Ketamine effects on eye movements

In order to determine if the N-methyl-D-aspartate antagonist ketamine would reproduce eye movement dysfunction in schizophrenia, we studied 12 normal control subjects with low dose (0.1 mg/kg) bolus injection of ketamine in a double-blind placebo-controlled study. Oculomotor measures were obtained during smooth pursuit that included closed loop gain and measures of gain during masking conditions. Measures during initiation of smooth pursuit included latency, open loop acceleration and velocity. Ketamine disrupted closed loop gain and open loop acceleration but not measures during the masking conditions. The ketamine partly reproduced some abnormalities seen in schizophrenia but not measures that may be more specifically linked to familial abnormalities found in family members of subjects with schizophrenia.