Abstract:

Objective To investigate the event-based prospective memory deficit in patients with acute and drug-free schizophrenia. Methods Forty-nine healthy controls (healthy control group) and 51 patients with acute and drug-free schizophrenia (schizophrenia group) were enrolled, and the latter were further divided into first-episode schizophrenia subgroup (n=23) and chronic schizophrenia subgroup (n=28). Prospective memory was assessed with event-based prospective memory pattern, retrospective memory was determined with recognition test, visuo-spatial working memory was examined with spatial span test, and the severity of psychotic symptoms was evaluated with Positive and Negative Symptom Scale (PANSS). Results The prospective memory, retrospective memory and visuo-spatial working memory in schizophrenia group were significantly lower than those in healthy control group (P=0.008, P=0.016 and P=0.001 respectively). After controlling for retrospective memory and visuo-spatial working memory, the prospective memory in schizophrenia group was still lower than that in healthy control group (P<0.05). In schizophrenia group, prospective memory was positively correlated with education （r=0.405，P＜0.05）, and was negatively correlated with age, disease duration, PANSS total score and negative symptom score （r=－0.41, r=－0.5, r=－0.345 and r=－0.486 respectively, P＜0.05 for all）. There was no significant difference in prospective memory, retrospective memory and visuo-spatial working memory between first-episode schizophrenia subgroup and chronic schizophrenia subgroup (P＜0.05 for all）. Conclusion There exists significant prospective memory deficit during acute phase schizophrenia, and the prospective memory deficit in first-episode patients is similar to that of the chronic patients. The prospective memory deficit in patients with schizophrenia is a kind of primary cognitive deficit.

Key words: schizophrenia, prospective memory, retrospective memory, working memory