Blink Rates in Schizophrenia

In schizophrenia, blink rates are frequently elevated and the peak of the electroencephalographic alpha rhythm is often absent or of a lower frequency. Emerging evidence suggests that both blinks and the alpha rhythm may be controlled by a linked neuroanatomical circuit that begins in rostral pons and involves several subcortical structures as well as the occipital cortex. Blink-alpha abnormalities in schizophrenia further suggest that this blink-alpha neurocircuit may be a locus of the pathophysiological process of this disorder.