Retrieval Practice and Schizophrenia

University Hospital, Strasbourg, France50 enrolled

Overview

When people are tested on a previously learned material, they will later remember it better even when compared to a condition where they can re-study it. This phenomenon is called retrieval practice and is supported by an extensive research literature mostly carried out in normal students. This paradigm begins to be used in cognitive remediation programs in patients suffering from memory difficulties. The objective of this study is to investigate whether retrieval practice is spared in patients with schizophrenia. If effective, this method could be used in cognitive remediation programs. Since episodic memory difficulties are supposed to be secondary to deficits in the initiation/elaboration of efficient encoding and retrieval strategies our hypothesis is that retrieval practice is spared in schizophrenia.

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

NON_RANDOMIZED

Purpose

SUPPORTIVE_CARE

Masking

NONE

Enrollment

Conditions

Schizophrenia Episodic Memory Deficits

Interventions

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 18 YearsMax age: 60 YearsHealthy volunteers:

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: * French is the native language, or acquired before 5 years old * People must be able to understand and follow the trial instructions Specific inclusion criteria (for patients) : * Diagnostic of schizophrenia, according to the DSM -5, clinically stable * The treatment must remain unchanged during the trial Exclusion Criteria: * Severe or acute cerebral disease * Other actual psychiatric disorder * Use of drugs with high anticholinergic effect * Irregular use of benzodiazepines medication, or high dose of benzodiazepin (more than 2 mg of lorazepam per day or equivalent) * Inappropriate use of drugs Specific exclusion criteria (for healthy subjects) : \- Diagnostic of schizophrenia of a relative up to the third degree

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Number of items properly recalled

\- The aim is to investigate the retrieval practice effect using descriptive stories and free-recall tests without feedback in patients with schizophrenia and healthy controls. In the first phase (encoding), people study 2 short prose passages covering general scientific topics. In the second phase (initial test), they recall one text ("test" condition) or restudy the other one ("re-study" condition). In the third phase (final test) which takes place 2 days later, they recall both texts. \- We will compare in patients with schizophrenia and healthy controls final performance recall (number of items properly recalled) for information studied and recalled ("test" condition) to those for information studied and then re-studied ("re-study" condition).

Time frame: Final test : 2 days after the first experimental session

Secondary Outcomes

Difference between final performance recall and memory span score

In each group (patients with schizophrenia and healthy controls) : Difference between the final performance recall (see primary outcome measure) in "test" condition and "re-study" condition AND memory span score.