Abstract
This review covers three areas of schizophrenia research not usually addressed in residents' curricula: smooth pursuit eye movements and genetics, orienting responses, and tardive dyskinesia. The significance of these neurological signs is explored in terms of their clinical symptom associations and their heuristic value. Neuroanatomical aspects of these signs is noted to be speculatively consistent with hypofrontality and negative symptoms in schieophrenia. The author describes the nature of occulomotor abnormalities and discusses an applicable research study. He summarizes relevant areas of genetic research including linkage analysis and marker studies and explains some of the orienting response abnormalities in schizophrenia. He then examines tardive dyskinesia for associated clinical psychological implications beyond its manifestation as a movement disorder. Finally, the author discusses a study of eye movement abnormalities in patients with tardive dyskinesia to illustrate how different research perspectives can be interwoven to tie genetically inherited neurological signs to the schizophrenic illness.
Recommended Citation
Rosen, M.D., Emanuel H.
(1991)
"A Survey of Selected Neurological Signs in Schizophrenia Research,"
Jefferson Journal of Psychiatry: Vol. 9:
Iss.
1, Article 6.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.29046/JJP.009.1.004
Available at:
https://jdc.jefferson.edu/jeffjpsychiatry/vol9/iss1/6