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Auditory laterality and selective attention: normal performance in patients with early-onset schizophrenia
1National Centre for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University of Oslo, Norway.
Schizophrenia Bulletin
|December 16, 1998
Summary
Early-onset schizophrenia patients did not show deficits in dichotic listening (DL) tests compared to ADHD and healthy adolescents. These auditory laterality and selective attention findings suggest illness duration or treatment may influence DL performance.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychiatry
- Developmental Psychology
Background:
- Deficits in dichotic listening (DL) tests are common in adult chronic schizophrenia, suggesting left hemisphere dysfunction.
- Early-onset schizophrenia may present with similar auditory processing abnormalities.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate auditory laterality and selective attention in early-onset schizophrenia using a DL test.
- To compare DL performance in early-onset schizophrenia with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and healthy adolescents.
Main Methods:
- A dichotic listening (DL) test was administered to assess auditory laterality and selective attention.
- Participants included 19 patients with early-onset schizophrenia, 20 adolescents with ADHD, and 30 healthy adolescents.
Main Results:
- No significant differences in DL test performance were found between the early-onset schizophrenia, ADHD, and healthy adolescent groups.
- This suggests that early-onset schizophrenia may not exhibit the same DL deficits seen in chronic adult schizophrenia.
Conclusions:
- Auditory processing deficits in schizophrenia might be linked to illness chronicity and/or medication effects.
- DL performance deficits may emerge later, potentially interacting with neurodevelopmental changes during adolescence.