Schizophrenic syndrome and Wisconsin Card Sorting Test dimensions.

A principal component analysis of Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) scores has recently shown three factors. Only the Perseveration factor may measure the activity of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in schizophrenic patients. Liddle has hypothesized that a dysfunction in this area is specifically related to the negative syndrome and not to other schizophrenic syndromes (positive and disorganization). The factor analysis of the WCST was replicated with similar results in 38 schizophrenic or schizoaffective patients. In the total group, the correlation between the negative syndrome and the Perseveration factor did not reach significant levels. In the patients with a DSM-III-R diagnosis of schizophrenia (n = 30), the correlations did reach significant levels.