RESUMEN
Sleep spindles are believed to mediate sleep-dependent memory consolidation, particularly when coupled to neocortical slow oscillations. Schizophrenia is characterized by a deficit in sleep spindles that correlates with reduced overnight memory consolidation. Here, we examined sleep spindle activity, slow oscillation-spindle coupling, and both motor procedural and verbal declarative memory consolidation in early course, minimally medicated psychosis patients and non-psychotic first-degree relatives. Using a four-night experimental procedure, we observed significant deficits in spindle density and amplitude in patients relative to controls that were driven by individuals with schizophrenia. Schizophrenia patients also showed reduced sleep-dependent consolidation of motor procedural memory, which correlated with spindle density. Contrary to expectations, there were no group differences in the consolidation of declarative memory on a word pairs task. Nor did the relatives of patients differ in spindle activity or memory consolidation compared with controls, however increased consistency in the timing of SO-spindle coupling were seen in both patient and relatives. Our results extend prior work by demonstrating correlated deficits in sleep spindles and sleep-dependent motor procedural memory consolidation in early course, minimally medicated patients with schizophrenia, but not in first-degree relatives. This is consistent with other work in suggesting that impaired sleep-dependent memory consolidation has some specificity for schizophrenia and is a core feature rather than reflecting the effects of medication or chronicity.
RESUMEN
About one in 100 people worldwide are diagnosed with schizophrenia. Many people advocate for a name change for the condition, pointing to the stigma and discrimination associated with the term "schizophrenia", as well as to how the name poorly characterizes features of the illness. The purpose of this project was to collect opinions from a broad, diverse sample of stakeholders about possible name changes for schizophrenia. The project represented a partnership between researchers, clinicians, and those with lived experience with psychosis. The group developed a survey to assess opinions about the need for change in the name schizophrenia as well as potential alternate names. We accumulated 1190 responses from a broad array of community stakeholders, including those with lived experience of mental illness, family members, clinicians, researchers, government officials, and the general public. Findings indicated that the majority of respondents (74.1%) favored a name change for schizophrenia. Most (71.4%) found the name stigmatizing. Of the proposed alternate names, those with the most support included "Altered Perception Syndrome", "Psychosis Spectrum Syndrome", and "Neuro-Emotional Integration Disorder". Survey findings provide strong support for renaming schizophrenia. Most expressed hope that a name change will reduce stigma and discrimination.