TY - JOUR
T1 - Negative symptom resolution and improvements in specific cognitive deficits after acute treatment in first-episode schizophrenia
AU - Schuepbach, Daniel
AU - Keshavan, Matcheri S.
AU - Kmiec, Julie A.
AU - Sweeney, John A.
N1 - Funding Information:
This research was supported by National Institute of Health grants MH42969, MH45156, MH62134 and MH01433, and by the National Alliance for Research in Schizophrenia and Affective Disorders. Dr. Schuepbach was supported through a grant from the Swiss Foundation of Medical-Biological Grants.
PY - 2002/1/15
Y1 - 2002/1/15
N2 - Patients with first-episode schizophrenia show significant cognitive impairments even at this early phase of their illness. Antipsychotic medication improves clinical symptomatology, but the effectiveness of this treatment on neuropsychological deficits remains unclear. We investigated clinical symptom and neuropsychological performance change in 34 unmedicated first-episode psychotic patients (17 males, 17 females) from the time prior to treatment until 33.6 ± 11.3 days after treatment initiation at which time patients demonstrated meaningful recovery from psychosis. Twenty-four matched healthy subjects were also studied. Performance in most neuropsychological functions (language skills, attention, nonverbal learning and reasoning, motor speed) remained stable for the group as a whole. However, reduction in negative symptoms was significantly correlated with performance increases in verbal fluency and attention. Higher negative symptom recovery was associated with improvement of cognitive performance to levels approaching those of healthy subjects, whereas low or no negative symptom improvement was associated with stable or decreased cognitive performance. Reduction in positive symptoms was not associated with change in cognitive abilities. These findings suggest a linkage between early, treatment-induced improvements in negative symptoms and reductions in distinct cognitive deficits.
AB - Patients with first-episode schizophrenia show significant cognitive impairments even at this early phase of their illness. Antipsychotic medication improves clinical symptomatology, but the effectiveness of this treatment on neuropsychological deficits remains unclear. We investigated clinical symptom and neuropsychological performance change in 34 unmedicated first-episode psychotic patients (17 males, 17 females) from the time prior to treatment until 33.6 ± 11.3 days after treatment initiation at which time patients demonstrated meaningful recovery from psychosis. Twenty-four matched healthy subjects were also studied. Performance in most neuropsychological functions (language skills, attention, nonverbal learning and reasoning, motor speed) remained stable for the group as a whole. However, reduction in negative symptoms was significantly correlated with performance increases in verbal fluency and attention. Higher negative symptom recovery was associated with improvement of cognitive performance to levels approaching those of healthy subjects, whereas low or no negative symptom improvement was associated with stable or decreased cognitive performance. Reduction in positive symptoms was not associated with change in cognitive abilities. These findings suggest a linkage between early, treatment-induced improvements in negative symptoms and reductions in distinct cognitive deficits.
KW - Cognitive function
KW - First-episode schizophrenia
KW - Symptoms of schizophrenia
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U2 - 10.1016/S0920-9964(01)00195-5
DO - 10.1016/S0920-9964(01)00195-5
M3 - Article
C2 - 11738538
AN - SCOPUS:0037079826
SN - 0920-9964
VL - 53
SP - 249
EP - 261
JO - Schizophrenia Research
JF - Schizophrenia Research
IS - 3
ER -