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Performance on the continuous performance test under parametric increase of working memory load in schizophrenia.
Kwang-Hyuk Lee1, Daniel T Tsoi, Waqqas A Khokhar
1Department of Neuroscience, University of Sheffield School of Medicine, UK. k.h.lee@sheffield.ac.uk
Psychiatry Research
|February 28, 2012
Summary
Schizophrenia patients showed significant working memory deficits, with performance declining rapidly under increased cognitive load. This suggests a key interaction between attention and working memory impairments in schizophrenia.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Psychology
- Psychiatry
Background:
- Schizophrenia is a complex mental disorder associated with cognitive deficits.
- Working memory and sustained attention are critical cognitive functions often impaired in schizophrenia.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate working memory performance in schizophrenia patients compared to healthy controls.
- To examine how increasing working memory demands affect performance in schizophrenia.
Main Methods:
- A parametric working memory continuous performance test was administered.
- Participants included 24 schizophrenia patients and 24 healthy comparison subjects.
Main Results:
- Schizophrenia patients demonstrated a steeper performance decline than controls as working memory demands increased.
- Patients showed significant impairments in tasks requiring sustained attention and working memory.
Conclusions:
- Working memory abnormalities are a significant feature of schizophrenia.
- An interaction between sustained attention and working memory deficits may underlie cognitive dysfunction in schizophrenia.
