Cognitive Impairments in Schizophrenia and Schizoaffective Disorder

Abstract

The present study aimed to compare population-based familial samples of patients with schizophrenia (n = 218) and schizoaffective disorder (n = 62) and a healthy control group (n = 123). Patients with schizoaffective disorder outperformed patients with schizophrenia in verbal ability, processing speed, visual working memory, and verbal memory. When compared with controls, patients with schizoaffective disorder also had a generalized cognitive impairment. Adjusting for clinical characteristics removed significant differences between the patient groups. Irrespective of the diagnosis, patients with the most severe negative symptoms and highest dose of antipsychotics had the most severe cognitive impairments, whereas mood symptoms were not related to cognitive performance. In conclusion, people with schizoaffective disorder have severe cognitive impairments, but the impairments are milder than in schizophrenia. Mood symptoms may not explain the difference between the diagnostic groups in cognitive functions, but the difference may be related to differences in the severity of negative symptoms.

Lifetime antipsychotic medication and cognitive performance in schizophrenia at age 43 years in a general population birth cohort

“…However, naturalistic, cross-sectional studies have suggested that higher doses of antipsychotics (Élie et al, 2010, Hori et al, 2006, Torniainen et al, 2012) or antipsychotic polypharmacy (Hori et al, 2006) may be associated with poorer cognitive functioning in schizophrenia, supported also by the finding of a positive effect of dose-reduction on cognition (Kawai et al, 2006, Takeuchi et al, 2013). …”

The Dynamics of DNA Methylation in Schizophrenia and Related Psychiatric Disorders

“…Moreover, the cognitive impairment associated with preand postmorbid SZ (Srensen et al, 2006;Goff et al, 2011) is a clinical feature that has been associated with psychosis duration (Simonsen et al, 2011) as well as negative symptoms (Lewandowski et al, 2011). A recent evaluation of cognitive performance between SZ and schizoaffective disorder indicate that schizoaffective disorder patients have severe cognitive impairments, but these impairments are milder than those in SZ patients (Torniainen et al, 2012). At the same time, a recent assessment of SZ and BP+ probands showed little, if any, differences in altered cognitive performance between groups using standardized clinical and neuropsychological measures (Ivleva et al, 2012).…”

Characteristics and Service Use of Older Adults with Schizoaffective Disorder Versus Older Adults with Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder

“…In contrast, cognitive differences have been documented in multiples studies in younger adults with serious mental illness. 4,9–12 It is possible that differences in cognitive functioning tend to abate with time as adults with serious mental illness experience age-related cognitive decline. The lack of differences in cognitive functioning across diagnoses may also be explained by our study criteria that excluded participants with Mini-Mental Status Examination scores less than 20.…”

“…5–7 Dating back to Pope and Lipinski’s seminal paper suggesting that schizoaffective disorder reflects “good prognosis schizophrenia”, 8 research has found that schizoaffective disorder is associated with better long-term functional outcomes and cognitive functioning compared with schizophrenia. 4,9–12 Research on the clinical characteristics of schizoaffective disorder has generally suggested that these individuals have less cognitive impairment than adults with schizophrenia but possibly more than individuals with bipolar disorder. 6,9,12 Other studies have suggested that schizoaffective disorder is associated with higher occupational functioning, more social contact, higher quality of life, more insight into the disorder, and are healthier overall than individuals with schizophrenia; 4,5,10,13 nevertheless, individuals with schizoaffective disorder tend to be hospitalized more frequently.…”

“…4,9–12 Research on the clinical characteristics of schizoaffective disorder has generally suggested that these individuals have less cognitive impairment than adults with schizophrenia but possibly more than individuals with bipolar disorder. 6,9,12 Other studies have suggested that schizoaffective disorder is associated with higher occupational functioning, more social contact, higher quality of life, more insight into the disorder, and are healthier overall than individuals with schizophrenia; 4,5,10,13 nevertheless, individuals with schizoaffective disorder tend to be hospitalized more frequently. 13,14 On the other hand, neuroimaging studies have suggested widespread similarities between the brains of individuals with schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder, distinct from the brains of individuals with bipolar disorder, 15,16 which could suggest similar long-term outcomes.…”