Cue dependent right hemineglect in schizophrenia: a kinematic analysis
- aDepartment of Psychology, Monash University, Clayton VIC 3168, Australia, bAdult Psychiatry, Monash Medical Centre, Clayton VIC 3168, Australia, cCognitive Neuropsychiatry Unit, Mental Health Research Institute, and Department of Psychiatry, University of Melbourne, Parkville VIC 3052, Australia
- Dr J G Phillips, Psychology Department, Monash University, Clayton VIC 3168, Australia. Fax 00613 9905 3948.
- Received 9 April 1997
- Revised 15 December 1997
- Accepted 14 January 1998
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Schizophrenia may result from disturbed attentional processes and/or defective internal cueing. Attention for subsequent action within a cued movement task was therefore studied, testing specific hypotheses of hemispheric dysfunction and of impaired interhemispheric communication.
METHOD Fifteen patients with schizophrenia and 15 matched controls were either cued or uncued when moving a pen to a target on their right or left side with their right or left hand. Pen tip position was sampled at 200 Hz on a WACOM SD420 graphics tablet for subsequent kinematic analysis.
RESULTS Patients with schizophrenia were slower initiating rightwards movements without a cue. Patients also exhibited reduced abductive/adductive differences in the shape of their movement trajectories, implying differences in interhemispheric communication.
CONCLUSIONS It is speculated that schizophrenia is a form of cue dependent right hemineglect.
