Patients with schizophrenia remember that an event has occurred, but not when.
BACKGROUND
The context memory deficit hypothesis of schizophrenia postulates that the long-term deficit associated with this disorder is related to a memory impairment for contextual information.


METHODS
To test this hypothesis, memory for temporal context was assessed in 33 patients with schizophrenia and 33 normal subjects, using a recency discrimination task.


RESULTS
Whereas patients were able to recall and recognise target items, they were unable to recognise from among the target items those which had been most recently learned.


CONCLUSIONS
Schizophrenia is associated with a temporal context memory deficit.
Rizzo
L
L
INSERM Unité 405, Hôpitaux Universitaires de Strasbourg, France.
Danion
J M
JM
van der Linden
M
M
Grangé
D
D
D000328:Adult; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001245:Association Learning / Q000187:drug effects; D001288:Attention / Q000187:drug effects; D018680:Cholinergic Antagonists / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004193:Discrimination Learning / Q000187:drug effects; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011939:Mental Recall / Q000187:drug effects; D008875:Middle Aged; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual / Q000187:drug effects; D012153:Retention, Psychology / Q000187:drug effects; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D013998:Time Perception / Q000187:drug effects; D014888:Wechsler Scales
D014150:Antipsychotic Agents; D018680:Cholinergic Antagonists