Learning and Memory in Schizophrenia

J. Daniel Ragland

Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral SciencesUNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT DAVIS

jdragland@ucdavis.edu

Memory is not analogous to a computer hard disk

Binding the disparate aspects of an event makes it a coherent episodic memory

Retrieval involves multiple processes

Familiarity

Recollection

Schizophrenia Causes Memory Problems

Heinrichs & Zakzanis (1998); Sitskoorn et al (2004)

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V Mem CPT IQ WCST FaceMem

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ize

• Present in Neuroleptic Naive FE Patients Saykin et al. (1994)

• Not Due to Medication, Duration, or Severity of Clinical Symptoms Aleman et al. (1999)

• Longitudinally Stable except in Late Life Censits et al. (1997); Harvey et al. (2001)

• Present in Unaffected Relatives Cannon et al. (1994); Glahn et al. (2007)

• Predicts Functional Outcome Green (1996); Nuechterlein (2011)

Patients with Schizophrenia

Related to Organizational Problems during Encoding

Failure to Organize Semantically Related Lists (Gold et al., 1992; Brebion et al., 1997)

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That can be Remedied by Providing Strategy

Shallow Deep0

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Task Condition

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Patients Normal LOP Effect (Ragland et al., 2003)

Recall Deficit Eliminated Through Blocking & Cueing (McClain et al., 1983)

Particularly for Familiarity and Item Encoding

Ragland et al., Schiz Bull, in press

Problems related to PFC Deficits that can be Remedied with Behavioral Interventions

Without Encoding Strategy

Prefrontal Activity Greater

In Controls Than Patients

With Encoding Strategy

Controls Patients Both

No Group Diference

Ragland et al., (2005) Amer J PsychiatryRagland et al., (2004) Amer J Psychiatry

Future Directions

• Develop New Pharmacological Treatments- CNTRICS Initiative (http://cntrics.ucdavis.edu/)- Use of Pharmaco-fMRI

• Optimize Cognitive Training Procedures- Link Improvements in Cognition to Improvements in Functional Outcome

• Early Identification and Intervention- Improve Understanding of Developmental Processes

Thank YOU

UCD Transl. Cog. & Affective Neurosci.Cameron CarterJoshua PhillipsTyler LeshMichael MinzenbergTara NiendamJong Yoon

UCD Department of PsychologyCharan Ranganath Andy

YonelinasLaura Libby Arne EckstromKristin Flegal Wei-Chun Wang

UCD Center for Mind & BrainSimona GhettiSteve Luck

UC BerkleySilvia BungeKepa Paz-AlonsoRob Blumenfeld

UCSF Department of PsychiatryRachael LoweySophia VinogradovDaniel Mathelon

Research supported by NIMH grants R01MH084895, R01MH059883, and R24MH083734S1

University of Wisconsin - MilwaukeeDeborah Hannula