Abstract
By combining psychophysiologic and genetic research strategies in the investigation of psychiatric disorders; it is possible to identify psychophysiological measures that may serve as genetic markers of psychopathology. A set of research criteria that can be used to identify and validate a genetic marker is presented. Focusing on the author's research, these criteria were applied to evaluate deviant smooth‐pursuit eye tracking as a potential marker of schizophrenia. The results from studies of both normal subjects and psychiatric patients make a strong case that abnormalities in the eye‐tracking performance of schizophrenic patients have potential as a marker of this disorder. Other research findings pertinent to eye‐tracking performance are discussed along with some ethical concerns arising from this type of psychophysiologic‐genetic research.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 371-383 |
| Number of pages | 13 |
| Journal | Psychophysiology |
| Volume | 20 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jul 1983 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Electro‐oculography
- Genetic marker
- Saccadic eye movements
- Schizophrenia
- Smooth‐pursuit eye tracking