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European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience

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20-07-2022 | Schizophrenia | Original Paper

Eye movement indices as predictors of conversion to psychosis in individuals at clinical high risk

Authors: Dan Zhang, Lihua Xu, Yuou Xie, Xiaochen Tang, Yegang Hu, Xu Liu, Guisen Wu, Zhenying Qian, Yingying Tang, Zhi Liu, Tao Chen, HaiChun Liu, Tianhong Zhang, Jijun Wang

Published in: European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience | Issue 3/2023

Abstract

Eye movement abnormalities have been established as an “endophenotype” of schizophrenia. However, less is known about the possibility of these abnormalities as biomarkers for psychosis conversion among clinical high risk (CHR) populations. In the present study, 108 CHR individuals and 70 healthy controls (HC) underwent clinical assessments and eye-tracking tests, comprising fixation stability and free-viewing tasks. According to three-year follow-up outcomes, CHR participants were further stratified into CHR-converter (CHR-C; n = 21) and CHR-nonconverter (CHR-NC; n = 87) subgroups. Prediction models were constructed using Cox regression and logistic regression. The CHR-C group showed more saccades of the fixation stability test (no distractor) and a reduced saccade amplitude of the free-viewing test than HC. Moreover, the CHR-NC group exhibited excessive saccades and an increased saccade amplitude of the fixation stability test (no distractor; with distractor) compared with HC. Furthermore, two indices could effectively discriminate CHR-C from CHR-NC with an area under the receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve of 0.80, including the saccade number of the fixation stability test (no distractor) and the saccade amplitude of the free-viewing test. Combined with negative symptom scores of the Scale of Prodromal Symptoms, the area was 0.81. These findings support that eye movement alterations might emerge before the onset of clinically overt psychosis and could assist in predicting psychosis transition among CHR populations.

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Title: Eye movement indices as predictors of conversion to psychosis in individuals at clinical high risk
Authors: Dan Zhang
Lihua Xu
Yuou Xie
Xiaochen Tang
Yegang Hu
Xu Liu
Guisen Wu
Zhenying Qian
Yingying Tang
Zhi Liu
Tao Chen
HaiChun Liu
Tianhong Zhang
Jijun Wang
Publication date: 20-07-2022
Publisher: Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Keyword: Schizophrenia
Published in: European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience / Issue 3/2023
Print ISSN: 0940-1334
Electronic ISSN: 1433-8491
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00406-022-01463-z

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on medication adherence

Springer Medicine

Eye movement indices as predictors of conversion to psychosis in individuals at clinical high risk

Abstract

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on medication adherence

Springer Medicine

Abstract

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