Neuropsychological impairments in the syndromes of schizophrenia: a comparison between different dimensional models

This study investigates the associations between the different symptom dimensions of schizophrenia and neuropsychological performances. Globally, the results replicate previously described associations. The "negative" dimension correlates with impaired sustained attention and working memory, thus suggestive of dorsolateral frontal cortex dysfunction. "Disorganization" correlates with the ability to inhibit proactive interference. thus with ventromedial frontal dysfunction. The results also add support to the view that the "psychotic" dimension described in three-dimension models includes in fact two distinct dimensions, (1) "hallucinations," here associated to episodic memory measures, and (2) "delusions", here associated to visuospatial attention, thus suggestive of mediotemporal and posterior neocortical dysfunction, respectively.