Sensory processing in schizophrenia: neither simple nor intact

This special issue focuses on the theme of sensory processing dysfunction in schizophrenia. For more than 50 years, from approximately the time of Bleuler until the early 1960s, sensory function was considered one of the few preserved functions in schizophrenia (Javitt1). Fortunately, the last several decades have brought a renewed and accelerating interest in this topic. The articles included in the issue range from those addressing fundamental bases of sensory dysfunction (Brenner, Yoon, and Turetsky) to those that examine how elementary deficits in sensory processing affect the sensory experience of individuals with schizophrenia (Butler, Kantrowitz, and Coleman) to the question of how sensory-based treatments may lead to improvement in remediation strategies (Adcock). Although addressing only a small portion of the current complex and burgeoning literature on sensory impairments across modalities, the present articles provide a cross-section of the issues currently under investigation. These studies also underscore the severe challenges that individuals with schizophrenia face when trying to decode the complex world around them.