Cognitive functioning and positive and negative symptoms in schizophrenia

The present study examined schizophrenics' performance on a variety of cognitive measures in order to explore the relationship between schizophrenic symptoms and cognitive performance. The Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale and a battery of neuropsychological tests, developed at the Montreal Neurological Institute, were administered to 38 acutely ill, hospitalized schizophrenics. Patients were diagnosed using DSM III criteria. Negative symptoms were assessed with the SANS and positive symptoms with the SAPS. Both the cognitive tests and the symptom rating scales were re-administered to this sample at a 6 month follow-up period. Analyses revealed that, at both time periods cognitive deficits were more likely to be associated with high negative symptom ratings than with positive symptoms. Only certain tests showed significant improvement at the follow-up period. Furthermore, improved cognitive functioning was related to an improvement in positive, but not negative, symptoms.