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Planning impairment in schizophrenia: The possible role of abstract thinking and short-term memory

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 August 2021

A. Alekseev*
Affiliation:
Laboratory Of Psychopharmacology, FSBSI Mental Health Research Center, Moscow, Russian Federation
M. Morozova
Affiliation:
Laboratory Of Psychopharmacology, FSBSI Mental Health Research Center, Moscow, Russian Federation
G. Rupchev
Affiliation:
Laboratory Of Psychopharmacology, FSBSI Mental Health Research Center, Moscow, Russian Federation
*
*Corresponding author.

Abstract

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Introduction

The planning impairment is one of the basic aspect of cognitive dysfunction, but its mechanisms in schizophrenia remain unclear.

Objectives

To assess the links between planning and cognitive functioning in schizophrenic patients and in norm.

Methods

50 patients with schizophrenia (age 34.92±8.54; illness duration 8.34±5.87) and 50 healthy volunteers (age 32.42±7.26) were examined. Brief Assessment of Cognition in Schizophrenia, Benton’s test for short-term memory assessment; sub-test Similarity (from WAIS) to assess abstract thinking were used.

Results

Patients showed significantly worse results in all parameters (Tab.1). Table 1: Differences of planning between groups.

SchizophreniaNormp-level
TOL-DX92,64±14,48102,52±11,970,00033
Similarity16,92±3,9719,76±2,850,00009
BVTR Score6,73±1,787,60±1,320,00709

In healthy subjects, significant relationship was found between planning and abstract thinking, and there was no relationship between planning and short-term memory (Tab.2). Table 2: Correlations in the Norm group

Spearman Rp-level
TOL-DX & Similarity0,3925300,004809
TOL-DX & BVTR0,1864940,194710

In patients with schizophrenia, the opposite picture was observed (Tab.3). Table 3: Correlations in the Schizophrenia group.

Spearman Rp-level
TOL-DX & Similarity0,2623890,071596
TOL-DX & BVTR0,3445660,015331

The effectiveness of planning in patients was significantly associated with short-term memory, but not with abstract thinking.

Conclusions

Study results indicate a possible role of basic aspects of mental activity such as short-term memory in planning impairment in patients with schizophrenia. Problem solving and reasoning disorders represent two relatively independent forms of thought disorders in schizophrenia.

Type
Abstract
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the European Psychiatric Association
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