Single photon emission tomography with the intravenous blood
flow marker 99mTc-exametazime was carried out in 14 acutely ill
drug-free schizophrenic patients from whom P300 event-related
potential, smooth eye pursuit eye tracking and verbal fluency
were measured within a few days of scanning. Smooth pursuit eye
movement abnormality correlated significantly with abnormal
tracer uptake in superior pre-frontal cortex on the right and
left and inferior pre-frontal cortex on the left. Abnormal eye
movement was also associated with higher tracer uptake in left
anterior cingulate and left posterior cingulate. P300 latency
was significantly correlated with higher tracer uptake in left
superior pre-frontal and left parietal regions. Verbal fluency
performance was negatively correlated with tracer uptake in left
frontal region. Eye tracking abnormality in schizophrenia is
associated with bilateral frontal lobe disturbance and P300
latency increase with left-sided frontal and temporoparietal
dysfunction. There was, howe