Eye-blink conditioning deficits indicate neural timing and cerebellar abnormalities in schizophrenia

Sarah Brown
Indiana State University

Accumulating evidence indicates that people with schizophrenia manifest abnormalities in structures (cerebellum and basal ganglia) and neurotransmitter systems (dopamine) linked to neural and behavioral internal timing processes. Classical eye-blink conditioning (EBC) is an especially appropriate method to identify these abnormalities because the cerebellum is essential for timing and coordinating both motor and cognitive behavior, including the acquisition of conditioned eye-blink responses. A delayed eye-blink conditioning paradigm comprised of 100 learning and 50 extinction trials was used to examine cerebellar timing circuits in 13 medicated patients with schizophrenia and 13 age- and sex-matched controls.

Patients with schizophrenia failed to acquire the conditioned response compared to controls and also showed greater overall within subject variability in the timing of their responses. These findings are consistent with models of schizophrenia in which timing deficits underlie information processing abnormalities and clinical features of the disorder. These results will be compared with other indices of information processing and medication effects will be examined.