Perceptual organization in schizophrenia: Plasticity and state-related change

Abstract Perceptual organization (PO) impairments have been repeatedly demonstrated in schizophrenia. The extent to which these impairments can be reduced or eliminated, however, has received less attention, and evidence on this issue has not been previously reviewed. The literature suggests that whether normal experience-dependent change in perceptual organization occurs in schizophrenia depends on factors such as: stimulus grouping strength, extent of practice, type of cues upon which top-down feedback can be generated, and patient characteristics (trait and state). Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to review and synthesize the available evidence on plasticity and other forms of change in PO in schizophrenia, and to relate it to current data and theories on plasticity, including perceptual learning (PL) in healthy people. This can clarify the computational and neural mechanisms involved in experience-dependent and state-related aspects of PO in schizophrenia, and also contribute to a greater under...