Medication may be required for the development of automatic information processing in schizophrenia.
Medicated and unmedicated schizophrenic patients and normal subjects (n's = 4) were examined on the extent to which their information-processing performance became automated over time, as reflected by increased competence in dual task performance. The central task was a computerized version of the Continuous Performance Test, and the secondary task was a word-list shadowing task. Normal subjects and medicated schizophrenic patients became much more efficient at performing both tasks simultaneously with practice, with unmedicated patients showing no improvement over time.
Serper
M R
MR
Department of Psychiatry, Mt. Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY 10029.
Bergman
R L
RL
Harvey
P D
PD
D000328:Adult; D001288:Attention / Q000187:drug effects*; D001590:Benztropine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004193:Discrimination Learning / Q000187:drug effects; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005556:Form Perception / Q000187:drug effects*; D006220:Haloperidol / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual / Q000187:drug effects*; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000187:drug effects*; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000187:drug effects; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000188:drug therapy*; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D013067:Speech Perception / Q000187:drug effects*; D014326:Tropanes / Q000627:therapeutic use*
D014326:Tropanes; D001590:Benztropine; D006220:Haloperidol