Regional cortical dysfunction in schizophrenic patients studied by computerized neuropsychological methods.
18 RDC-diagnosed schizophrenic patients (11 men, 7 women) were compared to 84 normal men with three computerized neuropsychological methods, assumed to reflect lateralized and frontal cortical functions: (1) Bilateral Finger Tapping and Finger Alternation, (2) Bilateral Trail Making, and (3) passively perceived Necker cube reversals. Schizophrenics differed from normals by (1) inferior Tapping/Alternation but only in the right hand, (2) inferior Trail Making, most pronounced for Form B, and (3) lower frequency of Necker cube reversals. Patients with previous neuroleptic medication and prior psychiatric hospitalizations were inferior in Trail Making and had fewer Necker cube reversals. The findings were interpreted in line with recent models of schizophrenia involving a left-hemisphere dysfunction/over-activation and a frontal dysfunction.
D000328:Adult; D001143:Arousal / Q000502:physiology; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003201:Computers; D004292:Dominance, Cerebral / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008838:Microcomputers; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests / Q000295:instrumentation*; D009903:Optical Illusions / Q000502:physiology; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology