Background
Schizophrenia is a neurocognitive disorder with a wide range of cognitive and sensory
impairments. Early visual processing has been shown to be especially impaired. This
article investigates the integrity of binocular depth perception (stereopsis) in schizophrenia.
Methods
Seventeen schizophrenia patients and 19 healthy control subjects were compared on
the Graded Circles Stereo Test. Results of stereoacuity were compared between patients
and control subjects using t test.
Results
Schizophrenia patients demonstrated significantly (p = .006) reduced stereoacuity (mean = 142 arcseconds) versus control subjects (mean
= 55 arcseconds). At the normative level for adults, patients performed below chance.
Conclusions
These findings demonstrate an impairment of binocular depth perception and further
confirm deficits of early visual processing in schizophrenia. Findings are discussed
in context of magnocellular/dorsal stream processing with implications for visual
processing and cognitive deficits.
Key Words
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: August 30, 2006
Accepted:
March 28,
2006
Received in revised form:
March 23,
2006
Received:
June 29,
2005
Identification
Copyright
© 2006 Society of Biological Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
