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Spatial working memory ability is a marker of risk-for-psychosis
S J Wood1, C Pantelis, T Proffitt
1Cognitive Neuropsychiatry Research & Academic Unit, PACE Clinic, Department of Psychiatry, University of Melbourne, Sunshine Hospital, St Albans, VIC, Australia.
Psychological Medicine
|October 29, 2003
Summary
Spatial working memory is impaired in individuals at ultra-high risk for psychosis. This cognitive deficit may help predict psychosis onset and negative symptoms.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Psychiatry
- Neuroimaging
Background:
- Working memory deficits are a known issue in schizophrenia, linked to negative symptoms.
- It remains unclear if these working memory impairments exist before psychosis onset in at-risk individuals.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate spatial working memory (SWM) and delayed matching-to-sample (DMTS) performance in individuals at ultra-high risk (UHR) for psychosis.
- To explore the relationship between working memory performance and the development of psychosis and negative symptoms.
Main Methods:
- Compared 38 UHR individuals (9 later developed psychosis) with 49 healthy controls.
- Administered tests assessing spatial working memory (SWM) and delayed matching-to-sample (DMTS).
Main Results:
- Both UHR groups showed significantly poorer performance on SWM and DMTS compared to controls.
- Individuals who later developed psychosis generally performed worse, though not significantly across all measures.
- A significant association between SWM errors and negative symptoms was observed exclusively in the later-psychotic group (P = 0.02).
Conclusions:
- Spatial working memory abilities are demonstrably impaired in individuals identified as high-risk for developing psychosis.
- The link between working memory deficits and negative symptoms could serve as a valuable predictive indicator for psychosis.
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