The Cognitive Neuroscience of Schizophrenia

Individuals with schizophrenia experience a range of cognitive deficits and associated dysfunctions in the neural systems that support cognitive processes. This chapter reviews the literature on disturbances in working memory, executive control, and episodic memory in schizophrenia. Advances in basic cognitive neuroscience are described to help explain the cognitive neuroscience of schizophrenia. For working memory in schizophrenia, evidence is reviewed regarding deficits in the verbal (phonological loop) and nonverbal (visual-spatial scratch pad) buffer systems as well as in the central executive function. In the domain of episodic memory, evidence is reviewed for deficits in recollection versus familiarity processes in episodic memory. Also discussed are conceptual issues and potential confounds relevant to understanding the cognitive neuroscience of schizophrenia, including the role that cognitive deficits play in the developmental course of schizophrenia, relationships to specific symptom domains, behavioral performance confounds, and medication influences on behavioral performance and brain function.