SPATIAL MEMORY FUNCTIONING AND NEGATIVE SYMPTOMS IN SCHIZOPHRENIA
Abstract:
Background: Cognitive deficits in schizophrenia have been attributed to information
processing deficits or to working memory). Spatial working memory (SWM) deficits in particular have
been proposed as potential cognitive endophenotypic markers of schizophrenia. Aims: The aim of the
current study was to compare the performance of patients with schizophrenia with that of healthy
controls on tests of spatial memory in order to identify specific pattern of memory performance.
Subjects: 138 outpatients with a diagnosis of schizophrenia were recruited from the Community
Mental Center Cluj-Napoca and were assessed with three spatial memory tests from CANTAB.
Results: Significant group differences were observed in cognitive performance. Conclusions:
Schizophrenic patients showed impairment in spatial memory in comparison with healthy control
subjects. Impaired performance can be attributed to negative symptoms.
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