Verbal learning in schizopsychotic outpatients and healthy volunteers as a function of cognitive performance levels.
OBJECTIVE
The aim was to analyze and compare neurocognitive test profiles related to different levels of verbal learning performance among schizopsychotic patients and healthy volunteers.


METHODS
A single-center patient cohort of 196 participants was compared with an equal-sized volunteer group to form three cognitive subgroups based on the shared verbal learning performance.


RESULTS
43.9% of the patients had normal learning ability. Despite this, all patients underperformed the volunteers on all subtests with the exception of working memory, and, for those with high learning ability, even verbal facility. All patients also presented equally poor visuomotor processing speed/efficacy.


CONCLUSIONS
A global neurocognitive retardation of speed-related processing in schizophrenia is suggested.
Karilampi
Ulla
U
Department of Psychology, University of Gothenburg, Box 500, S-405 30 Gothenburg, Sweden. Ulla.Karilampi@psy.gu.se
Helldin
Lars
L
Hjärthag
Fredrik
F
Norlander
Torsten
T
Archer
Trevor
T
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000553:Ambulatory Care; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D003702:Delusions / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011939:Mental Recall; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011597:Psychomotor Performance; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D011930:Reaction Time; D012016:Reference Values; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000175:diagnosis*; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D014706:Verbal Learning; D014888:Wechsler Scales / Q000706:statistics & numerical data