Memory binding in clinical and non-clinical psychotic experiences: how does the continuum model fare?
BACKGROUND
Both clinical and non-clinical auditory hallucinations (AH) have been associated with source memory deficits, supporting a continuum of underlying cognitive mechanisms, though few studies have employed the same task in patient and nonpatient samples. Recent commentators have called for more debate on the continuum model of psychosis. Consequently, the current study investigated the continuity model of AH with reference to memory binding.


METHODS
We used an identical voice and word recognition memory task to assess binding in two separate studies of: (1) healthy hallucination-prone individuals and controls (30 high and 30 low scorers on the Launay-Slade Hallucination Scale-Revised) and (2) schizophrenia patient samples (32 with AH, 32 without AH) and 32 healthy controls.


RESULTS
There was no evidence of impaired binding in high hallucination-prone, compared to low hallucination-prone individuals. In contrast, individuals with schizophrenia (both with and without AH) had difficulties binding (remembering "who said what"), alongside difficulties remembering individual words and voices. Binding ability and memory for voices were also negatively linked to the loudness of hallucinated voices reported by patients with AH.


CONCLUSIONS
These findings suggest that different mechanisms may exist in clinical and non-clinical hallucinators, adding to the growing debate on the continuum model of psychotic symptoms.
School of Psychology, University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, Australia. chhabs01@student.uwa.edu.au
S
S
Chhabra
J C
JC
Badcock
M T
MT
Maybery
D000161:Acoustic Stimulation; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology; D003702:Delusions / Q000523:psychology; D003863:Depression / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology; D006212:Hallucinations / Q000523:psychology; D007206:Individuality; D007360:Intelligence; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology*; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology; D008960:Models, Psychological; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires