Phenomenological and neuropsychological correlates of positive and negative dimensions in schizophrenia.
Item
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Title
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Phenomenological and neuropsychological correlates of positive and negative dimensions in schizophrenia.
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Identifier
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AAI9020797
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identifier
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9020797
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Creator
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Ramirez, Paul Michael.
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Contributor
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Adviser: Louis J. Gerstman
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Date
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1990
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Psychology, Clinical | Psychology, Physiological | Psychology, Experimental
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Abstract
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While productive features of schizophrenia have become accepted as pathognomonic of the disorder, investigators have proposed that schizophrenics may be phenomenologically subtyped into positive and negative syndromes. Positive syndrome schizophrenics display a predominance of productive symptoms while those in the negative syndrome group tend to demonstrate defect symptoms as well as a degeneration of brain and behavior.;The association of positive and negative symptoms to syndrome homogeneity, affect, neuropsychological integrity, and cognitive development was studied in a sample of 35 schizophrenic inpatients. Correlations within and between predefined sets of positive and negative symptoms failed to support the hypothetical homogeneity of positive and negative syndromes. It was found, however, that the negative syndrome appears to be the more homogeneous of the two. Although clusters of "core" negative and positive symptoms were identified in a Principal Components Analysis, an excitable/cognitive cluster involving overlap between positive and negative symptoms was also found.;When data was analyzed dichotomously, that is, positive or negative group membership, neither group was related to cognitive developmental nor to subject characteristics in ways which were hypothesized. They did, however, differ in their performance on a neuropsychological variable associated with anterior dysfunction.;Despite the paucity of significant findings during dichotomous analyses, dimensional (degree of positivity vs. negativity) analyses uncovered relationships consistent with several hypotheses. Specifically, (1) the hypothesized greater degree of anterior dysfunction in patients displaying a predominance of negative symptoms was partially supported. In addition, a "core" negative symptoms factor was related to both left anterior and left hemisphere impairment; (2) a greater degree of negativity was significantly related to higher neuroleptic dose; and (3) greater degree of negativity was also associated with a greater degree of emotional unrelatedness and expressive immobility.;Degree of positivity, on the other hand, was found to be related to an earlier age of onset and inappropriateness of affect. Neuropsychologically, the positive patients performed in a manner consistent with motor-related anterior dysfunction and bilateral cerebral dysfunction.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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PQT Legacy CUNY.xlsx
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degree
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Ph.D.
