Prepulse inhibition of the acoustically evoked startle reflex in patients with an acute schizophrenic psychosis--a longitudinal study.

Deficits in sensorimotor gating as assessed by prepulse inhibition (PPI) of the startle reflex have been reported in schizophrenia. However, the state or trait nature of these deficits and the relationships with clinical features and psychopathological symptoms are not clear. To explore these issues, we performed a longitudinal study with schizophrenia inpatients.

Blunted inhibition of return in schizophrenia-evidence from a longitudinal study.

Previous cross-sectional studies on covert orienting of visual attention in schizophrenia have been inconsistent. In the present longitudinal study, we examined 40 medicated acutely ill inpatients with a covert orienting of attention task (COVAT) shortly after admission, and again 12-16 weeks after the initial examination, while most patients were in (partial) remission. We administered a COVAT with nonpredictive peripheral cues and two stimulus-onset asynchronies (SOA; 100 and 800 ms).

Semantic hyperpriming in thought-disordered patients with schizophrenia: state or trait?--a longitudinal investigation.

Enhanced semantic priming (SP) has been reported in individuals with schizophrenia who exhibit positive formal thought disorder (TD) and it has been linked to heightened automatic spreading activation in semantic networks of these patients. However, the state or trait nature of semantic hyperpriming in schizophrenia and its relation to clinical features (e.g.