Directed forgetting in schizophrenia: prefrontal memory and inhibition deficits.
Schizophrenia is associated with cognitive deficits in the domains of working memory, strategic memory and other executive functions. In the current study we used a computerised and item-cued variant of the directed forgetting (DF) task to assess inhibitory processes in verbal memory. Twenty-five patients with schizophrenia and a group of matched controls were tested. Recognition memory was better for to-be-remembered (TBR) than for to-be-forgotten (TBF) words in both patients and controls. As compared to healthy controls the patients with schizophrenia showed overall memory deficits and difficulties to inhibit memories as indicated by a significant group by cue interaction and a smaller DF effect. The DF effect was associated with disease duration but not with symptom severity. Memory-related inhibition problems are difficult to assess in patients with schizophrenia and might be related to fronto-temporal disconnection.
Müller
Ulrich
U
Dept. of Psychiatry, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany. um207@cam.ac.uk
Ullsperger
Markus
M
Hammerstein
Eva
E
Sachweh
Stefan
S
Becker
Thomas
T
D000328:Adult; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology; D003463:Cues; D004493:Education; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology*; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000523:psychology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D014706:Verbal Learning / Q000502:physiology*