[Attention impairment in patients suffering from schizophrenia and their relatives of first-degree]

Attention dysfunction as assessed by standardised tests has often been reported in schizophrenic patients. Since many cognitive dysfunctions noted in these patients occur also in their close relatives, a supposition arises that they may be indicators not so much of transient states, but rather of a stable feature of cognitive functioning. This feature perhaps is transmitted from generation to generation and might contribute to the onset of the disease.

A comparison of selected attention indicators in schizophrenic patients and their first-degree relatives with these in healthy controls without family history of schizophrenia.

Participants in the study were 99 patients diagnosed with schizophrenia (according to the ICD-10-DCR criteria) in an early period of remission, their first-degree relatives (N = 56), out of whom 42 were healthy and 14 had a history of psychiatric disorders, and a control group of participants (N = 42) unrelated to the subjects and with no psychiatric history. Several tests of the computer-aided Vienna Test Battery were used, and namely: the RT test measuring reaction time to simple visual or auditory stimuli, and LVT test measuring the accuracy and performance time in a task that consisted in visual tracking of lines, and required concentration of visual perception.

As compared to the controls, the patient group was found to manifest attention deficits in the form of longer reaction time to simple stimuli as well as increased performance time and decreased correctness of visual line tracking. The patients had also a somewhat longer reaction time to visual (but not auditory) stimuli, and their line tracking was inferior as compared to that of their healthy relatives. As regards the reaction time to simple stimuli, the latter did not differ significantly from the controls, but in the line tracking test which required more attention, their performance was significantly inferior to that of the control group.