Schizophrenia Research
Volume 59, Issue 2 , Pages 181-186, 1 February 2003

Increased automatic spreading of activation in thought-disordered schizophrenic patients

  • Steffen Moritz

      Affiliations

    • Corresponding Author InformationCorresponding author.
    • University Hospital of Hamburg, Hospital for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Martinistrasse 52, 20246 Hamburg, Germany
    • Tel.: +49-40-42803-6565; fax: +49-40-42803-5121.
    • ,
  • Todd S Woodward

      Affiliations

    • Department of Medicine and Research, Riverview Hospital, 500 Lougheed Highway, Port Coquitlam, B.C., Canada V3C 4J2
    • ,
  • Daniela Küppers

      Affiliations

    • University Hospital of Hamburg, Hospital for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Martinistrasse 52, 20246 Hamburg, Germany
    • ,
  • Alexandra Lausen

      Affiliations

    • University Hospital of Hamburg, Hospital for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Martinistrasse 52, 20246 Hamburg, Germany
    • ,
  • Marc Schickel

      Affiliations

    • University Hospital of Hamburg, Hospital for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Martinistrasse 52, 20246 Hamburg, Germany

Received 20 May 2001; accepted 29 August 2001.

Abstract 

Previous research on semantic priming in schizophrenia has produced conflicting findings. While several studies provided evidence for an enhanced cognitive spreading of activation in schizophrenia patients with formal thought disorder, other research has failed to replicate. The aim of the present study was to resolve some of the ambiguities in the literature. Thirty-two schizophrenic patients (12 with and 20 without symptoms of formal thought disorder according to the PANADSS) and 65 healthy controls were compared in a semantic priming task using word pronunciation.

Irrespective of baseline condition (neutral or unrelated condition) patients with formal thought disorder (TD) exhibited a significantly greater indirect semantic priming effect than both non-TD patients and healthy controls. Known confounding variables such as length of illness, neuroleptic dosage and psychomotor slowness did not moderate priming.

Results further strengthen the spreading activation model of formal thought disorder put forward by Maher/Manschreck and Spitzer. Data indicate that hyper-priming is not confined to lexical decision tasks. Possible reasons why several studies have failed to replicate greater priming in TD schizophrenic patients are discussed.

Keywords:  Semantic priming, Schizophrenia, Formal thought disorder, Language

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PII: S0920-9964(01)00337-1

Schizophrenia Research
Volume 59, Issue 2 , Pages 181-186, 1 February 2003

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