Is Schizophrenia a Syndrome of Accelerated Aging? Evidence from Prospective Memory Performance
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1
Chinese Acadamy of Science, Neuropsychology and Applied Cognitive Neuroscience Lab, Institute of Psychology, China
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2
Chinese Acadamy of Science, Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, China
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3
Shantou University, Mental Health Center, China
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4
Capital Medical University, Beijing Anding Hospital, China
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5
Griffith University, School of Psychology and Griffith Institute for Health and Medical Research, Australia
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6
Peking University, Institute of Mental Health, China
This study compared prospective memory (PM) performance in schizophrenic patients and healthy younger and older individuals, and to test the accelerated aging hypothesis of schizophrenia. Computerized tests of PM capturing event-and time-based tasks were administered to 30 healthy older people (M = 69.90 years, SD = 7.14 years), 30 schizophrenic patients (M = 27.10 years, SD = 8.28 years), and 30 healthy younger adults (M = 25.47 years, SD = 8.85 years). The findings showed that the healthy older individuals and schizophrenic patients demonstrated deficits in time-based PM as compared to the healthy younger adults. However, schizophrenic patients did not significantly differ from the healthy older individuals in time-based PM, even after controlling for ongoing task performances. In addition, unlike healthy older adults, schizophrenic patients were not found to be impaired in event-based PM as compared to the young adults. Subsequent analyses showed that PM did not correlate with medication level or other clinical symptoms in schizophrenia except for the relation between time-based PM and negative symptoms (r = -0.43, p = 0.018).. Taken together, these findings suggest that, in terms of level of neurocognitive functions, schizophrenia may be a developmental stage analogue to a “mild” grade of aging and support the accelerated aging hypothesis of schizophrenia.
Conference:
The 20th Annual Rotman Research Institute Conference, The frontal lobes, Toronto, Canada, 22 Mar - 26 Mar, 2010.
Presentation Type:
Poster Presentation
Topic:
Psychiatric
Citation:
Chan
RC,
Hong
X,
Li
Z,
Shum
D,
Wang
Y and
Yu
X
(2010). Is Schizophrenia a Syndrome of Accelerated Aging? Evidence from Prospective Memory Performance.
Conference Abstract:
The 20th Annual Rotman Research Institute Conference, The frontal lobes.
doi: 10.3389/conf.fnins.2010.14.00149
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Received:
01 Jul 2010;
Published Online:
01 Jul 2010.
*
Correspondence:
Raymond C Chan, Chinese Acadamy of Science, Neuropsychology and Applied Cognitive Neuroscience Lab, Institute of Psychology, Beijing, China, rckchan@psych.ac.cn