The impact of non-clinical obsessive compulsive symptoms (OCS) on neuropsychological functioning in schizophrenia has received little investigation. We evaluated whether severity and subtype of OCS are associated with executive functioning in schizophrenia. Twenty-nine patients with schizophrenia and 32 healthy subjects completed questionnaire and performance-based measures of executive functioning Overall OCS severity in patients was associated with poorer monitoring and cognitive flexibility per a questionnaire. Obsessing, hoarding, and checking were related to poorer executive functioning in daily life. Performance-based scores showed few correlations with OCS. Findings indicate that severity of non-clinical OCS subtypes contribute to the heterogeneity of executive functions in schizophrenia.

The performance of 15 participants with schizophrenia-spectrum disorders (SCZ) on an inferential-reasoning task was compared with that of 15 healthy-control participants (HC). The SCZ group showed poorer inferential reasoning than HCs, independent of their negative or positive symptoms. These findings are consistent with previous research showing deficits of reasoning in schizophrenia, and indicate that this deficit is independent of severity of delusions.