Psychiatry Research, 09/09/2014 Clinical Article
Corigliano V, et al. – The authors explore neurocognition in individuals at different stages of Schizophrenia. Within the framework of the neurodevelopmental model of schizophrenia, the results suggest the presence of neuropsychological impairment before the onset of full–blown psychosis. Moreover, the deficits are larger in the more chronic groups, according to the theory of an ongoing neurodevelopmental alteration.
Methods
Thirty-six individuals with a prodromal syndrome, 53 first-episode and 44 multi-episode schizophrenia patients were assessed to examine neuropsychological performance.
ANCOVA analysis adjusted for possible confounder factors and planned contrasts with healthy controls were undertaken.
Results
The results revealed deficits in speed-of-processing, visual-learning and social-cognition in prodromal individuals, and of all other neuropsychological domains in both first-episode and multi-episode patients.
Furthermore impairment was found in the first-episode and in the multi-episode group, respectively on working-memory and attention.
Within the framework of the neurodevelopmental model of schizophrenia.