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People with schizophrenia show enhanced cognitive costs of maintaining a single item in working memory

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 May 2019

James M. Gold Open the ORCID record for James M. Gold [Opens in a new window] ,
Sonia Bansal ,
John M. Gaspar ,
Shuo Chen ,
Benjamin M. Robinson ,
Britta Hahn  and
Steven J. Luck
James M. Gold*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Maryland Psychiatric Research Center, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, USA
Sonia Bansal
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Maryland Psychiatric Research Center, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, USA
John M. Gaspar
Affiliation:
Center for Mind & Brain and Department of Psychology, University of California Davis, Davis, USA
Shuo Chen
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Maryland Psychiatric Research Center, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, USA
Benjamin M. Robinson
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Maryland Psychiatric Research Center, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, USA
Britta Hahn
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Maryland Psychiatric Research Center, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, USA
Steven J. Luck
Affiliation:
Center for Mind & Brain and Department of Psychology, University of California Davis, Davis, USA
*
Author for correspondence: James M. Gold, E-mail: [email protected]
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Abstract

Background

Working memory (WM) deficits are seen as a core deficit in schizophrenia, implicated in the broad cognitive impairment seen in the illness. Here we examine the impact of WM storage of a single item on the operation of other cognitive systems.

Methods

We studied 37 healthy controls (HCS) and 43 people with schizophrenia (PSZ). Each trial consisted of a sequence of two potential target stimuli, T1 and T2. T1 was a letter presented for 100 ms. After delays of 100–800 ms, T2 was presented. T2 was a 1 or a 2 and required a speeded response. In one condition, subjects were instructed to ignore T1 but respond to T2. In another condition, they were required to report T1 after making their speeded response to T2 (i.e. to make a speeded T2 response while holding T1 in WM).

Results

PSZ were dramatically slowed at responding to T2 when T1 was held in WM. A repeated measures ANOVA yielded main effects of group, delay, and condition with a group by condition interaction (p's < 0.001). Across delays, the slowing of the T2 response when required to hold T1 in memory, relative to ignoring T1, was nearly 3 times higher in PSZ than HCS (633 v. 219 ms).

Conclusions

Whereas previous studies have focused on reduced storage capacity, the present study found that PSZ are impaired at performing tasks while they are successfully maintaining a single item in WM. This may play a role in the broad cognitive impairment seen in PSZ.

Keywords

Cognitive impairmentreaction timeSchizophreniaworking memory
Type
Original Articles
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 50 , Issue 5 , April 2020 , pp. 867 - 873
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2019

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