SEX-DIFFERENCES IN NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL FUNCTIONING OF FIRST-EPISODE AND CHRONICALLY ILL SCHIZOPHRENIC-PATIENTS

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine whether men and women with schizophrenia demonstrate differences in cognitive abilitie s. Method: Two cohorts of patients with schizophrenia, an acute first- episode and a chronically hospitalized group, were evaluated with a ne uropsychological battery and compared with a normal group of subjects. Results: After adjustment for age, age at onset, and premorbid IQ, ma le chronic patients performed worse than female chronic patients on me asures of visual memory. These differences were eliminated after contr ol for symptom severity. No other differences were found in cognitive function between men and women in either cohort. Conclusions: Sex diff erences in cognitive function in schizophrenic patients are not robust findings.