Memory in functional psychosis

Abstract

Acute schizophrenic, chronic schizophrenic, and depressive patients (20 of each) were compared with normal subjects and six groups of patients with organic brain disease. They were given tests of verbal learning (left hemisphere type function) and pattern recognition memory (right hemisphere type function). All functional psychotics showed impaired memory. Acute schizophrenics were, however, only impaired on the verbal task, suggesting left hemisphere dysfunction, while chronic schizophrenics and depressives were impaired on both tasks, suggesting bilateral dysfunction.