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Laterality of visuo-spatial attention in acute and chronic schizophrenia, major depression and in healthy controls

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 July 2009

R. E. O'Carroll ,
A. Rogers ,
S. M. Lawrie ,
C. Murray ,
M. Van Beck ,
K. P. Ebmeier ,
M. Walker ,
D. Blackwood ,
E. C. Johnstone  and
G. M. Goodwin
R. E. O'Carroll*
Affiliation:
MRC Brain Metabolism Unit and the Department of Psychiatry, Royal Edinburgh Hospital, Edinburgh
A. Rogers
Affiliation:
MRC Brain Metabolism Unit and the Department of Psychiatry, Royal Edinburgh Hospital, Edinburgh
S. M. Lawrie
Affiliation:
MRC Brain Metabolism Unit and the Department of Psychiatry, Royal Edinburgh Hospital, Edinburgh
C. Murray
Affiliation:
MRC Brain Metabolism Unit and the Department of Psychiatry, Royal Edinburgh Hospital, Edinburgh
M. Van Beck
Affiliation:
MRC Brain Metabolism Unit and the Department of Psychiatry, Royal Edinburgh Hospital, Edinburgh
K. P. Ebmeier
Affiliation:
MRC Brain Metabolism Unit and the Department of Psychiatry, Royal Edinburgh Hospital, Edinburgh
M. Walker
Affiliation:
MRC Brain Metabolism Unit and the Department of Psychiatry, Royal Edinburgh Hospital, Edinburgh
D. Blackwood
Affiliation:
MRC Brain Metabolism Unit and the Department of Psychiatry, Royal Edinburgh Hospital, Edinburgh
E. C. Johnstone
Affiliation:
MRC Brain Metabolism Unit and the Department of Psychiatry, Royal Edinburgh Hospital, Edinburgh
G. M. Goodwin
Affiliation:
MRC Brain Metabolism Unit and the Department of Psychiatry, Royal Edinburgh Hospital, Edinburgh
*
1Address for correspondence: Dr R. E. O'Carroll, MRC Brain Metabolism Unit, Royal Edinburgh Hospital, Morningside Park, Edinburgh EH10 5HF.
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Synopsis

Previous studies have suggested that schizophrenia is characterized by an asymmetry of visuo-spatial attention, in particular that acute unmedicated schizophrenics demonstrate relative inattention to right hemispace, whereas chronically medicated patients demonstrate the opposite pattern. In the present study, 30 unmedicated schizophrenic patients, 32 chronically medicated schizophrenic patients, 30 patients suffering from major depression and 60 healthy controls were assessed using two measures of hemispatial attentional neglect, namely letter and star cancellation. The results demonstrated that the chronic schizophrenic group made more total omissions for star cancellation (in both right and left hemispace), but that there was no difference between the groups in terms of omission asymmetry for either letter or star cancellation.

Type
Brief Communications
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 25 , Issue 5 , September 1995 , pp. 1091 - 1095
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1995

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