Attention and Visual Working Memory

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Working memory and attention are cognitive processes that have been shown to be impaired in schizophrenia.  Working memory is a key cognitive subsystem that plays a significant role in almost all complex real-world tasks.  It is the type of memory we use to keep a new phone number in our head while we are looking for pen and paper to write it down.

As most people know from experience, working memory is a highly limited subsystem, with a storage capacity that is generally estimated to be between 4 and 7 items. It is likely that selective attention plays an important role in choosing the relevant information for storage in working memory. 

If attention is impaired in schizophrenia, it is possible that working memory is as well. Due to the complexity of the task, it is also likely that more than one brain areas is responsible for the optimal functioning of working memory and that some areas may be impaired in schizophrenia, while others are not.