Current Psychosis & Therapeutics Reports

, Volume 3, Issue 4, pp 152–156 | Cite as

Attention deficits in the development of schizophrenia: Recent evidence from genetic high-risk and prodromal studies

  • Christopher W. Smith
  • Barbara Cornblatt
Article

Abstract

Schizophrenia is a complex, heterogeneous disorder marked by a range of psychopathologic features, from positive and negative symptoms to deficits in social and occupational functioning. Impaired cognition also is a core component of schizophrenia. Understanding the role of cognitive deficits in the developmental processes leading to the full illness will clarify its causes and possible prevention. Attention, especially as measured by continuous performance tests, is a well-studied cognitive domain associated with schizophrenia. In this review, the most recent findings about attention dysfunctions measured in affected patients, their relatives (including genetically at-risk offspring and young siblings) and more recently, in young adults in the prodromal (or prepsychotic stage) of illness, are summarized and evaluated.

Keywords

Schizophrenia Attention Deficit Negative Symptom Continuous Performance Test Vulnerability Indicator 
These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.
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Copyright information

© Current Science Inc 2005

Authors and Affiliations

  • Christopher W. Smith
    • 1
  • Barbara Cornblatt
  1. 1.Recognition and Prevention (RAP) Program, Department of Psychiatry ResearchThe Zucker Hillside Hospital North Shore — Long Island Jewish Health SystemLake SuccessUSA

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