CHARACTERIZATION OF NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL IMPAIRMENT IN SCHIZOPHRENIA

在过去的一年里，我们试图更全面地描述 精神分裂症患者的认知障碍。 我们使用n-back范式研究了工作记忆。我们现在有了 使用产生式系统IF开发了该任务的计算模型 然后是声明。我们还发现，业绩之间存在很强的联系 在n背面和智商上。更具体地说，这种关系是由智商驱动的 具有最大工作内存需求的子测试。我们也已经开始工作 工作记忆中时间顺序错误的解释机制研究 精神分裂症患者。最后，我们认为CPT的某些组成部分可能 涉及工作记忆和刺激反应映射，而不是 注意和警觉，正如之前强调的那样，并正在测试这一点 假设。 我们使用语言流畅性来评估语义系统的完整性 精神分裂症患者。特别是，我们发现起搏具有差异性 对语义流畅性和语音流畅性的影响及精神分裂症 与特定类别的损伤无关。 我们开始了一系列密集的研究，研究神经镇静剂对以下方面的影响： 在n-back测试中实例化的工作内存；b.广泛的 临床神经认知测试。 精神分裂症患者的思维障碍继续受到关注。一个 最近一项使用三元比较任务的研究发现，患有 高度的思维障碍有混乱的语义图。(一) 这可能的机制涉及异常的自动传播 通过语义启动来评估激活。)我们开始聚集在一起 评估精神分裂症患者的非语言变形任务的数据 以与正常控件相同的方式划定语义边界。我们是 还看了这个问题在反应时测试中的单词。上一次我们 正在进行一项对比研究，将精神分裂症患者与 阿尔茨海默病患者和儿童寻找解离 词汇的大小和它的组织之间的关系。 以中间体为重点的精神分裂症的遗传学研究 表型正在进行中。我们正在使用大量的神经认知电池 描述这种“中间”表型的措施。我们以此为基础 患者不会遗传精神分裂症而是多种 认知障碍的易感性及其伴随因素 神经生理学异常。我们将使用极不和谐的配对 (受影响的未受影响的)和受影响的兄弟姐妹对 试图找到认知变量和遗传标记之间的联系。

For the past year we have attempted to characterize more completely the cognitive impairments in schizophrenia. We have examined working memory using an n back paradigm. We have now developed a computational model of this task using production system if then statements. We have also found a strong relation between performance on the n back and IQ. More specifically this relation was driven by IQ subtests with the greatest working memory demands. We have also begun work on the mechanisms accounting for temporal order failures in working memory in schizophrenia. Last we believe that some components of the CPT might involve working memory and stimulus response mapping as opposed to attention and vigilance as heretofore stressed and are testing this hypothesis. We have used verbal fluency to assess the integrity of the semantic system in schizophrenia. In particular we found that pacing has differential effects on the semantic versus phonologic fluency and that schizophrenia is not associated with category specific impairments. We began an intensive series of studies of the effects of neuroleptics on: a working memory as instantiated in the n back test; b. a wide array of clinical neurocognitive tests. Thought disorder in schizophrenia continued to come under scrutiny. A recent study using a triadic comparisons task found that patients with high levels of thought disorder had disorganized semantic maps. (One possible mechanism for this involved abnormal automatic spreading activation as assessed by semantic priming.) We are beginning to gather data on a nonverbal morphing task to assess where schizophrenic patients delimit semantic boundaries in the same way as do normal controls. We are also looking at this question in a reaction time test to words. Last we are doing a contrast study which compares patients with schizophrenia to patients with Alzheimer's disease and children to find dissociations between the size of the verbal lexicon and its organization. A genetic study of schizophrenia with an emphasis on intermediate phenotypes is ongoing. We are using a large battery of neurocognitive measures to characterize this "intermediate" phenotype. We base this on the rationale that patients do not inherit schizophrenia but a variety of susceptibilities to cognitive impairments and their attendant neurophysiologic abnormalities. We will use extreme discordant pairs (affected unaffected) and affected sib pairs for selected variables and attempt to find linkage between cognitive variables and genetic markers.