title: A simple spatial working memory and attention test on paired symbols shows developmental deficits in schizophrenia patients.
abstract: People with neuropsychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia often display deficits in spatial working memory and attention. Evaluating working memory and attention in schizophrenia patients is usually based on traditional tasks and the interviewer's judgment. We developed a simple Spatial Working Memory and Attention Test on Paired Symbols (SWAPS). It takes only several minutes to complete, comprising 101 trials for each subject. In this study, we tested 72 schizophrenia patients and 188 healthy volunteers in China. In a healthy control group with ages ranging from 12 to 60, the efficiency score (accuracy divided by reaction time) reached a peak in the 20-27 age range and then declined with increasing age. Importantly, schizophrenia patients failed to display this developmental trend in the same age range and adults had significant deficits compared to the control group. Our data suggests that this simple Spatial Working Memory and Attention Test on Paired Symbols can be a useful tool for studies of spatial working memory and attention in neuropsychiatric disorders.
authors.affiliation: Bio-X Institutes, Key Laboratory for the Genetics of Developmental and Neuropsychiatric Disorders, Ministry of Education, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Song
authors.affiliation: Wuxi Mental Health Center, Wuxi 214151, China.
authors.forename: Kai
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200030, China.
authors.forename: Jinhua
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.affiliation: Bio-X Institutes, Key Laboratory for the Genetics of Developmental and Neuropsychiatric Disorders, Ministry of Education, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China.
authors.forename: Lina
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.affiliation: Bio-X Institutes, Key Laboratory for the Genetics of Developmental and Neuropsychiatric Disorders, Ministry of Education, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China.
authors.forename: Forrest Fabian
authors.initials: FF
authors.lastname: Jesse
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, The First Affliliated Hospital, China Medical University, Shenyang 110001, China.
authors.forename: Xiaochun
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Teng
authors.affiliation: Bio-X Institutes, Key Laboratory for the Genetics of Developmental and Neuropsychiatric Disorders, Ministry of Education, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China.
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: Bio-X Institutes, Key Laboratory for the Genetics of Developmental and Neuropsychiatric Disorders, Ministry of Education, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China.
authors.forename: Hechen
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Bao
authors.affiliation: Bio-X Institutes, Key Laboratory for the Genetics of Developmental and Neuropsychiatric Disorders, Ministry of Education, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China.
authors.forename: Shiqing
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Bio-X Institutes, Key Laboratory for the Genetics of Developmental and Neuropsychiatric Disorders, Ministry of Education, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China.
authors.forename: Shuai
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Bio-X Institutes, Key Laboratory for the Genetics of Developmental and Neuropsychiatric Disorders, Ministry of Education, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China.
authors.forename: Beimeng
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Bio-X Institutes, Key Laboratory for the Genetics of Developmental and Neuropsychiatric Disorders, Ministry of Education, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China.
authors.forename: Xixia
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Chu
authors.affiliation: Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200030, China.
authors.forename: Wenhua
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Ding
authors.affiliation: Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200030, China.
authors.forename: Yasong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Du
authors.affiliation: Wuxi Mental Health Center, Wuxi 214151, China.
authors.forename: Zaohuo
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.affiliation: National Key Laboratory of Human Factors Engineering, China Astronaut Research and Training Center, Beijing 100094, China.
authors.forename: Bin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: National Key Laboratory of Human Factors Engineering, China Astronaut Research and Training Center, Beijing 100094, China.
authors.forename: Shanguang
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Bio-X Institutes, Key Laboratory for the Genetics of Developmental and Neuropsychiatric Disorders, Ministry of Education, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China.
authors.forename: Guang
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: He
authors.affiliation: Bio-X Institutes, Key Laboratory for the Genetics of Developmental and Neuropsychiatric Disorders, Ministry of Education, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China ; Wuxi Mental Health Center, Wuxi 214151, China.
authors.forename: Lin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: He
authors.affiliation: National Key Laboratory of Human Factors Engineering, China Astronaut Research and Training Center, Beijing 100094, China.
authors.forename: Xiaoping
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Bio-X Institutes, Key Laboratory for the Genetics of Developmental and Neuropsychiatric Disorders, Ministry of Education, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China ; Wuxi Mental Health Center, Wuxi 214151, China.
authors.forename: Weidong
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000375:Aging / Q000523:psychology; D044466:Asian People; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology*; D002648:Child; D002658:Developmental Disabilities / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008570:Memory, Short-Term / Q000502:physiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology; D012559:Schizophrenia; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D013028:Space Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult