Cognitive functioning in stabilized first-episode psychosis patients

This paper describes the cognitive functioning of a community cohort of ind ividuals presenting with a first episode of a schizophrenia spectrum psycho sis. Data were obtained for 107 patients (mean age 25 years) following stab ilization of acute psychotic symptoms, mostly with the use of novel antipsy chotics, on measures of intellectual, memory, attentional and executive fun ctioning using a standardized battery of cognitive measures, including WAIS III and WMS III. While patients generally performed in the average range a cross the majority of measures, deficits (Z-scorcs > 1.0 S.D.) were observe d on measures of speed of information processing (PASAT, WAIS III) and exec utive functions (Stroop Test and Trails B), with the greatest deficits obse rved on tests of processing speed (PASAT). Discrepancy scores between the N ART and the WAIS suggest subtle but statistically significant declines in f ull scale and performance IQ following onset of psychosis. Differences in c ognitive functioning between diagnostic groups were not supported. Comparis on of the highest and lowest functioning patients with respect to the cogni tive measures also did not support any demographic or clinical differences between these two subgroups. Our results suggest a relatively benign cognit ive profile in first-episode schizophrenia spectrum psychosis, regardless o f diagnosis, when most potential incidence cases in the community are inclu ded. The most severe deficits reported were on measures of speeded informat ion processing, and level of performance did not distinguish between patien ts demographically or clinically. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. Al l rights reserved.