Several studies suggest that highly schizotypal individuals display a deficit in smooth pursuit eye movements (SPEM), which are considered an important biomarker of schizophrenia. In schizophrenia, abnormal SPEM is thought to be driven by impairments in motion perception. In schizotypy, the processes underlying reduced SPEM performance have not been examined so far, and there are no studies on motion perception deficits in schizotypy. Thus, in this registered report, we aimed to investigate whether motion perception is impaired in highly schizotypal individuals, and how it contributes to SPEM performance. On an exploratory basis, we were interested in the association between schizotypy and prediction, another mechanism underlying SPEM. To address this issue, participants with high total scores of the Oxford-Liverpool Inventory of Feelings and Experiences (O-LIFE short form) and control participants with low scores (N = 86 in each group) performed a standard sinusoidal SPEM task, random dot kinematograms to measure motion perception, and a blanking SPEM task to assess prediction abilities. Group comparisons as well as mediator analyses were carried out to identify whether motion perception or prediction are responsible for SPEM performance in schizotypy. We found reduced blanking SPEM performance in schizotypes compared to controls, but no group differences regarding sinusoidal SPEM and motion perception. Although no significant mediators were identified for SPEM performance in schizotypes, an exploratory analysis revealed an association between motion perception and SPEM gain in high, but not in low schizotypy. Our findings imply that despite the schizotypy-related impairment in prediction, motion perception seems to be a more important predictor of SPEM performance in schizotypes. A deficit in prediction that does not relate to SPEM performance suggests that protective factors (e.g., other cognitive processes) might operate in schizotypal individuals to maintain SPEM performance on a healthy level.

中文翻译：

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精神分裂症患者平稳追踪眼球运动的机制。

几项研究表明，高度分裂型个体在顺滑眼球运动（SPEM）中显示不足，这被认为是精神分裂症的重要生物标志物。在精神分裂症中，异常SPEM被认为是由运动知觉障碍引起的。在精神分裂症中，到目前为止尚未检查过SPEM性能降低的潜在过程，并且没有关于精神分裂症中运动知觉缺陷的研究。因此，在此注册报告中，我们旨在调查运动意识在高度分裂型个体中是否受到损害，以及它如何影响SPEM表现。在探索的基础上，我们对精神分裂症和预测（SPEM的另一种机制）之间的关联感兴趣。为了解决这个问题，牛津-利物浦感觉和经验清单总得分高的参与者（O-LIFE简短形式）和低分数的对照组参与者（每组N = 86）执行标准正弦SPEM任务，随机点运动图测量运动感知，以及用于评估预测能力的空白SPEM任务。进行组比较和介体分析，以确定运动知觉或预测是否导致精神分裂症中SPEM表现。我们发现，与对照相比，精神分裂症患者的空白SPEM性能降低，但是在正弦SPEM和运动知觉方面没有组差异。尽管没有发现精神分裂症中SPEM表现的重要介体，但一项探索性分析显示，运动感觉和SPEM增高之间存在关联，但不是低精神分裂症。我们的发现表明，尽管预测中存在与精神分裂症相关的损伤，但运动感知似乎是SPEM在精神分裂症类型中更重要的预测指标。与SPEM表现无关的预测缺陷表明，保护型因素（例如其他认知过程）可能在分裂型个体中起作用，以将SPEM表现维持在健康水平。