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The following is a summary of “Eye Movements as Predictor of cognitive improvement after cognitive remediation therapy in Patients with Schizophrenia,” published in the April 2024 issue of Psychiatry by Zhu et al.

Previously, studies investigated the effectiveness of cognitive remediation therapy (CRT) using baseline cognitive functions. However, the results could have been more consistent. Eye movement offers a more objective and advanced assessment compared to neuropsychological testing.

Researchers conducted a retrospective study to assess whether eye movements could predict cognitive improvement in patients with schizophrenia following CRT.

They enrolled 79 schizophrenia patients for an 8-week CRT study to evaluate cognitive enhancements. Baseline eye movements were examined through prosaccades, antisaccades, and free-viewing tasks. Neuropsychological tests in four domains were conducted before and after treatment to assess cognitive improvements. Logistic regression analyzed predictors for cognitive outcomes. Eye movements were compared with neuropsychological tests to determine CRT’s impact. Factors influencing treatment outcomes across cognitive domains were explored.

The results showed that 33 patients exhibited cognitive improvement (improved group) while 46 patients did not (non-improved group) following CRT. Employment status, lower directional error rate in the antisaccade task, and reduced gap effect in the prosaccade task at baseline predicted cognitive enhancement. However, performance in the free-viewing task was not linked to cognitive improvement in CRT. The eye-movement prediction model outperformed the neuropsychological prediction model in predicting CRT’s effect on cognitive improvement in patients with schizophrenia. Additionally, baseline eye movements, cognitive reserve, antipsychotic dose, anticholinergic burden change, and training sessions correlated with enhancements in four cognitive domains.

Investigators concluded that baseline eye movement measures, particularly prosaccades, and antisaccades, offered a more objective way to predict cognitive improvement after CRT in schizophrenia.

Source: frontiersin.org/journals/psychiatry/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1395198/full