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Cognitive functioning in the early course of first-episode schizophrenia spectrum disorders

Timing and patterns

  • ORIGINAL PAPER
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Abstract

Objective

The aim of this study was to examine possible cognitive changes throughout the early course of schizophrenia spectrum disorders.

Method

Forty-two patients, aged 15–50 years, admitted to a first episode psychosis program (PAFIP) serving to the community of Cantabria (Spain) and 43 healthy volunteers completed a brief battery of five neurocognitive tests at four time-points over 3 months. The cognitive testing comprise five domains: attention, visuomotor speed, declarative memory, working memory and executive function. Baseline assessment occurred within 72 hour after the initiation of standard pharmacological treatment, and after then parallel forms of the tests were applied at week-2, week-6, and month-3.

Results

Patient scores showed a significant impairment compared to healthy volunteers in the five cognitive domains at baseline and week-2 assessments. After the first 3 months of antipsychotic treatment, the patient group performance reached healthy volunteers level on executive function (Stroop interference) and immediate verbal memory tests. In contrast, performance on working memory, sustained attention, visuomotor speed, and verbal memory delayed recall domains still remained below healthy volunteers, although visuomotor processing speed showed a significant improvement.

Conclusion

Schizophrenia spectrum patients show heterogeneous patterns and degrees of cognitive changes that contribute to stress the importance of when, what, and how neurocognitive functioning in the early phases of the illness is evaluated.

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Acknowledgements

The authors gratefully acknowledge all team members’ of Cantabria First Episode Psychosis Program (Programa de Atención a las Fases Iniciales de las Psicosis, PAFIP); and the help of the persons in charge and the pupils of nursery University School of Cantabria and the Camargo’s vocational training workshops (Cantabria) during controls recruitment. The authors would like to thank Dr. Eoin Killackey for his aid in editing the manuscript. The present study was performed at the Hospital Marqués de Valdecilla, University of Cantabria, Santander, Spain, under the following grant support: Instituto de Salud Carlos III, FIS 00/3095; SENY Fundatió Research Grant 2005-0308007, and Fundación Marqués de Valdecilla A/02/07. There is not any kind of conflicts of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry, Hospital Universitario Marqués de Valdecilla, Planta 2ª, Edificio 2 de Noviembre, Avda. Valdecilla s/n, 39008, Santander, Spain

    César González-Blanch, Mario Álvarez-Jiménez, José Manuel Rodríguez-Sánchez, Rocío Pérez-Iglesias, José Luis Vázquez-Barquero & Benedicto Crespo-Facorro

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  1. César González-Blanch
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  2. Mario Álvarez-Jiménez
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  3. José Manuel Rodríguez-Sánchez
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  4. Rocío Pérez-Iglesias
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  5. José Luis Vázquez-Barquero
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  6. Benedicto Crespo-Facorro
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Correspondence to César González-Blanch.

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González-Blanch, C., Álvarez-Jiménez, M., Rodríguez-Sánchez, J.M. et al. Cognitive functioning in the early course of first-episode schizophrenia spectrum disorders. Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci 256, 364–371 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00406-006-0646-6

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