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Published on: May 9, 2019
Confabulation in schizophrenia: a neuropsychological study
E Lorente-Rovira1, J L Santos-Gómez, M Moro
1Clinic University Hospital, Valencia, AVS and CIBERSAM, Spain. esterlorente@hotmail.com
Summary
Schizophrenia patients produce more confabulations than controls, linked to executive function deficits, not memory impairment. This suggests confabulation in schizophrenia stems from strategic retrieval issues rather than episodic memory problems.
Area of Science:
- Neuropsychology
- Cognitive Psychology
- Psychiatry
Background:
- Confabulation is observed in schizophrenia, but its underlying neuropsychological basis may differ from neurological conditions.
- Existing research suggests potential links between confabulation and memory or executive function deficits.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the neuropsychological correlates of confabulation in schizophrenia.
- To differentiate the nature of confabulation in schizophrenia from that seen in neurological disorders.
Main Methods:
- Forty-five patients with schizophrenia and 37 healthy controls participated.
- Participants completed a fable recall task to assess confabulation.
- A battery of memory and executive function tests, including the Brixton Test, was administered.
Main Results:
- Schizophrenia patients generated significantly more confabulations than controls.
- Confabulation was not significantly associated with general memory impairment.
- Confabulation showed a significant association with impairment on the Brixton Test (executive function) and two semantic memory tests.
Conclusions:
- Confabulation in schizophrenia appears independent of episodic memory deficits characteristic of the disorder.
- Findings support a defective strategic retrieval account of confabulation in schizophrenia, potentially interacting with semantic memory impairments.
- The specific executive function deficit identified may be key to understanding confabulation in this population.
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