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Prospective memory in individuals with first-episode schizophrenia: A two-year longitudinal study
Eric F C Cheung1, Simon S Y Lui1,2, Ya Wang2
1Castle Peak Hospital, Hong Kong, China.
Early Intervention in Psychiatry
|September 4, 2018
Summary
Prospective memory (PM) impairments in first-episode schizophrenia improved over two years. Time-based prospective memory (PM) showed different trajectories than event-based PM, remaining poorer than controls at follow-up.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychiatry
- Cognitive Psychology
Background:
- Prospective memory (PM) is crucial for daily functioning.
- Schizophrenia is associated with significant cognitive deficits, including PM impairments.
- Longitudinal studies on PM in early schizophrenia are limited.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the two-year naturalistic trajectory of time- and event-based prospective memory (PM) in patients with first-episode schizophrenia.
- To compare the recovery patterns of time-based and event-based PM.
- To examine the relationship between PM and clinical symptoms.
Main Methods:
- A computer-based dual-task PM paradigm was administered to 57 first-episode schizophrenia patients at baseline and at 6, 12, and 24 months.
- 48 healthy controls completed baseline assessments.
- Repeated measures ANOVAs and Spearman's correlations were used for data analysis.
Main Results:
- PM impairments significantly improved over 24 months.
- Time-based and event-based PM followed different trajectories.
- At 24 months, patients performed worse than controls in time-based PM, but not event-based PM.
- PM was not correlated with clinical symptoms.
Conclusions:
- Time-based prospective memory (PM) is less temporally stable than event-based PM in first-episode schizophrenia.
- These findings highlight distinct recovery patterns for different types of PM in early schizophrenia.
- This study provides valuable insights into the long-term cognitive trajectory of schizophrenia.
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