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Cognitive flexibility and complex integration in Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, and Schizophrenia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 February 2009

Karl R. Hanes
Affiliation:
Departments of Psychology, University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia Cognitive Neuropsychiatry Research Unit, Mental Health Research Institute, Victoria, Australia
David G. Andrewes
Affiliation:
Departments of Psychology, University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia Psychiatry, University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Christos Pantelis
Affiliation:
Cognitive Neuropsychiatry Research Unit, Mental Health Research Institute, Victoria, Australia

Abstract

Two new tasks designed to individualize and assess aspects of cognitive flexibility and complex integration were administered to patients with schizophrenia (n = 16), Parkinson's disease (PD; n = 25) and Huntington's disease (HD; n = 12). Findings indicated impaired performance in the schizophrenic and HD groups on components of solution fluency, reactive flexibility and integration. The PD group demonstrated normal performance on all but the solution fluency and reaction time measures. These findings corroborate previous studies suggesting that executive and problem solving disturbances feature in schizophrenia and HD and that these functions may not be as severely affected in medicated PD. Slowed reaction time by both dementia groups is explained with reference to the concept of bradyphrenia. (JINS, 1995, 1, 545–553.)

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © The International Neuropsychological Society 1995

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