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. 2022 Aug 12;7(1):78.
doi: 10.1186/s41235-022-00428-z.

Positive symptoms of schizophrenia and their relationship with cognitive and emotional executive functions

Pamela Ruiz-Castañeda  1   2 , Encarnación Santiago Molina  3 , Haney Aguirre Loaiza  4 , María Teresa Daza González  5   6
Affiliations

Positive symptoms of schizophrenia and their relationship with cognitive and emotional executive functions

Pamela Ruiz-Castañeda et al. Cogn Res Princ Implic. .

Abstract

Background: Positive symptoms of schizophrenia are associated with significant difficulties in daily functioning, and these difficulties have been associated with impaired executive functions (EEFF). However, specific cognitive and socio-emotional executive deficits have not been fully established.

Objective: The present study has several objectives. First, we aimed to examine the specific deficits in cognitive and socio-emotional EEFF in a group of patients with schizophrenia with a predominance of positive symptoms, as well as to determine if these patients present clinically significant scores in any of the three fronto-subcortical behavioral syndromes: Dorsolateral, Orbitofrontal, or Anterior Cingulate.

Method: The sample consisted of 54 patients, 27 with a predominance of positive symptoms, and 27 healthy controls matched for gender, age, and education. The two groups completed four cognitive and three socio-emotional EEFF tasks. In the group of patients, positive symptoms were evaluated using the scale for the Evaluation of Positive Symptoms (SANS), while the behavioral alterations associated with the three fronto-subcortical syndromes were evaluated using the Frontal System Behavior Scale (FrSBe).

Results: The patients, in comparison with a control group, presented specific deficits in cognitive and socio-emotional EEFF. In addition, a high percentage of patients presented clinically significant scores on the three fronto-subcortical syndromes.

Conclusion: The affectation that these patients present, in terms of both cognitive and emotional components, highlights the importance of developing a neuropsychological EEFF intervention that promotes the recovery of the affected cognitive capacities and improves the social and emotional functioning of the affected patients.

Keywords: Cognitive executive functions; Socio-emotional executive functions; Schizophrenia; Fronto-subcortical syndromes; Positive symptoms.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Flow of participants throughout the study
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Cool EEFF compared between patients and controls. Note: TSC = Task-switching costs. RT = Response time. *p < 0.05. **p < 0.01. ***p < 0.001
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Hot EEFF compared between patients and controls. Note: IGT = Iowa Gambling Task. FEE =  Facial emotional expressions. RT = Response time. *p < 0.05. **p < 0.01. ***p < 0.001
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Percentage of clinically significant cases in fronto-subcortical syndromes in patients with positive and negative symptoms. The negative symptom scores have been adapted from the study of Ruiz-Castañeda et al. (2020)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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