INFORMATION-PROCESSING ABNORMALITIES AS NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL VULNERABILITY INDICATORS FOR SCHIZOPHRENIA

Studies of schizophrenic patients in psychotic and clinically remitted states and of biological relatives indicate that subtle anomalies in information processing may be critical components of neuropsychologica l vulnerability to schizophrenia. We describe a conception of possible abnormalities and several recent strategies to differentiate these po ssibilities. Within Continuous Performance Test conditions, varying th e perceptual load vs. the active, working memory load yields a distinc tion between a stable vulnerability factor across clinical states and a potential mediating vulnerability factor. Specialized backward maski ng paradigms offer ways to separate two initial sensory-perceptual pro cesses from attentional shifting processes. Top-down attentional influ ences on sensorimotor gating allow examination of the role of central executive processes in modulating early sensory processes. Initial res ults are discussed.