Cognitive sequelae of tardive dyskinesia

Severity and location of tardive dyskinesia (TD) symptoms and diagnosis were related to neurocognitive dysfunction as measured by the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) and the Wechsler Memory Scale using schizophrenic and affective patients. Diagnosis, severity, and location of TD symptoms were related to cognitive dysfunction. Total symptom severity correlated significantly negatively with 10 of 14 WAIS scores and with four of seven Wechsler Memory scores in the total group with combined schizophrenic and affective patients. The magnitude of the relationships between TD symptom severity and cognitive deficit was strongly affected by the location of the symptoms and the diagnosis of the patient. In the total group, severity of facial TD symptoms correlated significantly negatively with 11 of 14 WAIS scores and with all eight memory scores. TD symptoms in the extremities correlated significantly negatively with only two WAIS and two memory scores, whereas truncal TD symptoms did not correlate significantly negatively with any WAIS or memory scores. Patients diagnosed as schizophrenic showed significant negative correlations of total TD symptom severity with 12 of 14 WAIS scores and with seven of eight Wechsler Memory Scale scores. Patients diagnosed as having affective disorder showed only one significant correlation between total TD symptom severity and WAIS or memory scores. Length of institutionalization has been found to be related to TD symptoms in schizophrenic but not affective patients. In the present study, institutionalization was negatively correlated with severity of facial TD symptoms but not with severity of TD symptoms of the trunk or extremities.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)