The goal of this study was to further characterize
episodic memory functioning in schizophrenia. This study
compared verbal and visual learning and memory performance
in (1) patients with schizophrenia (N = 35), (2)
patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE; N =
30), and (3) normal controls (N = 25). Results
indicated significant memory impairments in patients with
schizophrenia and TLE. “Savings” score measures
of memory decay showed that the loss of information in
schizophrenia and TLE was approximately equal, and quantitatively
mild compared to that found in most neurologic groups with
memory disorders. The severe difficulty shown by the schizophrenia
group on a task of incidental recall suggested that the
absence of instructional set added to a vulnerability to
memory deficit. In contrast, relatively mildly impaired
performance on paired associate learning suggested that
patients with schizophrenia benefited from retrieval cues,
multiple trials, and short (nonsupraspan) informational
loads. Because patients with schizophrenia consisted of
a relatively nonchronic sample with a mean IQ of 99.7,
their memory disorder could not be attributed to schizophrenic
dementia, nor was it accounted for by other potential confounds.
Patients with schizophrenia, even those relatively early
in the course of illness, have a mild episodic memory disorder.
(JINS, 1998, 4, 342–352.)
