Biomedical subjects

R P Rombouts

Publications and source records attributed to R P Rombouts.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1998

Causal mechanisms of subjective cognitive dysfunction in schizophrenic and depressed patients.

We examined causal mechanisms of subjective cognitive (dis)abilities in schizophrenic and depressed patients, and in patient and normal control groups. This exploratory study included objective cognitive performance (Continuous Performance Task) as well as mood and mental effort ratings. Self-report of cognitive dysfunction in patients was not correlated with objective cognitive deficits. Correlational patterns differed between groups. Our findings in schizophrenic and depressed patients point to different causal mechanisms of their subjective cognitive malaise, despite similar subjective ratings. Depressed patients associate high mental effort during task performance with a reduced cognitive efficacy, whereas schizophrenic patients associate high effort with cognitive symptoms like distractibility and overload.

Adult↗

PubMed1996

What determines continuous performance task performance?

The Continuous Performance Task (CPT) is widely used as an indicator of cognitive dysfunction in schizophrenia. It is still unclear, however, exactly what this test measures. We examined the contribution of motor speed, reaction time measures, mental effort, and level of psychopathology to the performance on a double-stimulus CPT. This study included schizophrenia patient groups, depressive patient groups, and patient and normal control groups. Subjects were retested twice: once after 1 week and again at 3 months. In patients with schizophrenia or depression, the sensitivity measure (d') was strongly and consistently associated with motor speed and with the standard deviation of reaction times (response variability) to target stimuli. The association with response variability was also found at followup tests in the control groups. We conclude that in patients with schizophrenia or depression, the sensitivity measure of a double-stimulus CPT is associated with cognitive mechanisms that determine motor proficiency and response variability.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Subjective cognitive dysfunction in schizophrenic and depressed patients.

We examined the experience of subjective cognitive dysfunction in schizophrenic and depressive patients and in patient control and normal control subjects, using questionnaires for measuring components of everyday attentional functioning and subjective cognitive difficulties. These subjective ratings were stable over a period of 3 months. Irrespective of diagnosis, psychiatric patients reported higher levels of distractibility, cognitive overload, and cognitive failures. The psychopathological correlates of these experiences and of reduced processing capacity and attentional control consisted primarily of symptoms of anxiety and depression and the corresponding personality traits. However, cognitive overload experiences were specifically associated with psychotic and psychotic-like symptoms. No correlation was found between negative symptoms and subjective cognitive efficacy. The discussion focuses on the energetic aspects of cognition and on problems of cognitive self-evaluation. It is argued that subjective cognitive measures are worth studying in their own right, and that they may be of interest to clinicians involved in rehabilitation programs.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Coping and cognition in schizophrenia and depression.

We examined the stable relations between coping style and cognitive function in schizophrenic and depressed patients and in patient and normal controls on two test occasions. The results show that a poor self-report of coping style is independent of psychiatric diagnosis, but there are associations with both subjective and objective cognitive malaise. Poor cognitive task performance is associated with a dependent coping style, perhaps pointing to a "giving-up" attitude. Subjective cognitive dysfunction and high levels of mental effort during task performance are associated with an avoidant coping style and with worrying, which suggest failing compensatory cognitive strategies as a causal mechanism of this coping dimension.

Adaptation, Psychological↗