IS IT POSSIBLE TO BE SCHIZOPHRENIC YET NEUROPSYCHOLOGICALLY NORMAL

This study identified and characterized a group of schizophrenic patie nts without neuropsychological (NP) impairment. A comprehensive NP bat tery was administered to 171 schizophrenic outpatients and 63 normal c omparison participants. Each participant's NP status was classified th rough blind clinical ratings by 2 experienced neuropsychologists; 27% of the schizophrenics were classified as NP normal. The NP-normal and NP-impaired schizophrenics were similar in terms of most demographic, psychiatric, and functional characteristics, except that NP-normal pat ients had less negative and extrapyramidal symptoms, were on less anti cholinergic medication, socialized more frequently, and were less like ly to have had a recent psychiatric hospitalization. The existence of NP normal schizophrenics suggests that the pathophysiology underlying the cognitive deficits often associated with schizophrenia may be dist inct from that causing some of its core psychiatric features.