• Todd A Girard, Bruce K Christensen, and Sakina Rizvi.
• Department of Psychology, Ryerson University, Toronto, Ontario M5B 2K3, Canada. tgirard@psych.ryerson.ca
• Neuropsychology. 2010 May 1;24(3):368-78.

ObjectiveEnhanced understanding of cognitive deficits, and the neurobiological abnormalities that mediate them, can be achieved through translational research that employs comparable experimental approaches across species. This study employed a multiple-systems framework derived from the rodent literature to investigate visual-spatial memory abilities associated with schizophrenia.MethodUsing the bin task, a human analog of rodent maze tasks, everyday objects were hidden in visually identical bins. Following a 1-min filled delay, participants with schizophrenia-spectrum disorders (n = 30) and healthy community controls (n = 30) were asked to identify both the object hidden and bin used on the basis of its spatial location. Three dimensions of visual-spatial memory were contrasted: (a) memory for spatial locations versus memory for objects, (b) allocentric (viewpoint independent) versus egocentric (body-centered) spatial representations, and (c) event (working) memory versus reference memory.ResultsMost pronounced was a differential deficit in memory for spatial locations under allocentric (p = .005, d = -0.77) but not egocentric viewing conditions (p = .298, d = -0.28) in the schizophrenia group relative to healthy controls. Similarly, schizophrenia-related spatial memory deficits were pronounced under demands for event memory (p = .004, d = -0.77) but not reference memory (p = .171, d = -0.33).ConclusionsThese results support a heuristic of preferential deficits in hippocampal-mediated forms of memory in schizophrenia. Moreover, the task provides a useful paradigm for translational research and the pattern of deficits suggests that persons with schizophrenia may benefit from mnemonic approaches favoring egocentric representations and consistency when interacting with our visual-spatial world.

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