Blink rate does matter: A study of blink rate, sustained attention, and neurological signs in schizophrenia

This study aimed to explore the relationships among cognitive functions, neurological soft signs, and clinical symptoms in a group of patients with chronic schizophrenia. A total of 90 patients were recruited. Blink rate was recorded when patients were in a resting and relaxed condition. Significant correlations were found only between blink rate and general psychopathology (p < .01) and disinhibition soft signs (p < .05). When the group was further divided into two subgroups by taking the lower and upper quartiles of their blink rate, patients at the Upper quartiles exhibited significantly more disinhibition signs than those at the lower quartiles. There was also a trend for those patients at the upper quartiles to commit more error in a sustained attention task. These findings suggest that blink rate is associated with disinhibition signs in the present sample.