CHARACTERIZATION OF NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL IMPAIRMENT IN SCHIZOPHRENIA

在过去一年中，我们试图从各个方面描述 精神分裂症的认知异常 科尔布特别是 有兴趣尝试描绘的认知组成部分， 各种范式中涉及的子过程。 1. 我们继续研究 思维障碍和语义记忆异常。 我们已经评估 在接受精神抑制剂治疗时， 服用安慰剂和服用安慰剂。 此外，我们还检查了 通过使用“三元”配对比较任务进行语义组织， 评估患者语义组织随时间的稳定性 和正常的。 此外，我们还开发了视觉语义测试， 基于对象之间语义边界的概念。 2. 我们已经在两个范式中研究了工作记忆。 首先我们得 继续我们的工作，了解“n-bac”任务，并已评估 大量的正常人，发现一个线性增加， 与我们对特定任务的预测一致的困难 操作（例如，增加捕捞试验，增加延误）。 第二，我们已经系统地研究了布朗-彼得森任务， 操纵延迟、记忆负荷和干扰。 我们发现这种能力 中央执行系统而非从属系统的局限性和故障 表现与精神分裂症的关系最为密切。 迟迟 对患者没有影响。 3. 我们设计了一系列的测试来更好地理解认知 CPT的组成部分。 我们会检查工作记忆，刺激反应 映射和响应准备作为更基本的 与CPT性能相关的过程。 4. 为了评估认知障碍的特异性， 精神分裂症，我们检查了创伤性脑损伤的患者。 我们 发现他们与精神分裂症患者之间有显著差异。 精神分裂症患者在广泛的 各种任务。 值得注意的是，有创伤的患者 脑损伤具有显著程度的创伤后遗忘（即，>2个 周）。 我们认为，精神分裂症的损害程度是 相当严重。 5. 我们已经开始了一项大型研究， 变量作为表型标记，并试图将这些与等位基因 为了更好地了解精神分裂症的遗传 对这种疾病的易感性。 特别是，我们假设 神经认知测量可能是更好的表型标记， 基于症状的诊断

For the past year, we have attempted to characterize various facets of cognitive abnormalities in schizophrenia. Kolb had been especially interested in attempting to delineate the cognitive components of subprocesses involved in various paradigms. 1. We have continued our work examining the relationship between thought disorder and abnormalities in semantic memory. We have assessed patients on semantic memory measures while receiving neuroleptic medications and while receiving placebo. In addition, we have examined semantic organization by using a "triadic" pair comparison task in order to assess the stability of semantic organization over time in patients and in normals. Furthermore, we have developed a visual semantic test based on notions of semantic boundaries between objects. 2. We have examined working memory in two paradigms. First, we have continued our work on understanding the "n-bac" task and have assessed large numbers of normal individuals and found a linear increase in difficulties that was consistent with our predictions about specific task manipulations (e.g., the addition of catch trials, increasing delays). Second, we have looked at the Brown-Peterson task and systematically manipulated delay, memory load and interference. We found that capacity limitations and failures in central executive rather than slave system performance were associated most strongly with schizophrenia. Delay did not have a differential effect on patients. 3. We have devised a series of tests to better understand the cognitive components of the CPT. We will examine working memory, stimulus response mapping, and response preparation as alternatives in more fundamental processes associated with CPT performance. 4. In order to assess specificity of cognitive impairment in schizophrenia, we examined patients with traumatic brain injury. We found marked differences between them and patients with schizophrenia. Patients with schizophrenia performed significantly worse on a wide variety of tasks. It should be noted that the patients with traumatic brain injury had significant degrees of posttraumatic amnesia (i.e., >2 weeks). We suggest that the degree of impairment in schizophrenia is quite severe. 5. We have commenced a large study in which we will use cognitive variables as phenotypic markers and attempt to link these to allelic abnormalities in schizophrenia in order to better understand genetic susceptibility to this disorder. In particular, it is our hypothesis that neurocognitive measures may be better phenotypic markers than symptom based diagnosis.