State-dependent implicit learning deficit in schizophrenia: evidence from 20-month follow-up

Previous research has confirmed stable explicit memory deficits in schizophrenia across disease states. However, little is known about the implicit learning capabilities of individuals with schizophrenia across the course of illness. The current study assessed procedural learning in 19 schizophrenia subjects (DSM-IV criteria) and 19 matched controls using the Serial Reaction-Time Task (SRTT). The severity of negative, positive and disorganized symptoms was assessed using the Scales for the Assessment of Positive and Negative Symptoms. A sub-sample of 11 schizophrenia subjects and 11 controls was reassessed 20 months later when symptoms in the schizophrenia subjects had largely remitted. Schizophrenia subjects were severely impaired on sequence-specific procedural learning during an acute episode. This deficit could not be explained by a general memory or processing speed impairment. Impaired implicit learning scores were significantly related to higher ratings of disorganized symptoms. However, 20 months later, when acute symptoms had remitted, the performance of the schizophrenia subjects on procedural learning had normalized. Our findings might share a conceptual overlap with previous reports of a reduced ability of schizophrenia subjects during an acute episode to adapt ongoing perceptual and behavioral programs to previously experienced regularities in their environment.