Executive/attentional cognitive functions in schizophrenic patients and their parents: a preliminary study.

The aim of this study was to determine whether executive/attentional cognitive performances could be considered as markers of vulnerability to schizophrenia. The Stroop Color Word and fluency tests were significantly impaired in schizophrenic patients and their parents compared to controls matched on age and sex while performances on Nelson's Modified Card Sorting Test and the Trail Making Test did not differ. The impairments on the Stroop and fluency could be considered as endophenotypic markers of schizophrenia.