Silberg JE, Agtzidis I, Startsev M, Fasshauer T, Silling K, Sprenger A, Dorr M, Lencer R. Free visual exploration of natural movies in schizophrenia.
Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci 2019;
269:407-418. [PMID:
29305645 DOI:
10.1007/s00406-017-0863-1]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2017] [Accepted: 12/28/2017] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Eye tracking dysfunction (ETD) observed with standard pursuit stimuli represents a well-established biomarker for schizophrenia. How ETD may manifest during free visual exploration of real-life movies is unclear.
METHODS
Eye movements were recorded (EyeLink®1000) while 26 schizophrenia patients and 25 healthy age-matched controls freely explored nine uncut movies and nine pictures of real-life situations for 20 s each. Subsequently, participants were shown still shots of these scenes to decide whether they had explored them as movies or pictures. Participants were additionally assessed on standard eye-tracking tasks.
RESULTS
Patients made smaller saccades (movies (p = 0.003), pictures (p = 0.002)) and had a stronger central bias (movies and pictures (p < 0.001)) than controls. In movies, patients' exploration behavior was less driven by image-defined, bottom-up stimulus saliency than controls (p < 0.05). Proportions of pursuit tracking on movies differed between groups depending on the individual movie (group*movie p = 0.011, movie p < 0.001). Eye velocity on standard pursuit stimuli was reduced in patients (p = 0.029) but did not correlate with pursuit behavior on movies. Additionally, patients obtained lower rates of correctly identified still shots as movies or pictures (p = 0.046).
CONCLUSION
Our results suggest a restricted centrally focused visual exploration behavior in patients not only on pictures, but also on movies of real-life scenes. While ETD observed in the laboratory cannot be directly transferred to natural viewing conditions, these alterations support a model of impairments in motion information processing in patients resulting in a reduced ability to perceive moving objects and less saliency driven exploration behavior presumably contributing to alterations in the perception of the natural environment.
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