The difference of social cognitive and neurocognitive performance between patients with schizophrenia at different stages and influencing factors

Abstract

Objects: To explore the specific features of cognitive function in patients with schizophrenia at different stages and its influencing factors.

Methods: The MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery (MCCB) and the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) were administered to 208 patients with schizophrenia, including 158 clinically stable schizophrenia (CSS) and 50 first-episode patients with schizophrenia (FES), and 40 healthy controls (HC). Propensity score matching (PSM) was used to match the CSS and FES.

Results: (1) The MCCB and it^,s sub-scale scores in patients with schizophrenia were lower than HC, but the score of emotion intelligence showed no significant difference between CSS and HC. (2) Before PSM, the cognitive scores of FES were significantly lower than CSS (except trail making A test, Hopkins verbal learning, category fluency). After PSM, patients with CSS still do better in performing trail making A test, emotional intelligence, continuous performances and MCCB total score. (3) BPRS total score, gender, group (FES vs CSS) and age were independent contributors to emotion intelligence, and BPRS total score had the biggest effect. (4) The effect of group (FES vs CSS) on MCCB total score and emotional intelligence was statistically significant.

Conclusions: There are significant cognitive deficits in patients with FES and CSS compared with HC. FES have greater cognitive impairments compared with CSS. Emotion intelligence of CSS may be even close to the level of HC. BPRS total score, gender, group (FES vs CSS) and age may be the independent contributors to social cognition. Group (FES vs CSS) may play an important effect on general cognition and social cognition.

Keywords: Influencing factors; MCCB; Neurocognition; Schizophrenia; Social cognition.

Fig. 1

Comparison of cognitive function between patients with first-episode schizophrenia and clinically stable schizophrenia. CSS: clinically stable patients with schizophrenia; FES: first-episode patients with schizophrenia. TMT: trail making A test; SC: symbol coding; HVLT: Hopkins verbal learning test; SS: spatial span; DS: digital sequence; NAB: maze; BVMT: brief visuospatial memory test; CF: category fluency; EIT: emotion intelligence test; CPT: continuous performance test; MCCB: MCCB total T score.