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Durable improvements in Wisconsin Card Sorting Test performance in schizophrenic patients
M G Vollema1, G J Geurtsen, A J van Voorst
1Psychiatric Hospital Veldwijk, Ermelo, The Netherlands.
Schizophrenia Research
|August 15, 1995
Summary
Cognitive deficits in schizophrenia, measured by the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST), can be significantly improved with procedural training. This improvement in frontal lobe function was sustained for two weeks, suggesting potential remediation.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychiatry
- Cognitive Psychology
Background:
- Schizophrenia is associated with significant cognitive deficits, particularly in frontal lobe functions.
- The Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) is a key neuropsychological tool for assessing these frontal lobe deficits.
- Previous research has not fully established the reversibility of these cognitive impairments.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the potential reversibility of cognitive deficits in schizophrenic patients using the WCST.
- To determine the efficacy of procedural test training on WCST performance in schizophrenia.
- To assess the impact of monetary reinforcement on training effectiveness.
Main Methods:
- 34 patients diagnosed with schizophrenia (DSM III-R) were recruited.
- Participants were randomly assigned to two experimental groups or one control group.
- Testing occurred over six consecutive occasions, including procedural training and monetary reinforcement conditions.
Main Results:
- Schizophrenic patients demonstrated dramatic improvements in WCST performance following elaborate procedural training.
- These performance enhancements were sustained for at least a 2-week period.
- Monetary reinforcement, when added to training, was less effective and had an inhibiting effect.
Conclusions:
- Frontal lobe deficits observed in schizophrenia may be reducible through targeted interventions.
- The study suggests a stable dysfunction in concept formation underlies poor WCST performance in schizophrenia.
- Further research is needed to confirm if this concept formation deficit is fully remediable.