title: Attention disorders in schizophrenia.
abstract: In order to clarify the feature of attention disorders in schizophrenia, two tasks (X and AX) of the Continuous Performance Test (CPT) were given to 36 schizophrenic patients and 25 healthy controls. The schizophrenic patients performed considerably less well than normal controls. Performances were expressed in indices such as omission and commission errors, reaction time and discriminability. Among errors, omission in both the X and AX tasks was found to be an index that varied in reaction time, indicating difficulty in sustaining attention. Omission was found to act as a state-dependent index of schizophrenia in relation to inattentiveness in clinical settings and emotional disturbance in interpersonal situations. Commission, in contrast, differed between the two tasks, acting as an index of disinhibition of reaction in the X task, and of disturbance of the capacity and allocation of attention in the AX task. Commission was also thought to be an index related to thought disorder during episodes of acute schizophrenia, that is, it reflects an essential pathology in schizophrenia.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Tokyo Metropolitan Ebara General Hospital, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Suwa
authors.forename: Eisuke
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Matsushima
authors.forename: Katsuya
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ohta
authors.forename: Katsumi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Mori
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000375:Aging / Q000523:psychology; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000150:complications*; D004192:Discrimination, Psychological; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology*; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000188:drug therapy; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology
chemical_list: D014150:Antipsychotic Agents