Visuospatial working memory task to assess cognitive impairments in patients with schizophrenia

Objectives: Schizophrenia is a chronic neuropsychiatric disorder characterised by significant cognitive deficits, with working memory impairment being a core feature. This study aimed to evaluate the performance of individuals with schizophrenia on a modified visuospatial working memory (VSWM) task designed to assess the [effects of cognitive load on accuracy and search times. Materials and Methods: A total of 30 individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia and 30 age-matched healthy controls participated in a cross-sectional observational study. Participants performed a computerised VSWM task involving abstract image pairs at three memory load levels: Load I (3 pairs), Load II (6 pairs) and Load III (8 pairs). Task performance was evaluated based on accuracy (correct matches) and search time (time to locate matching pairs). Statistical analyses were conducted using GraphPad Prism version 9, applying unpaired t -tests or Mann–Whitney U tests as appropriate. Results: Patients with schizophrenia exhibited significantly lower accuracy and longer search times compared to healthy controls across all three memory loads ( p < 0.0001). Notably, impairments were observed even at the lowest memory load, indicating deficits in executive functioning and attentional allocation early in task complexity. These findings contrast with earlier studies where deficits were more apparent only under higher cognitive loads. Task modifications, including the removal of a fixed delay before responses, may have improved sensitivity. Conclusion: The modified VSWM task effectively captured load-dependent working memory deficits in patients with schizophrenia, even at low task demands. This task shows promise as a sensitive cognitive assessment tool and may contribute to earlier detection and intervention strategies for cognitive dysfunction in schizophrenia. Future research may focus on integrating such tasks into clinical practice to better evaluate and manage cognitive dysfunction in psychiatric populations with neurocognitive deficits.