Deficit in schizophrenia: The relationship between negative symptoms and neurocognition

The aim of the study was to analyze the role of clinical and neuropsycholog ical variables in the psychosocial functioning and evolution of negative sc hizophrenia. We examined a sample of 49 negative schizophrenic outpatients who were pharmacologically stabilized. The subjects were evaluated clinical ly with the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) and the Schedule f or Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia (SADS), and neuropsychologically w ith a broad neuropsychological test battery. The correlations between all o f the variables were studied and their predictive capacity assessed by line ar regression methods. When the neuropsychological impairment criterion was established, we were able to distinguish two groups of patients with simil ar psychopathologies, but different neuropsychological and prognostic chara cteristics. Schizophrenic patients with neuropsychological impairment showe d worse prognosis, worse evolution, and worse psychosocial adaptation than nonneuropsychologically impaired schizophrenics. Cognitive variables are st atistically good predictors of evolution, prognosis, and adaptation. In con clusion, the negative syndrome of schizophrenia is neuropsychologically het erogeneous. Although negative patients present a similar clinical profile, their neuropsychological and prognostic characteristics may differ. Copyrig ht (C) 2001 by W.B. Saunders Company.