Effects of environmental noise on cognitive (dys) functions in schizophrenia: A pilot within-subjects experimental study

SCHIZOPHRENIA RESEARCH

卷:173

Article

Wright, Bernice¹  Peters, Emmanuelle¹  Ettinger, Ulrich²  Kuipers, Elizabeth^1,3  Kumari, Veena^1,3 

[1] Kings Coll London, Inst Psychiat Psychol & Neurosci, Dept Psychol, London SE5 8AF, England

[2] Univ Bonn, Dept Psychol, Bonn, Germany

[3] South London & Maudsley NHS Fdn Trust, NIHR Biomed Res Ctr Mental Hlth, London, England

关键词: Cognition;    Performance;    Psychosis;    Noise management;    Urban noise;    Social noise;   

DOI  :  10.1016/j.schres.2016.03.017

来源: Elsevier

【 摘 要 】

Cognitive impairment, particularly in attention, memory and executive function domains, is commonly present and associated with poor functional outcomes in schizophrenia. In healthy adults, environmental noise adversely affects many cognitive domains, including those known to be compromised in schizophrenia. This pilot study examined whether environmental noise causes further cognitive deterioration in a small sample of people with schizophrenia. Eighteen outpatients with schizophrenia on stable doses of antipsychotics and 18 age and sex-matched healthy participants were assessed on a comprehensive cognitive battery including measures of psychomotor speed, attention, executive functioning, working memory, and verbal learning and memory under three different conditions [quiet: similar to 30 dB(A); urban noise: building site noise, 68-78 dB(A); and social noise: background babble and footsteps from a crowded hall without any discernible words, 68-78 dB(A)], 714 days apart, with counter-balanced presentation of noise conditions across participants of both groups. The results showed wide spread cognitive impairment in patients under all conditions, and noise-induced impairments of equal magnitude on specific cognitive functions in both groups. Both patient and healthy participant groups showed significant disruption of delayed verbal recall and recognition by urban and social noise, and of working memory by social noise, relative to the quiet condition. Performance under urban and social noise did not differ significantly from each other for any cognitive measure in either group. We conclude that noise has adverse effects on the verbal and working memory domains in schizophrenia patients and healthy participants. This may be particularly problematic for patients as it worsens their pre-existing cognitive deficits. (C) 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.

【 授权许可】

Free