Attention and memory deficits in schizophrenia: the role of symptoms of depression.
Schizophrenic patients suffer from neuropsychologic impairments in several cognitive domains, that is, attention and memory. Similar impairments have been observed in patients with depression. Therefore, the question arises whether and how the symptoms of depression seen in many patients with schizophrenia are linked to their neuropsychologic functioning.



Seventeen schizophrenic in-patients (after attenuation of acute psychosis) and 17 healthy control subjects matched for sex, age, and education were investigated by use of an neuropsychologic test battery targeting at attention and memory. Symptoms of depression were evaluated by use of 3 self-rating scales and the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale.



Patients performed significantly worse in all neuropsychologic tests applied, except in digit span. Additionally, patients exhibited significantly higher levels of depression according to all 3 self-rating scales and moderate depression severity according to the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (mean: 13.1). By taking the proportion of variance explained by the self-ratings of depression statistically into account, significant group differences disappeared in half of the attention measures and in all memory measures.



These results suggest that part of the neuropsychologic impairments seen in schizophrenia is linked with symptoms of depression. This seems to be especially true for attention and memory disturbances.
Möser
Christine
C
Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Philipps-University Marburg, Marburg, Germany.
Krieg
Jürgen C
JC
Zihl
Josef
J
Lautenbacher
Stefan
S
D000328:Adult; D000342:Affective Symptoms / Q000150:complications; D001288:Attention; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000150:complications* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016555:Matched-Pair Analysis; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000209:etiology* / Q000523:psychology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D012016:Reference Values; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000150:complications*; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology