Neuropsychological functioning in schizoaffective disorder, depressed type

Abstract

Neuropsychological functioning in schizoaffective disorder, depressed type, was tested by two parallel studies. In Study 1, the Luria-Nebraska Neuropsychological Battery (LNNB) was administered to samples of patients meeting Research Diagnostic Criteria (RDC) for schizodepressive disorder, major depressive disorder or schizophrenia, and to a normal control group. In Study 2, the same test battery was used in patients with a former RDC diagnosis of schizodepressive or major depressive disorder, examined from 2 to 4 years after the index episode, during a phase of remission. Study 1 showed that the performance of schizodepressives on LNNB is, on average, intermediate between those of depressives and schizophrenics, which finding is compatible with the view that RDC schizoaffective depression encompasses a heterogeneous group of syndromes, some of which are related to major depression and some to schizophrenia. Study 2 showed that the mean scores on the LNNB scales Memory and Intellectual processes are significantly higher in patients with a former diagnosis of schizodepressive disorder, which supports the idea that the outcome of these patients is worse, on average, than that of "pure" depressives.