Cookies on this website

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you click 'Accept all cookies' we'll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies and you won't see this message again. If you click 'Reject all non-essential cookies' only necessary cookies providing core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility will be enabled. Click 'Find out more' for information on how to change your cookie settings.

BACKGROUND: It has been hypothesized that the schizophrenic symptom of formal thought disorder is linked to both executive and semantic dysfunction. METHOD: Intellectually preserved schizophrenic patients with (n = 15) and without (n = 16) formal thought disorder, plus matched normal controls (n = 17) were administered four executive and four semantic tests. Tests of verbal fluency and comprehension of grammar were also given. RESULTS: The patients with formal thought disorder were significantly impaired on all four executive tests compared to the patients without the symptom. They were only impaired compared to non-thought-disordered patients on 1 of 4 semantic tests, which probed semantic associations between concepts. Naming performance did not distinguish the two groups, nor did a previously used measure of semantic fluency controlling for phonological fluency. CONCLUSIONS: The results provide support for a dysexecutive hypothesis of formal thought disorder in schizophrenia, and, in line with other studies, suggest that there may be a restricted 'higher-order' semantic deficit which spares naming.

Original publication

DOI

10.1017/s003329170400279x

Type

Journal article

Journal

Psychol Med

Publication Date

01/2005

Volume

35

Pages

121 - 132

Keywords

Adult, Cognition Disorders, Female, Humans, Male, Neuropsychological Tests, Psychological Tests, Schizophrenia, Semantics, Severity of Illness Index, Thinking