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Neurocognitive dimensions characterising patients with first-episode psychosis
Background:
Assessment of neurocognitive dysfunction in schizophrenia is hampered by the multitude of tests used in the literature.
Aims:
We aimed to identify the main dimensions of an assessment battery for patients with first-episode psychosis and to estimate the relationship between dimension scores and gender, age, education, diagnosis and symptoms.
Method:
Eight frequently used neuropsychological tests were used. We tested 219 patients 3 months after start of therapy or at remission, whichever occurred first.
Results:
We identified five dimensions: working memory (WM); verbal learning (VL); executive function (EF); impulsivity (im); and motor speed (MS). Significant findings were that the MS score was higher for men, and the WM and VL scores were correlated with years of education.
Conclusions:
Neurocognitive function in first-episode psychosis is described by at least five independent dimensions.