Gestational length affects neurocognition in early-onset schizophrenia

Clinical, cognitive, and functional characteristics of recent-onset psychosis with autistic features: A 2-year longitudinal study

Though categorized as separate illnesses, schizophrenia and autism are known to exhibit shared characteristics. This study explored the distinctions in clinical, cognitive, and functional characteristics among individuals with recent-onset psychosis, considering the severity of their autistic symptoms, involving longitudinal examinations. We analyzed 671 patients with recent-onset psychosis from Korean Early Psychosis Cohort Study (KEPS), and used the PANSS Autism Severity Score (PAUSS) to categorize patient into 'autistic', 'moderate', and 'non-autistic' groups. The autistic group had the highest rate of schizophrenia diagnosis, and the lowest incidence of comorbid psychiatric disorders. Schizophrenia diagnosis predicted membership of the autistic group. More severe autistic symptoms correlated with worse overall symptoms and functional outcomes, which significantly predicted membership of the autistic group. Cognitive impairments and emotional recognition difficulties increased with the severity of autistic symptoms. 2-year longitudinal assessments demonstrated that group differences in autistic features and overall symptoms, and functional outcomes remained consistent, and membership of the autistic group significantly predicted symptomatic remission and functional recovery. In conclusion, the presence of autistic symptoms has a significant impact on the overall symptomatology and functional capabilities. They are enduring attributes rather than temporary state variables, and serve as a significant predictor for both symptomatic and functional recovery.

Perinatal complications and executive dysfunction in early-onset schizophrenia

BACKGROUND

The present study examined the association between perinatal obstetric complications and executive dysfunction in early-onset schizophrenia (EOS), compared to healthy controls. Higher incidences of obstetric complications and more severe executive dysfunctions characterize EOS. Research shows extensive brain maturation in newborns, suggesting them to be particularly vulnerable for perinatal insults. Executive function is mainly mediated by the prefrontal cortex, an area that matures last during pregnancy. Thus, exposure to perinatal complications may influence executive dysfunction in EOS.

METHODS

The participants were 19 EOS patients and 54 healthy controls. Executive function was assessed with the D-KEFS Color Word Interference Test and the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test. Information on perinatal obstetric complications and Apgar 5-min scores were obtained from the Norwegian Medical Birth Registry. Associations between perinatal conditions and executive function were studied using stepwise regression analyses.

RESULTS

Perinatal complications, and especially shorter gestational lengths, were significantly associated with significant executive dysfunctions in EOS. Perinatal complications did not affect executive function among healthy controls. A significant relationship between lower Apgar 5-min scores and executive dysfunction was found among both EOS patients and healthy controls.

CONCLUSIONS

Exposure to perinatal complications, and particularly a shorter gestational length, was associated with increased executive dysfunction in EOS. Exposed healthy controls did not exhibit similar executive difficulties, suggesting that the EOS patients seemed especially vulnerable for executive deficits due to perinatal insults. The findings indicate that EOS youths learn more slowly and experience more difficulty with problem-solving, which carry important implications for clinical practice. Lower Apgar 5-min scores were associated with executive dysfunction in both groups. Low Apgar score at 5 min may therefore be an important early indicator of executive difficulties among adolescents, independent of diagnosis.

The research evidence for schizophrenia as a neurodevelopmental disorder

Schizophrenia is a neurodevelopmental disorder that starts very early. In this review we describe the empirical evidence for the neurodevelopmental model. First, by outlining the roots of psychological research that laid the foundation of the model. Thereafter, describing cognitive dysfunction observed in schizophrenia, and the course of cognitive functioning in the illness. Then, research findings that speak for and studies that speak against the view that schizophrenia is a degenerative process is discussed. We find that there is ample evidence that cognitive disturbance is a core element in schizophrenia. However, we have limited understanding of what initiates the abnormal development. This the paper ends with pointing out some of the factors that may trigger the deviant neurocognitive development in schizophrenia.

Do clinical characteristics predict the cognitive course in early-onset schizophrenia-spectrum disorders?

BACKGROUND

Being in a period with extensive brain maturation, adolescents with early-onset schizophrenia-spectrum disorders (EOS) provide unique neurodevelopmental data that may contribute to a better understanding of schizophrenia at all ages. Cognitive dysfunction is a central feature of schizophrenia and is more pronounced in EOS than in later onset illness. However, there is limited research on both the long-term course of global cognition in EOS, and how cognition over time is influenced by clinical characteristics during the early illness period.

METHODS

Thirty-one EOS patients and 73 controls (age 12-18) were assessed on clinical variables at baseline (PANSS, duration of untreated psychosis [DUP], hospitalizations, suicide attempts, and remission). Neuropsychological assessments with the MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery (MCCB) were conducted at baseline and after both 1 and 2 years, and composite scores of total performances were calculated. The analyses were performed with a linear mixed model.

RESULTS

The present study found that global cognition followed a stable course over the first years of the disease in EOS, though at a significantly lower level in EOS compared with the controls. We did not detect a relationship between DUP, remission, positive/negative symptoms, and hospitalizations on one hand, and long-term cognition on the other hand, but PANSS-general and suicide attempt history at baseline were identified as risk factors of longitudinal cognitive function.

CONCLUSIONS

Though at different levels, the EOS group and the controls had a similar cognitive course over 2 years. Some baseline characteristics (psychotic symptoms, DUP, remission, and hospitalization) had no influence on cognition within the first 2 years of illness. In contrast, general symptoms and a history of suicide attempts at baseline were more potent risk factors of the cognitive course than the psychotic-specific symptoms, and should, therefore, be subject to specific attention in the evaluation and treatment of patients with early-onset psychosis.