Soriano, M. F. 1 , Lozano, V. 2 , Aznarte, J. I. 1 , Gómez-Ariza, C. J. 3 & Bajo, M. T. 2
1 Hospital Universitario San Agustin de Linares, Spain.
2 Departamento de Psicología Experimental y Fisiología del Comportamiento, Universidad de Granada, Spain.
3 Departamento de Psicología., Universidad de Jaén, Spain.
From early definitions of psychotic disorders (e.g. schizophrenia) there has been a strong emphasis on the cognitive deficits associated to many psychotic symptoms. However, possible cognitive dysfunctions have been scarcely studied in personality and affective disorders. These patients have been classically considered to have preserved intelligence and good cognitive functioning. In previous studies, we have found that schizophrenic patients have clear deficits in inhibitory control, and that these deficits are related to some symptoms (e.g. hallucinations). Now we have extended our research to other diagnostic groups. We think that inhibitory deficits can be observed in most mental disorders and that cognitive impairment is related to symptoms and functioning, more than to specific diagnostic categories. In order to explore this issue, we have studied inhibitory control across different disorders, with a variety of experimental and neuropsychological tasks. Results show that impairments in inhibitory control are present in affective and personality disorders, as well as in schizophrenia, supporting the idea that there are important commonalities between different mental disorders. Research about cognitive function can be a valuable tool in the classification of mental disorders.