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An investigation of semantic space in patients with schizophrenia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 February 2009

Mark S. Aloia ,
Monica L. Gourovitch ,
Daniel R. Weinberger  and
Terry E. Goldberg
Mark S. Aloia
Affiliation:
Clinical Brain Disorders Branch, Intramural Research Program, National Institute of Mental Health, Neuroscicnce Center at St. Elizabeths, Washington, DC 20032
Monica L. Gourovitch
Affiliation:
Clinical Brain Disorders Branch, Intramural Research Program, National Institute of Mental Health, Neuroscicnce Center at St. Elizabeths, Washington, DC 20032
Daniel R. Weinberger
Affiliation:
Clinical Brain Disorders Branch, Intramural Research Program, National Institute of Mental Health, Neuroscicnce Center at St. Elizabeths, Washington, DC 20032
Terry E. Goldberg
Affiliation:
Clinical Brain Disorders Branch, Intramural Research Program, National Institute of Mental Health, Neuroscicnce Center at St. Elizabeths, Washington, DC 20032
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Abstract

There has been increasing interest in the semantic cognitive system in schizophrenia. Recent findings suggest a possible breakdown of semantic information processing in this disorder. The current study attempts to further examine semantic organization in schizophrenia. Twenty-eight chronic, early-onset schizophrenic patients and 32 controls were matched for prcmorbid intelligence and compared in their ability to spontaneously cluster exemplars from a specific category during a fluency task. Using multidimensional scaling and clustering techniques, 11 exemplars occurring most frequently in both groups were chosen for examination of their relative “proximity” during word generation. Patients with schizophrenia showed a less stable two-dimensional organization of exemplars and were less likely to group exemplars into subordinate clusters than were normals. These results suggest that semantic networks arc disorganized in these patients. These findings may have some implications for the debate over the origin of “thought disorder” in schizophrenia. (JINS, 1996, 2, 267–273.)

Keywords

NeuropsychologySchizophreniaLanguageSemanties
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society , Volume 2 , Issue 4 , July 1996 , pp. 267 - 273
Copyright
Copyright © The International Neuropsychological Society 1996

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