Title of article :
Spatial working memory deficits and clinical symptoms in schizophrenia: a 4-month follow-up study
Author/Authors :
Sohee Park، نويسنده , , J?rg Püschel، نويسنده , , Barbara H. Sauter، نويسنده , , Markus Rentsch، نويسنده , , Daniel Hell، نويسنده ,
Issue Information :
روزنامه با شماره پیاپی سال 1999
Abstract :
Background: Our goal was to examine spatial working memory function in relation to clinical symptoms of schizophrenia over a period of 4 months.
Methods: We assessed spatial working memory, spatial detection and clinical symptoms in 34 acutely psychotic schizophrenia patients within the first 2 weeks of hospitalization, and 4 months later. Spatial working memory was assessed by a delayed response task. A spatial control task was included to rule out simple sensorimotor deficits. Positive and negative symptoms were assessed by the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS). Thirty-nine matched normal control subjects were also examined on the same tasks over the same period.
Results: Patients showed deficits in working memory, but they performed well on the spatial control task. Both positive and negative symptoms improved at the 4-month follow up. Spatial working memory also improved over time but there was still a significant deficit at the follow-up session.
Conclusions: These results indicate that both symptoms and spatial working memory improved 4 months after the initial hospitalization but spatial working memory, hypothesized to be mediated by the dorsolateral prefrontal system, did not normalize. Thus, spatial working memory deficit may be a stable marker for schizophrenia.
Keywords :
positivesymptoms , negative symptoms , Prefrontal cortex , Schizophrenia , Working memory
Journal title :
Biological Psychiatry
Journal title :
Biological Psychiatry