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Lateralised semantic and indirect semantic priming effects in people with schizophrenia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

Matthias Weisbrod ,
Sabine Maier ,
Sabine Harig ,
Ulrike Himmelsbach  and
Manfred Spitzer
Matthias Weisbrod*
Affiliation:
University of Heidelberg, Psychiatric Hospital
Sabine Maier
Affiliation:
University of Heidelberg, Psychiatric Hospital
Sabine Harig
Affiliation:
University of Heidelberg, Psychiatric Hospital
Ulrike Himmelsbach
Affiliation:
University of Heidelberg, Psychiatric Hospital
Manfred Spitzer
Affiliation:
University of Ulm, Psychiatric Hospital
*
Matthias Weisbrod, MD, Psychiatrische Universitätsklinik, Voss-Strasse 4, 69115 Heidelberg, Germany. Tel: 06221-562745. Fax: 06221-563477 e-mail: [email protected]
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Abstract

Background

In schizophrenia, disturbances in the development of physiological hemisphere asymmetry are assumed to play a pathogenetic role. The most striking difference between hemispheres is in language processing. The left hemisphere is superior in the use of syntactic or semantic information, whereas the right hemisphere uses contextual information more effectively.

Method

Using psycholinguistic experimental techniques, semantic associations were examined in 38 control subjects, 24 non-thought-disordered and 16 thought-disordered people with schizophrenia, for both hemispheres separately.

Results

Direct semantic priming did not differ between the hemispheres in any of the groups. Only thought-disordered people showed significant indirect semantic priming in the left hemisphere.

Conclusions

The results support: (a) a prominent role of the right hemisphere for remote associations; (b) enhanced spreading of semantic associations in thought-disordered subjects; and (c) disorganisation of the functional asymmetry of semantic processing in thought-disordered subjects.

Type
Papers
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 172 , Issue 2 , February 1998 , pp. 142 - 146
Copyright
Copyright © 1998 The Royal College of Psychiatrists 

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