Set-maintenance and set-shifting problems in schizophrenic subtypes: relationship to dysfunctions of the fronto-striatal loops

SUMMARYResearch with patients suffering from Parkinson's disease and frontal lobe lesions has shown that disturbances in the fronto-striatal loops in the brain can cause perseveration. Perseveration is a core symptom of schizophrenia, yet the cause is not known. For schizophrenic patients disorders of many parts of the fronto-striatal loops are found, for example disturbances of the prefrontal cortex and the striatum. Perseveration in schizophrenia can be explained with set-maintenance problems, related to dysfunction of the prefrontal cortex, or with set-shifting problems that are related to disorders in the striatum. These set-maintenance and set-shifting problems can be distinguished with neuropsychological tests. Regarding the bloodflow patterns for the different subtypes of schizophrenia three problems are expected as explanations for perseveration: set-maintenance problems concerning abstract information, set-maintenance problems shifting between stimuli and enhanced set-shifting with cues.

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Neuropsychological correlates of syndromes in schizophrenia

The British Journal of Psychiatry ◽

10.1192/bjp.170.2.134 ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 170 (2) ◽

pp. 134-139 ◽

Cited By ~ 65

Author(s):

Ross M. G. Norman ◽

A. K. Malla ◽

S. L. Morrison-Stewart ◽

E. Helmes ◽

P. C. Williamson ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Prefrontal Cortex ◽

Temporal Lobe ◽

Neuropsychological Tests ◽

Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex ◽

Neuropsychological Performance ◽

Left Temporal Lobe ◽

Impaired Performance ◽

Dorsolateral Prefrontal ◽

Reality Distortion ◽

The Brain

BackgroundOn the basis of Liddle's three-syndrome model of schizophrenia, it was predicted that: (1) symptoms of psychomotor poverty would be particularly correlated with impaired performance on neuropsychological tests likely to reflect functioning of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex; (2) disorganisation would be particularly correlated with impaired performance on tests sensitive to medio-basal prefrontal functioning; and (3) reality distortion would be particularly correlated with measures sensitive to temporal lobe functioning.MethodThe above hypotheses were tested on 87 subjects with a confirmed diagnosis of schizophrenia. Patients' symptoms were scored for each of the three syndromes. Patients completed six neuropsychological tests designed to measure impairment in specific areas of the brain.ResultsThere was no support for the first two hypotheses. There was, however, evidence of a specific relationship between reality distortion and neuropsychological performance usually considered to be related to left temporal lobe functioning.ConclusionsAlthough not directly supporting the first two hypotheses; the results are, in general, consistent with there being different cortical-subcortical circuits associated with each of psychomotor poverty and disorganisation. Temporal lobe functioning appears to have particular significance for the reality distortion syndrome.

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Movement disorders and psychological tests of frontal lobe function in schizophrenic patients

Psychological Medicine ◽

10.1017/s0033291700032748 ◽

1992 ◽

Vol 22 (1) ◽

pp. 69-77 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

K. W. Brown ◽

T. White ◽

D. Palmer

Keyword(s):

Tardive Dyskinesia ◽

Frontal Lobe ◽

Movement Disorders ◽

Neuropsychological Tests ◽

Psychological Tests ◽

Chronic Schizophrenic ◽

Frontal Lobe Function ◽

Schizophrenic Patients ◽

Frontal Lobe Functions ◽

Psychological Functions

SYNOPSISNeuropsychological tests of frontal lobe functions were undertaken in 46 chronic schizophrenic patients who were also rated for movement disorders. Tardive dyskinesia was found to have significant associations with most of these psychological tests. The possible mechanisms are discussed within the context of known neostriatal psychological functions.

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Performance of Schizophrenic Patients on Putative Neuropsychological tests of frontal Lobe Function

International Journal of Neuroscience ◽

10.3109/00207458808985758 ◽

1988 ◽

Vol 42 (1-2) ◽

pp. 51-58 ◽

Cited By ~ 54

Author(s):

Terry E. Goldberg ◽

John R. Kelsoe ◽

Daniel R. Weinberger ◽

Neil H. Pliskin ◽

Paul D. Kirwin ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Frontal Lobe ◽

Neuropsychological Tests ◽

Frontal Lobe Function ◽

Schizophrenic Patients

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Editorial introduction to Greenwood/West dialogue

Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society ◽

10.1017/s1355617700666080 ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 6 (6) ◽

pp. 704-704

Author(s):

JASON BRANDT

Keyword(s):

Anorexia Nervosa ◽

Prefrontal Cortex ◽

Pathological Gambling ◽

Frontal Cortex ◽

Frontal Lobe ◽

Editorial Introduction ◽

Frontal Lobe Dysfunction ◽

The Brain ◽

Artistic Skill

Although a U.S. Presidential Proclamation designated the 1990s “The Decade of the Brain,” not all cerebral constituents shared equally in the limelight. By anyone's accounting, the prefrontal cortex was the darling of clinicians and neuroscientists throughout the '90s, with everything from schizophrenia and anorexia nervosa to pathological gambling and the emergence of artistic skill attributed to “frontal lobe dysfunction” (David, 1992; Miller et al., 1998; Rugle & Melamed, 1993). It should come as no surprise, then, that that most universal of cognitive afflictions, aging, should be linked to changes in frontal cortex.

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Revisiting the effects of Parkinson's disease and frontal lobe lesions on task switching: The role of rule reconfiguration

Journal of Neuropsychology ◽

10.1111/jnp.12004 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 8 (1) ◽

pp. 53-74 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Angie A. Kehagia ◽

Roger A. Barker ◽

Trevor W. Robbins

Keyword(s):

Parkinson’S Disease ◽

Parkinson's Disease ◽

Frontal Lobe ◽

Task Switching ◽

Frontal Lobe Lesions

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Smooth pursuit eye-tracking, neuropsychological tests and computed tomography of the brain in schizophrenic patients

PsycEXTRA Dataset ◽

10.1037/e578152009-001 ◽

1983 ◽

Author(s):

Aniko Bartfai ◽

Sten E. Levander ◽

Henrik Nyback ◽

Britt-Marie Berggren ◽

Daisy Schalling

Keyword(s):

Computed Tomography ◽

Eye Tracking ◽

Smooth Pursuit ◽

Neuropsychological Tests ◽

Schizophrenic Patients ◽

Smooth Pursuit Eye Tracking ◽

The Brain

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Evolution of the Prefrontal Cortex in the Hominins

10.1093/oso/9780198844570.003.0009 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 333-371

Author(s):

Richard E. Passingham

Keyword(s):

Body Weight ◽

Prefrontal Cortex ◽

Climatic Change ◽

Frontal Lobe ◽

Rapid Expansion ◽

Stone Tool ◽

Cultural Environment ◽

Selection Pressures ◽

The Brain ◽

Rapid Transfer

When body weight is taken into account, there was a rapid expansion of the brain during the evolution of the hominins, with the greatest increase occurring from around 400,000 years ago. After this time there is evidence of the bulging of the frontal lobe indicating the further expansion of the prefrontal (PF) cortex. Many selection pressures could have influenced these changes, but all of them involve a change in environment. This could occur via climatic change, via changes in the ecosystem, by migration, or by changes in the cultural environment. The cultural environment includes technology such as stone tool making, cooperation in hunting, and the improvements in communication that this required. The adaptation to new environments requires the solution of new problems, and this was aided by the ability of the PF cortex to support rapid transfer from one problem to another.

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Perseveration in schizophrenic patients: a neuropsychological approach for research

Acta Neuropsychiatrica ◽

10.1017/s0924270800035791 ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

pp. 27-31 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

M.G. Lanser ◽

B.A. Ellenbroek ◽

A.R. Cools ◽

F.G. Zitman

Keyword(s):

Wisconsin Card Sorting Test ◽

Set Shifting ◽

Card Sorting ◽

Frontal Lobe Lesions ◽

Schizophrenic Patients ◽

Wisconsin Card Sorting ◽

Animal Part ◽

Sorting Test ◽

Maintenance Problem

SUMMARYPerseveration is a core symptom of schizophrenia, the cause, however, is unknown. It has been shown that for people with frontal lobe lesions, perseveration can be explained with a set-maintenance problem. Perseveration in Parkinson's disease can be explained with problems shifting from one set to another without cues (set-shifting). These disorders can be distinguished using a two-choice task and the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, that is analysed in phases. Analogs of these tests can be used in animal research. By adding an animal part to the human research, more insight can be gained into the role of specific brain areas in set-maintenance and set-shifting.

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