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. 2021 Jul 28:26:100210.
doi: 10.1016/j.scog.2021.100210. eCollection 2021 Dec.

Cognitive predictors of longitudinal positive symptom course in clinical high risk for psychosis

Ingvild Aase  1   2 , Johannes Hendrik Langeveld  1   2 , Jan Olav Johannessen  1   2 , Inge Joa  1   2 , Ingvild Dalen  2   3 , Wenche Ten Velden Hegelstad  1   4
Affiliations

Cognitive predictors of longitudinal positive symptom course in clinical high risk for psychosis

Ingvild Aase et al. Schizophr Res Cogn. .

Abstract

Background: Clinical High Risk (CHS) for psychosis is a state in which positive symptoms are predominant but do not reach a level of severity that fulfils the criteria for a psychotic episode. The aim of this study has been to investigate whether cognition in subjects with newly detected CHR affects the longitudinal development of positive symptoms.

Methods: Fifty-three CHR individuals fulfilling the criteria for attenuated positive syndrome in the Structural Interview for Prodromal Syndromes (SIPS) were included. At inclusion, all participants completed a neurocognitive battery consisting of tests measuring attention, verbal memory, verbal fluency, executive functions and general intelligence. Cognitive domain z-scores were defined by contrasting with observed scores of a group of matched healthy controls (n = 40). Associations between cognitive performance at inclusion and longitudinal measures of positive symptoms were assessed by using generalised linear models including non-linear effects of time. All regression models were adjusted for age and gender.

Results: Overall, SIPS positive symptoms declined over the time period, with a steeper decline during the first six months. Deficits in executive functions were assossiated witn a higher load of positive symptoms at baseline (p=0.006), but also to a faster improvement (p=0.030), wheras those with poor verbal fluency improved more slowly (p=0.018).

Conclusion: To our knowledge, this is the first study that follows CHR subjects by means of frequent clinical interviews over a sustained period of time. The study provides evidence of an association between executive functions, including verbal fluency, with the evolvement of positive symptoms.

Keywords: Clinical high risk for psychosis; Cognitive predictors; Executive functions; Longitudinal; Positive symptoms; Verbal fluency.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors report no conflict of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Flow chart of the study cohort Notes: NA = participants not attending assessment at the given time point but continuing to be monitored at later time points.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Development of SIPS positive symptoms for CHR subjects over the 24-month follow-up period.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Predicted development of SIPS positive symptoms from cognition at baseline for CHR subjects over a 24-month period Notes: Predicted development of SIPS positive symptoms for 53 CHR subjects over 24 months of follow-up for given values at baseline of (A) executive functions and (B) verbal fluency. Predictions are based on the models presented in Table 4 and Supplementary Table S2. SIPS = Structured Interview for Psychosis-risk Syndromes. CHR = clinical high risk for psychosis.
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