Convergence of biological and psychological perspectives on cognitive coordination in schizophrenia

Citation

Phillips W & Silverstein SM (2003) Convergence of biological and psychological perspectives on cognitive coordination in schizophrenia. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 26 (1), pp. 65-82. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0140525X03000025

Abstract
The concept of locally specialized functions dominates research on higher brain function and its disorders. Locally specialized functions must be complemented by processes that coordinate those functions, however, and impairment of coordinating processes may be central to some psychotic conditions. Evidence for processes that coordinate activity is provided by neurobiological and psychological studies of contextual disambiguation and dynamic grouping. Mechanisms by which this important class of cognitive functions could be achieved include those long-range connections within and between cortical regions that activate synaptic channels via NMDA-receptors, and which control gain through their voltage-dependent mode of operation. An impairment of these mechanisms is central to PCP-psychosis, and the cognitive capabilities that they could provide are impaired in some forms of schizophrenia. We conclude that impaired cognitive coordination due to reduced ion flow through NMDA-channels is involved in schizophrenia, and we suggest that it may also be involved in other disorders. This perspective suggests several ways in which further research could enhance our understanding of cognitive coordination, its neural basis, and its relevance to psychopathology.

Keywords
; Brain Localization of functions; Higher nervous activity; Schizophrenia Etiology; Brain Diseases; Psychoses

Journal
Behavioral and Brain Sciences: Volume 26, Issue 1

People

Professor Bill Phillips

Emeritus Professor, Psychology