Cognitive deficits as a core feature of schizophrenia

Abstract

Deficits in cognitive functioning are a core feature of schizophrenia; they correlate with the severity of positive and negative symptoms, they affect the general functioning of schizophrenia patients and are widely accepted as valid vulnerability indicators of the disease in high-risk populations. There is a great number of published papers on deficient cognitive functions in schizophrenia. In the current paper, the cognitive deficits present in schizophrenia patients are reviewed, focusing on the most replicated findings. Data on the neural substrate of cognitive deficits in schizophrenia, as assessed in neuroimaging studies, are also summarized.