[Non-specific differences in neurocognitive performance in psychotic disorders?]

In the last years, there has been a growing interest in the study of cognitive functioning, not only in schizophrenia but also in other psychoses and psychiatric disorders. Attention, memory and information processing deficits may have great relevance as predictors of social adjustment and quality of life.

[corrected] We revised literature concerning comparative studies of neuropsychological performance in schizophrenia and affective disorders, mainly bipolar disorders.

Studies analyzed show contradictory results. Some authors report a more global dysfunction or a more limited and concrete dysfunction in schizophrenia. However, most of the studies, especially those with homogeneous samples of psychotic affective disorders do not find any difference in cognitive functioning between schizophrenic and bipolar patients.

Although some factors as sample selection, clinical state, course of the disorder, make difficult the interpretation of results, it would not exist specific deficits in any of the diagnostic groups studied.