Cognitive training in schizophrenia: PrACTice preparing action with contextual information

Abstract

Patients with schizophrenia frequently complain about their difficulty to initiate new activities. In our view, a Δ major cause for difficulties in initiating activities is as deficit of goal directed/voluntary action that requires endogenous or self-triggered attention [2,3]. In the Le Vinatier hospital, Lyon, we designed a new cognitive software training program. The PrACTice program aims at improving the capacity of activating the internal representation related to a goal directed action in patients with schizophrenia [1]. Each trial begins with a goal directed action sentence displayed in the centre of a computer screen (“writing a letter”) followed by a scene containing contextual information. Participants have to imagine themselves performing the goal-directed action. Then pictures of an isolated object (e.g., a pencil) are displayed. Subjects have to answer whether the object is useful or not to achieve the goal-directed action previously presented. Four levels are available. Reaction times of accuracy response are recorded as a measure of the effort made to produce a mental representation of the action. Preliminary results: Results vary by session factor (pre and post training) and nature of target objects (useful and non-useful). Before the cognitive training, RTs to decide that an object is non useful to achieve a goal-directed action are longer than for useful objects. Inversed pattern of response is observed after the cognitive training. We discuss how this result can favour initiation of adequate behaviours. Adequate behaviour implies active mental representation of relevance action that thus facilitates inhibition of non-pertinent information.