Profile of cognitive deficits and associations with depressive symptoms and intelligence in chronic early‐onset schizophrenia patients |
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Authors: | Jens Richardt Møllegaard Jepsen Birgitte Fagerlund Anne Katrine Pagsberg Anne Marie Raaberg Christensen Merete Nordentoft Erik Lykke Mortensen |
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Affiliation: | 1. Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Center Bispebjerg, Copenhagen University Hospital Bispebjerg, , Denmark;2. Lundbeck Foundation Centre for Clinical Intervention and Neuropsychiatric Schizophrenia, Research and Center for Neuropsychiatric Schizophrenia Research, Psychiatric Centre Glostrup, Copenhagen University Hospital Glostrup, , Denmark;3. Psychiatric Center Copenhagen, Copenhagen University Hospital Bispebjerg, , Denmark;4. Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Center Glostrup, Copenhagen University Hospital Glostrup, , Denmark;5. Institute of Public Health and Center for Healthy Aging, University of Copenhagen, , Denmark |
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Abstract: | Cognitive deficits in several domains have been demonstrated in early‐onset schizophrenia patients but their profile and relation to depressive symptoms and intelligence need further characterization. The purpose was to characterize the profile of cognitive deficits in chronic, early‐onset schizophrenia patients, assess the potential associations with depressive symptom severity, and examine whether cognitive deficits within several domains reflect intelligence impairments. This study compared attention, visual‐construction, aspects of visual and verbal memory, and executive functions in chronic, early‐onset schizophrenia patients (mean age = 20.7 years) (N = 18) and healthy controls (N = 38). Schizophrenia diagnoses were established at the time of the patients' first clinical presentation during childhood or adolescence and were confirmed five years later. In the chronic phase of early‐onset schizophrenia, significant deficits were observed in all specific cognitive functions. The profile of cognitive deficits was jagged, and visual‐construction, attention, and one aspect of verbal memory (verbal stories recall) were differentially impaired. Deficits of visual recall, visual recognition, and executive functions were accounted for by deficits in intelligence, while this was not the case for deficits of verbal recall of stories or attention. No significant associations were observed between the severity of cognitive deficits and that of depressive symptoms. Chronic, early‐onset schizophrenia is characterized by a broad and jagged profile of cognitive deficits. Deficits of attention and verbal recall of stories appear not to be accounted for by deficits in intelligence, and the severity of cognitive deficits seems independent from that of depressive symptoms |
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Keywords: | Neurocognition cognitive deficits early‐onset schizophrenia psychosis depression |
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