New Findings “Lend Confidence” To The Idea That Cortical Blindness Eliminates The Risk Of Developing Schizophrenia

Not a single case of schizophrenia has ever been reported in someone who is cortically blind, according to the authors of a new population-wide study into the phenomenon By Emma Young Various visual impairments and abnormalities, such as unusual eye movement patterns, blink rates and retinal problems, are more common than usual in people diagnosed with schizophrenia, suggesting these issues may contribute to the development of the condition. Yet paradoxically, since the 1950s, there have also been intriguing hints that people who are blind from birth or an early age are less likely to develop schizophrenia and other kinds of psychoses, suggesting blindness can act as a protective factor against the illness.  Before now, findings – mostly from case-study type research – suggested that cortical blindness (resulting from abnormalities in the occipital cortex of the brain, rather than the eyes) may even be completely protective. As far as the authors of a new study are aware, not a single case of schizophrenia has ever been reported in someone who is cortically blind.  “Note that most authors are cautious to add that ‘absence of evidence is not evidence of absence’,” Vera Morgan at the University of Western Australia told me. But a total of zero documented cases among such people to date is striking. Morgan is the lead author of the first large-scale population study investigating this phenomenon, published in Schizophrenia Research, and it provides further eviden...
Source: BPS RESEARCH DIGEST - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Tags: Brain Psychosis Source Type: blogs