Scale, and akathisia was assessed using the Barnes Akathisia Rating Scale. Eye movements were recorded using an eye-tracker SMI RED 500, and cognitive function was assessed using the Brief Assessment of Cognition in Schizophrenia. The statistical analyses were conducted using Minitab 17 Statistical Software, version 17.2.1. Data visualization and additional analyses were performed in the R 4.0.3 environment, using RStudio V 1.3.1093 software.Results: A network model of neurocognitive and oculomotor functions was constructed for the patients. In the full network (which includes all correlations) the median antisaccade latency value is the central element of the oculomotor domain, and the Symbol Coding test, the Digit Sequencing test, and the Verbal Fluency test are central elements in the neurocognitive domain. Additionally, there were connections between other cognitive and oculomotor functions, except for the antisaccade error latency in the oculomotor domain and the Token Motor Task in the neurocognitive domain.Conclusion: Network analysis provides measurable criteria for the assessment of neurophysiological and neurocognitive abnormalities in patients with schizophrenic spectrum disorders and allows to select key targets for their management and cognitive remediation.
Highlights
Diefendorf and Dodge first reported smooth pursuit eye movement characteristics in patients with dementia praecox [1]
The ASLs averaged over all patients significantly exceeds those for the healthy controls
Four patients were excluded from analysis because of leverage and residual observations
Summary
Diefendorf and Dodge first reported smooth pursuit eye movement characteristics in patients with dementia praecox [1]. To study oculomotor disturbances in patients with schizophrenia, a variety of tests and experimental schemes for presenting visual stimuli are used; these tests and schemes reveal the features of the spatio-temporal parameters of the main eye movements (macrosaccades). These saccade parameters are associated with the function of various brain formations involved in a multitude of cognitive processes [6]. Eye movement parameters are often used during cognitive functioning assessments of patients with psychotic spectrum disorders. A network analysis is preferable for understanding complex systems; the aim of this study was to determine the multidimensional relationships that exist between oculomotor reactions and neurocognition in patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders
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