Disrupted memory inhibition in schizophrenia

A feature of schizophrenia is disrupted executive function leading to learning difficulties and memory problems. In two experiments we measured the ability of patients with schizophrenia to suppress irrelevant parts of acquired information by intentional (executive) and autonomic (non-executive) strategies. In the first experiment using directed forgetting by lists patients were found to be unable to intentionally suppress recently acquired episodic memories. In a second experiment using a procedure that induces inhibition automatically schizophrenic patients showed levels of inhibition comparable to those of normal controls. These findings indicate that in schizophrenia memory is most impaired in tasks that load heavily on control or executive processes.