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Attention and Clinical Symptoms in Schizophrenia

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Abstract

Attentional deficits, long established to characterize patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders, have traditionally been regarded as part of the disorder's clinical syndrome. In this paper we provide evidence to indicate that: a) impaired attention is a dimension of schizophrenia that is independent of clinical state, and b) that attention does not appear to respond to the medication (i.e. standard neuroleptics) most typically used to treat clinical symptoms. Since intact attention and other cognitive processes appear critical to successful functioning in the community after hospital discharge, these findings have major implications for treatment.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry Research, Hillside Hospital, Long Island Jewish Medical Center, Glen Oaks, NY

    Barbara Cornblatt (Principal Research Scientist and Director of Division of High-Risk Studies)

  2. Psychophysiology Unit, Department of Psychiatry Research, Hillside Hospital, Long Island Jewish Medical Center, Glen Oaks, NY

    Michael Obuchowski (Chief)

  3. Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY

    David B. Schnur (Associate Professor of Psychiatry) & John D. O'Brien

  4. Elmhurst Hospital Center, Elmhurst, NY

    David B. Schnur (Associate Professor of Psychiatry)

Authors
  1. Barbara Cornblatt
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  2. Michael Obuchowski
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  3. David B. Schnur
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  4. John D. O'Brien
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Cornblatt, B., Obuchowski, M., Schnur, D.B. et al. Attention and Clinical Symptoms in Schizophrenia. Psychiatr Q 68, 343–359 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1025495030997

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