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The influence of impaired processing speed on cognition in first-episode antipsychotic-naïve schizophrenic patients

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 April 2020

R. Andersen ,
B. Fagerlund ,
H. Rasmussen ,
B.H. Ebdrup ,
B. Aggernaes ,
A. Gade ,
B. Oranje  and
B. Glenthoj
R. Andersen*
Affiliation:
Center for Clinical Intervention and Neuropsychiatric Schizophrenia Research (CINS), Copenhagen University Hospital, Psychiatric Center Glostrup, Copenhagen, Denmark Center for Neuropsychiatric Schizophrenia Research (CNSR), Copenhagen University Hospital, Psychiatric Center Glostrup, Copenhagen, Denmark Department of Psychology, Copenhagen University, Copenhagen, Denmark
B. Fagerlund
Affiliation:
Center for Clinical Intervention and Neuropsychiatric Schizophrenia Research (CINS), Copenhagen University Hospital, Psychiatric Center Glostrup, Copenhagen, Denmark Center for Neuropsychiatric Schizophrenia Research (CNSR), Copenhagen University Hospital, Psychiatric Center Glostrup, Copenhagen, Denmark
H. Rasmussen
Affiliation:
Center for Clinical Intervention and Neuropsychiatric Schizophrenia Research (CINS), Copenhagen University Hospital, Psychiatric Center Glostrup, Copenhagen, Denmark Center for Neuropsychiatric Schizophrenia Research (CNSR), Copenhagen University Hospital, Psychiatric Center Glostrup, Copenhagen, Denmark
B.H. Ebdrup
Affiliation:
Center for Clinical Intervention and Neuropsychiatric Schizophrenia Research (CINS), Copenhagen University Hospital, Psychiatric Center Glostrup, Copenhagen, Denmark Center for Neuropsychiatric Schizophrenia Research (CNSR), Copenhagen University Hospital, Psychiatric Center Glostrup, Copenhagen, Denmark
B. Aggernaes
Affiliation:
Center for Clinical Intervention and Neuropsychiatric Schizophrenia Research (CINS), Copenhagen University Hospital, Psychiatric Center Glostrup, Copenhagen, Denmark Center for Neuropsychiatric Schizophrenia Research (CNSR), Copenhagen University Hospital, Psychiatric Center Glostrup, Copenhagen, Denmark
A. Gade
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Copenhagen University, Copenhagen, Denmark
B. Oranje
Affiliation:
Center for Clinical Intervention and Neuropsychiatric Schizophrenia Research (CINS), Copenhagen University Hospital, Psychiatric Center Glostrup, Copenhagen, Denmark Center for Neuropsychiatric Schizophrenia Research (CNSR), Copenhagen University Hospital, Psychiatric Center Glostrup, Copenhagen, Denmark
B. Glenthoj
Affiliation:
Center for Clinical Intervention and Neuropsychiatric Schizophrenia Research (CINS), Copenhagen University Hospital, Psychiatric Center Glostrup, Copenhagen, Denmark Center for Neuropsychiatric Schizophrenia Research (CNSR), Copenhagen University Hospital, Psychiatric Center Glostrup, Copenhagen, Denmark
*
*Corresponding author. Psychiatric Research Unit, Toftebakken 9, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark. Tel.: +45 221 725 15; fax: +45 463 202 41. E-mail address:runan@regionsjaelland.dk (R. Andersen).
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Abstract

Background:

Impaired cognition is a prominent feature of schizophrenia. To what extent the heterogeneous cognitive impairments can be accounted for by considering only a single underlying impairment or a small number of core impairments remains elusive. This study examined whether cognitive impairments in antipsychotic-naïve, first-episode schizophrenia patients may be determined by a relative slower speed of information processing.

Method:

Forty-eight antipsychotic-naïve patients with first-episode schizophrenia and 48 matched healthy controls were administered a comprehensive battery of neuropsychological tests to assess domains of cognitive impairments in schizophrenia. Composite scores were calculated, grouping tests into cognitive domains.

Results:

There were significant differences between patients and healthy controls on global cognition and all cognitive domains, including verbal intelligence, processing speed, sustained attention, working memory, reasoning and problem solving, verbal learning and memory, visual learning and memory, and reaction time. All these significant differences, except for verbal intelligence and global cognition, disappeared when processing speed was included as a covariate.

Conclusion:

At the first stage of illness, antipsychotic-naïve patients with schizophrenia display moderate/severe impairments in all the cognitive domains assessed. The results support the contention of a global cognitive dysfunction in schizophrenia that to some extent may be determined by impaired processing speed.

Keywords

SchizophreniaFirst-episodeCognitive impairmentProcessing speed
Type
Original article
Information
European Psychiatry , Volume 28 , Issue 6 , August 2013 , pp. 332 - 339
Copyright
Copyright © European Psychiatric Association

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