FURTHER EVIDENCE FOR A DEFICIT IN SWITCHING ATTENTION IN SCHIZOPHRENIA

In this study, sustained, selective, divided, and switching attention, and reloading of working memory were investigated in schizophrenia by using a newly developed Visual Attention Battery (VAB). Twenty-four o utpatients with schizophrenia and 24 control participants were studied using the VAB. Performance on VAB components was correlated with perf ormance of standard tests. Patients with schizophrenia were significan tly impaired on VAB tasks that required switching of attention and rel oading of working memory but had normal performance on tasks involving sustained attention or attention to multiple stimulus features. Switc hing attention and reloading of working memory were highly correlated with Trails (B - A) score for patients. The decline in performance on the switching-attention task in patients with schizophrenia met criter ia for a differential deficit in switching attention. Future research should examine the neurophysiological basis of the switching deficit a nd its sensitivity and specificity to schizophrenia.