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Attention and higher cortical functions in schizophrenia
1Laboratory of Biological Psychiatry, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH.
The Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences
|January 1, 1991
Summary
Attention deficits may not cause memory recall issues in schizophrenia, but they do contribute to perseveration. This study explored cognitive abnormalities in schizophrenia, focusing on attention
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Psychology
- Psychiatry
Background:
- Schizophrenia is characterized by cognitive abnormalities.
- The role of attention in these deficits requires further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the role of attention in cognitive abnormalities observed in schizophrenia.
- To determine if attentional deficits underlie impaired memory recall and semantic memory retrieval.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was used to control for attention.
- Compared 15 schizophrenic patients and 14 controls on memory recall and Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) performance.
Main Results:
- Controlling for attention had minimal impact on differences in episodic memory recall and remote semantic memory retrieval between patients and controls.
- Attentional deficits were found to contribute to perseveration on the WCST in schizophrenic patients.
Conclusions:
- Attentional deficits may not be the primary cause of impaired new information recall or remote semantic memory retrieval in schizophrenia.
- Attentional deficits appear to play a role in the perseverative behavior seen in schizophrenia.