Verbal Working Memory in Schizophrenia: Relationship to Cigarette Smoking and Psychopathology
Year: 2012
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: A number of researches suggest smoking serves as a form of \nself-medication to reduce the side effects of antipsychotic medications, to \nalleviate negative symptoms, and/or to ameliorate a number of cognitive \ndeficits associated with schizophrenia. Objective: The aim of this study was to \ninvestigate the association of cigarette smoking with verbal working memory \nand psychopathology of patients with schizophrenia. Methods: Fifty-three \npatients with schizophrenia were assessed by a single rater using the Malay \nVersion of Auditory Verbal Learning Test (MVAVLT) and Positive and \nNegative Syndrome Scale (PANSS). Smokers (n=30) were compared with \nnonsmokers (n=23) on socio-demographic, clinical, psychopathology and \nverbal memory variables. Single linear and multiple regression analysis were \nperformed to determine factors associated with verbal memory performance. \nResults: Verbal working memory performance is associated with lower \nnumber of admission to ward, lesser severity of the negative symptoms or \ngeneral psychopathology of schizophrenia and use of atypical antipsychotics \nin all schizophrenic subjects. Smokers with schizophrenia scored higher than \nnon- smoker in measures that reflect immediate memory, delayed recall and \nrecognition memory. However, the association between verbal working \nmemory performance and smoking status was found to be not significant. \nConclusion: Verbal working memory performance is associated with negative \nsymptoms but not positive symptoms. This study failed to detect association \nof smoking on verbal working memory.
Institutions: Hospital Raja Perempuan Zainab II, Universiti Sains Malaysia
Language: English
Subfield: Psychiatry and Mental health
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W1551662341