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Sex differences in olfactory identification and Wisconsin Card Sorting performance in schizophrenia: relationship to
L J Seidman1, J M Goldstein, J M Goodman
1Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts Mental Health Center, Boston 02115, USA.
Biological Psychiatry
|July 15, 1997
Summary
Schizophrenia patients show cognitive deficits in executive function and smell identification. Male schizophrenics performed worse on executive function tests than females, suggesting sex differences in schizophrenia-related cognitive impairments.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychiatry
- Cognitive Psychology
Background:
- Schizophrenia is associated with cognitive deficits, particularly in executive functions.
- Prefrontal brain systems (dorsal vs. ventral) and sex may differentially impact cognitive impairments in schizophrenia.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the differential contribution of dorsal vs. ventral prefrontal systems and sex to cognitive deficits in schizophrenia.
- To assess olfactory identification and executive functions in schizophrenia patients and healthy controls.
Main Methods:
- Clinically stable, chronic schizophrenic outpatients and matched normal control subjects were assessed.
- Olfactory identification was measured using the University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test (UPSIT).
- Executive functions were evaluated using the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST).
Main Results:
- Schizophrenia patients exhibited impairments in both olfactory identification (UPSIT) and executive functions (WCST) compared to controls.
- Male schizophrenics showed significantly greater impairment on the WCST compared to female schizophrenics.
- Gender differences in UPSIT performance were slightly more pronounced in schizophrenia patients.
Conclusions:
- Cognitive deficits in schizophrenia involve executive functions and olfactory identification.
- Sex differences in cognitive performance, particularly in executive functions, are present in schizophrenia.
- Further research with larger samples is needed to explore potential subgroups of male patients with diffuse prefrontal dysfunction.
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