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Gender differences in neuropsychological performance across psychotic disorders--a multi-centre population based
Jolanta Zanelli1, Kevin Morgan, Paola Dazzan
1Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, London, United Kingdom.
Plos One
|November 9, 2013
Summary
Gender influences cognitive deficits in psychosis. While schizophrenia patients show similar impairments regardless of sex, women with depressive psychosis perform worse than men, and bipolar disorder differences are limited to language skills.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychiatry
- Cognitive Psychology
Background:
- Patients with schizophrenia and other psychoses often experience significant neuropsychological deficits.
- The presence and nature of gender differences in cognitive performance within these populations remain an area of active investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate potential gender-specific differences in cognitive performance among patients with first-episode psychosis.
- To compare cognitive deficits across different psychotic disorders, including schizophrenia, bipolar/manic disorder, and depressive psychosis, examining potential sex-based variations.
Main Methods:
- A multi-center, population-based case-control study involving patients with first-episode psychosis and healthy controls.
- Neuropsychological testing was administered to assess cognitive functions in individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, bipolar/manic disorder, depressive psychosis, and a control group.
- Generalized and specific cognitive deficits were compared between genders within each diagnostic group.
Main Results:
- Significant disorder-specific gender differences in neuropsychological performance were observed.
- Males and females with schizophrenia exhibited comparable pervasive cognitive impairments.
- Females with depressive psychosis demonstrated worse performance on neuropsychological measures compared to males.
- Gender differences in neuropsychological performance for bipolar/manic disorder were primarily confined to language functions.
- Symptom severity did not account for the observed gender-related cognitive differences.
Conclusions:
- Gender appears to modulate the severity of cognitive deficits in patients with depressive psychosis and bipolar/manic disorder early in the course of their illness.
- These findings highlight the importance of considering gender as a factor in understanding cognitive impairments in psychotic disorders.
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