Fractionation of verbal memory impairment in schizophrenia and schizophreniform psychosis.
OBJECTIVE
The characterization, aetiology, and course of verbal memory deficits in schizophrenia remain ill defined. The impact of antipsychotic medications is also unclear. The purpose of the present paper was to investigate verbal memory performance in established schizophrenia (SZ) and first-episode schizophreniform psychosis (FE).


METHODS
Performances of 32 SZ and 33 FE patients were compared to those of 47 healthy volunteers on measures of verbal working memory, verbal associative learning and story recall.


RESULTS
Story recall deficits, but not deficits in working memory or paired associate learning, were demonstrated by both patient groups. Patients treated with typical neuroleptics had more impairment in associative learning with arbitrary word pairings than those treated with atypicals, regardless of patient group.


CONCLUSIONS
The results are consistent with the notion that some neuropsychological impairment is present at the time of psychosis onset and that this impairment is non-progressive. However, deficits may be specific to subclasses of memory function.
Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, c/- National Neuroscience Facility, Carlton, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. sjwood@unimelb.edu.au
Stephen J
SJ
Wood
Aleks U
AU
Tarnawski
Tina M
TM
Proffitt
Warrick J
WJ
Brewer
Greg R
GR
Savage
Vicki
V
Anderson
Patrick D
PD
McGorry
Dennis
D
Velakoulis
Christos
C
Pantelis
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008128:Logic; D008297:Male; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D008570:Memory, Short-Term; D010153:Paired-Associate Learning; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000175:diagnosis*; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D014706:Verbal Learning; D014888:Wechsler Scales