title: Impaired working speed and executive functions as frontal lobe dysfunctions in young first-degree relatives of schizophrenic patients.
abstract: The aim of the investigation was to detect neuropsychological markers, such as sustained and selective attention and executive functions, which contribute to the vulnerability to schizophrenia especially in young persons. Performance was assessed in 32 siblings and children of schizophrenic patients and 32 matched controls using Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, Colour-Word-Interference-Test, Trail Making Test, and d2-Concentration-Test. The first-degree relatives showed certain impairments on all four tests, in particular, slower times on all time-limited tests. These results suggest the need for more time when completing neuropsychological tasks involving selected and focused attention, as well as cognitive flexibility, as a possible indicator of genetic vulnerability to schizophrenia.
authors.affiliation: Dept. of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University of Jena, Philosophenweg 3-5, 07740 Jena, Germany. silke.Klemm@med.uni-jena.de
authors.forename: Silke
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Klemm
authors.forename: Beate
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Schmidt
authors.forename: Susanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Knappe
authors.forename: Bernhard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Blanz
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001288:Attention; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011340:Problem Solving / Q000502:physiology*; D011594:Psychometrics; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology*; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000503:physiopathology; D012569:Schizotypal Personality Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000503:physiopathology; D035781:Siblings; D013223:Statistics as Topic