Interhemispheric transfer of stereognostic information in chronic schizophrenics.

Ten chronic schizophrenic in-patients and ten matched normal controls were tested on a cross-hemispheric stereognostic task, using both meaningful objects and non-meaningful shapes of wood, under four different retention intervals. The main finding was that the schizophrenic group but not the control group displayed deficits in intermanual transfer of tactual material, as compared to the same task performed within hands. The implications of this result are discussed in relation to the possibility that some basic neurological disorder may accompany schizophrenia.