Docherty N M, Gordinier S W
Department of Psychology, Kent State University, OH 44242, USA.
Psychol Med. 1999 Jan;29(1):189-97. doi: 10.1017/s0033291798007843.
Schizophrenia has been defined in part by disturbances of thought and language. The non-schizophrenic relatives of patients also have been found to show subtle disturbances of language that may be associated with vulnerability. Investigators have hypothesized that these phenomena in patients and their relatives are, at least in part, the result of weaknesses in facets of attention and memory.
The present study assessed some neuropsychological process correlates of three different measures of thought and language symptoms in 55 stable out-patients, using tests of immediate auditory memory impairment and auditory distractability, and carefully controlling for generalized deficit effects. A parallel assessment was made of referential communication disturbances in 59 non-schizophrenic relatives of patients and 24 control subjects matched to the relatives.
In patients, formal thought disorder, disorganization, and referential communication disturbances were all associated with each other and with auditory distractability. In addition, as expected, referential communication disturbances were associated with immediate auditory memory impairment. Referential disturbance ratings for relatives were similar in magnitude to those for the stable out-patients, and much higher than for controls. However, the relatives' language ratings were not associated specifically with weaknesses in attention or memory as measured.
Impairments in immediate auditory memory and attention are associated differentially with different types of communication disturbances in schizophrenia patients. The cognitive substrate for referential communication disturbances in relatives appears to differ qualitatively from that for patients.
精神分裂症的部分定义是思维和语言紊乱。患者的非精神分裂症亲属也被发现存在可能与易感性相关的细微语言紊乱。研究人员推测，患者及其亲属的这些现象至少部分是注意力和记忆方面弱点的结果。
本研究使用即时听觉记忆损害测试和听觉注意力分散测试，对55名病情稳定的门诊患者的三种不同思维和语言症状测量指标的一些神经心理学过程相关性进行了评估，并仔细控制了一般性缺陷效应。对59名患者的非精神分裂症亲属和与亲属匹配的24名对照受试者的指称性交流障碍进行了平行评估。
在患者中，形式思维障碍、言语紊乱和指称性交流障碍相互关联，且与听觉注意力分散有关。此外，正如预期的那样，指称性交流障碍与即时听觉记忆损害有关。亲属的指称性障碍评分在幅度上与病情稳定的门诊患者相似，且远高于对照组。然而，亲属的语言评分与所测量的注意力或记忆方面的弱点并无特定关联。
即时听觉记忆和注意力损害与精神分裂症患者不同类型的交流障碍存在差异关联。亲属指称性交流障碍的认知基础在性质上似乎与患者不同。
