Neuropsychological functioning in early-onset first-episode psychosis: comparison of diagnostic subgroups

Abstract

The aims of this study were to examine the nature and extent of cognitive impairment in first-episode early-onset psychosis (FE-EOP) soon after their stabilisation and to search for potential differences according to specific diagnostic sub-groups of patients. As part of a Spanish multicentre longitudinal study, 107 FE-EOP patients and 98 healthy controls were assessed on the following cognitive domains: attention, working memory, executive functioning, and verbal learning and memory. Three diagnostic categories were established in the patient sample: schizophrenia (n = 36), bipolar disorder (n = 19), and other psychosis (n = 52). Patients performed significantly worse than controls in all cognitive domains. The three diagnostic sub-groups did not differ in terms of impaired/preserved cognitive functions or degree of impairment. FE-EOP patients show significant cognitive impairment that, during this early phase, seems to be non-specific to differential diagnosis.

Differential Neurodevelopmental Trajectories in Patients With Early-Onset Bipolar and Schizophrenia Disorders

“…23,24 The discrepancy between the data showing cognitive impairment in bipolar disorder and close relatives [25][26][27][28] and the better premorbid cognitive functioning and scholastic performance in longitudinal studies in subjects who end up having adult bipolar disorder could be due to sample selection bias, medication, drug use, cognitive decline prior to the first psychotic episode, or other confounding factors. Reading difficulties and scholastic underachievement, however, seem to be more specific to early-onset schizophrenia than early-onset bipolar I disorder.…”

Characteristics of Cortical Activation in Schizophrenia during the Card Game ^|^ldquo;Concentration^|^rdquo;

“…All patients received atypical anti-psychotic drugs, with which WM deficits have been associated [36,37]. However, WM deficits have been reported in untreated patients with schizophrenia, in patients about to begin treatment, and in patients at clinical onset of schizophrenia, as well as in healthy first-degree relatives of patients with schizophrenia [4,35,38,39]. The relationship between medication effects and WM is unclear.…”

Sex-specific cognitive abnormalities in early-onset psychosis

“…Fitzgerald et al 10 compared earlyonset affective psychosis and early-onset schizophrenia (EOS), and patients with schizophrenia appeared to have more generalized impairment across cognitive functions. However, Zabala et al, 11 in a sample of adolescent psychosis, found no differences in terms of cognitive function impairment among schizophrenia, affective psychosis, and other psychoses.…”