Sex-based differences in neurocognitive functioning in first-episode psychosis: An exploratory analysis

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Psychiatry
• Cognitive Psychology

Background:

• Inconsistent evidence exists regarding sex differences in neurocognition among individuals with first-episode psychosis (FEP).
• Previous studies have not consistently accounted for clinical and sociodemographic factors that may influence these differences.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate sex-based differences in neurocognition within a first-episode psychosis (FEP) cohort.
• To explore the impact of clinical and sociodemographic covariates on observed sex differences in cognitive performance.

Main Methods:

• An observational descriptive study was conducted with 191 individuals diagnosed with first-episode psychosis (FEP).
• Participants completed a comprehensive neuropsychological battery assessing various cognitive domains.
• Statistical analyses, including ANCOVAs, were used to compare cognitive performance between men and women, adjusting for relevant covariates.

Main Results:

• After covariate adjustment, men demonstrated more frequent use of serial clustering in short-term recall tasks compared to women.
• Women outperformed men on the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, with education level significantly influencing performance.
• Verbal memory recall (immediate and long-term) and clustering strategies were associated with education level and diagnosis.

Conclusions:

• Sex differences are evident in verbal memory and executive functioning in first-episode psychosis (FEP).
• Cognitive performance is influenced by encoding strategies, diagnosis, and education level.
• Interventions for FEP should adopt an intersectional approach to optimize cognitive rehabilitation by addressing specific sex- and education-related needs.