Schizophrenia patients show intact immediate error-related performance adjustments on an antisaccade task

Abstract

Objective Schizophrenia patients consistently show impairments on tasks requiring inhibition such as the antisaccade task. Deficits in performance monitoring including the detection of errors and subsequent adjustments to performance may contribute to such impairments. We examined whether immediate error-related performance adjustments during the antisaccade task were intact in schizophrenia. Method We compared 21 schizophrenia patients and 14 healthy control subjects on the following measures: 1) error-related, trial-by-trial adjustments in reaction time (pre-error speeding, faster errors and post-error slowing); 2) the speed–accuracy trade-off (SATO) function; and 3) the frequency and type of error self-correction. Results Although antisaccade performance in schizophrenia was characterized by increased errors and latency of correct responses, measures of immediate error-related performance adjustments were intact. Conclusion Schizophrenia is characterized by intact immediate error–related performance adjustments, even in the context of impaired antisaccade performance. It is possible that deficiencies in other aspects of error processing, indexed by electrophysiological and hemodynamic markers, contribute to antisaccade and other cognitive deficits in schizophrenia.