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Cognitive performance and cigarette smoking in first-episode psychosis

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Abstract

The purpose of this study is to describe possible differences in cognitive functioning between smoking and non-smoking patients with first-episode psychosis and to determine whether there is a better cognitive profile associated with smoking. We assessed 61 first-episode psychosis patients with a neuropsychological battery that included computerized measurements of attention, working memory, and executive functioning. Patients were grouped into two categories: non-smokers (0 cigarettes/day; n = 30) and smokers (≥20 cigarettes/day; n = 31). No significant differences were detected in sociodemographic and clinical data between the two groups. For attention tasks, smokers exhibited shorter reaction times in the sustained attention test than non-smokers (P = 0.039) and needed less time to complete the Stroop interference test (P = 0.013). In the working memory task, smokers exhibited shorter reaction times (P = 0.029) and presented a significantly lower percentage of omission (P = 0.002) and commission errors (P = 0.020) than non-smokers. For executive functioning, no differences were detected between groups in performance on the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test. Results indicate that first-episode psychosis patients who are nicotine users have better cognitive functioning in the areas of attention and working memory than patients who are not nicotine users. This study supports the cognitive approach to the self-medication hypothesis, to explain the high rates of cigarette smoking among psychosis patients. These results may be relevant for developing new strategies involving nicotinic receptors for cognitive enhancement in psychosis.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported in part by the University of the Basque Country (UPV-EHU), the Spanish Department of Health, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Mental Health CIBER-SAM, RETICS RD06/0011(REM-TAP Network), and by grants PI01/1455; PI05/1508 (Spanish Department of Health: Healthcare Research Fund).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neuroscience, Psychiatry Section, School of Medicine and Odontology, University of the Basque Country (UPV-EHU), Apdo. Correos 699, 48080, Vizcaya, Spain

    Arantzazu Zabala PhD, José Ignacio Eguiluz PhD, Rafael Segarra PhD, Ana González Pinto PhD & Miguel Gutiérrez PhD

  2. Mental Health CIBER-SAM, Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Ministerio de Sanidad, Spain

    Arantzazu Zabala PhD, José Ignacio Eguiluz PhD, Rafael Segarra PhD, Ana González Pinto PhD & Miguel Gutiérrez PhD

  3. Department of Psychiatry, Cruces Hospital, Osakidetza Mental Health System, Plaza de Cruces s/n, 48903, Vizcaya, Spain

    José Ignacio Eguiluz PhD, Rafael Segarra PhD & Sonsoles Enjuto MS

  4. Las Nieves Psychiatric Hospital, Alava 43, 01006, Alava, Spain

    Jesús Ezcurra PhD

  5. Department of Psychiatry, Santiago Apostol Hospital, Osakidetza Mental Health System, Olagibel 299, 01004, Alava, Spain

    Ana González Pinto PhD & Miguel Gutiérrez PhD

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  1. Arantzazu Zabala PhD
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  2. José Ignacio Eguiluz PhD
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  3. Rafael Segarra PhD
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  4. Sonsoles Enjuto MS
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  6. Ana González Pinto PhD
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Correspondence to Arantzazu Zabala PhD.

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Zabala, A., Eguiluz, J.I., Segarra, R. et al. Cognitive performance and cigarette smoking in first-episode psychosis. Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci 259, 65–71 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00406-008-0835-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00406-008-0835-6

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